Fernanda Preto: Cowboys of Pantanal

Fernanda Preto is a Brazilian photojournalist currently based in Sao Paulo, and after living in the Amazon area for three years, has worked in environment and social reportages. She obtained degrees from the Panamerican School of Arts in Sao Paulo and from the Tuiuti University of Parana.

Her short film is about the Cowboys of Pantanal, which she produced using a Canon 5D Mark II. Pantanal is the largest tropical wetland in the world. Its largest area is in the state of Matto Grosso do Sul, with the rest being in Bolivia and Paraguay. It's considered as one of the last 37 natural wilderness areas in the world. The cowboys working in the area have survived for more than 100 years, doing the same task as the fathers and forefathers did, drive cattle to the highlands before the floods.

You can also see Fernanda's very well composed still images of the Pantanal Cowboys on her website by hovering your cursor over Features.

Next Week on The Travel Photographer

What's on tap for the week starting Monday, December 20? Take a look:

1. The work of a Brazilian photographer/photojournalist featuring her work on Brazil's cowboys.
2. The portfolio of a humanitarian and cultural photographer...with a focus on South Africa.
3. The work of an Indian photographer on the homeless of Kolkata.
4. And speaking of Kolkata...I'll be releasing the details of my photo~expedition/workshop in October 2011. It already has been announced yesterday to my newsletter's subscribers who are given priority.

Plus the usual "shooting from the hip" post. I didn't have the time last week for a meaningful rant..but you never know.

Ashura: Photos In "The Big Ones"

Photo © REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (Courtesy Reuters Photo Blog)

Photographs of the Day of Ashura are carried by a number of the newspaper large picture blogs, largely because of its graphic nature, and while I initially thought it might have been because it reinforces the stereotype of Islamic fervor being violent, I've reconsidered and I'm quite certain that this is not the case. I recall seeing lovely peaceful scenes of Muslims celebrating Ramadan on The Big Picture blog.

Photo © Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images (Courtesy WSJ Photo Journal)

Be it what it may, the photographs are graphic because the acts of self mortification and flagellation carried out by the Shias are just that...extremely graphic. Flagellation is not at all exclusive to Shia Islam, but is also practiced by certain elements of the Christian faith.

Photo © REUTERS/ Ali Hashisho (Courtesy Reuters Photo Blog)

The Day of Ashura falls on the 10th day of the Islamic month of Muharram and for the Shias, commemorates a day of mourning for the death of Hussein ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, at the battle of Karbala.  Shias consider Hussein the third Imam and the rightful successor to Muhammad, and the grief for his death is demonstrated by the self-flagellation in parades and other venues.

Photo © Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters (Courtesy WSJ Photo Blog)

For Sunni Muslims, Ashura is observed by fasting as the Prophet Muhammad did, to commemorate the day when Moses and his followers were saved from Pharaoh by God by creating a path in the Red Sea. Surprising, huh?

The top photograph is of a girl with a green headband with the words "Hussein" as she attends the Ashura religious festival in Khorramabad, southwest of Tehran.

The second photograph is of a Shia devotee in New Delhi beating his bloodied chest as part of the ten-day mourning period marking the death of Imam Hussein. 

The third photograph is of a Lebanese Shia whose shaven head bleeds after tapping his forehead with a razor during the Ashura ceremony in Nabatiyeh.

The fourth and last photograph is a Shia walking on hot coals during a Ashura ceremony at a mosque in Yangon, Myanmar.

I ought to plan attending Ashura to photograph its ceremonies...it would be fascinating. Yes, bloody and graphic...but I'd attend it given half the chance. I came close years ago to do so when working in Bahrain, but I was advised not to attend it with a camera. Different times, I suppose.

Kolkata's Cult of Durga: New 2011 Photo Expedition

I'm pleased to announce details of my Kolkata's Cult of Durga Photo Expedition™ scheduled from September 29 to October 13, 2011.

Kolkata's Durga Puja is the most important religious festival of West Bengal, celebrating the Hindu goddess Durga. Due to its importance, it's the most significant socio-cultural event in Bengali society of the year. It's during this annual spiritual event that I shall conduct a photo expedition/workshop.

The purpose of this photo~expedition is to photograph the innumerable rites associated with the Durga Puja festivities; and since Kolkata offers a diverse, gritty, and a visually compelling environment to photographers, it'll also be a "street-photography-heavy" workshop, with a multimedia component.

For details, drop by Kolkata's Cult of Durga Photo Expedition™

Soham Gupta: The Down & Outs of Howrath

Photo © Soham Gupta-All Rights Reserved

 Following my post of yesterday on my forthcoming Kolkata Cult of Durga Photo-Expedition, I thought it timely to feature Soham Gupta's work on the homeless of Howrah. Soham is a Kolkata-based humanitarian photographer, who specializes in documenting social injustice and works with disadvantaged children. He started as a writer, but later realized that he had the ability to tell stories in a better way, through photographs.

The Down & Outs of Howrah is a haunting photo-essay on some of the destitute who live near the world-famous Howrah Railway Station. Howrah is situated on the west bank of the Hooghly River, and is linked to Kolkata by the famous Howrah Bridge. It is a twin city of Kolkata, and is the second largest city of West Bengal in terms of both area and population. Its railway station is the busiest and second-oldest station, and one of the largest railway complexes in India.

Soham tells us that most of these homeless individuals are drug users, and have developed mental disorders. Some of them carry the HIV virus because of shared syringes.

I encourage you to visit his website, and explore his other galleries. He documents the Bishnois, the Rajasthani gypsies and the Pushkar Fair. I consider his edgy and high contrast black & white photograph to be influenced by what I call the "Bangladeshi" school. You be the judge.