John Edwin Mason: Documentary, Motorsports, Photo History

Priya Ramrakha: Photographer, Pan-Africanist

One of the most significant photography exhibitions of the year -- Priya Ramrakha: A Pan-African Perspective, 1950-1968 -- opens on Thursday, October 5th, at the FADA Gallery, in Johannesburg, South Africa. It will add immensely to our understanding of African photography. The exhibition draws on his recently rediscovered archive and brings the work of this pioneering African photojournalist to the public for the first time since his death in 1968. Read more →

Cedric Nunn at the University of Virginia, 16 and 17 September 2015

Acclaimed South African photographer Cedric Nunn will visit the University of Virginia on September 16th and 17th, and I couldn't be happier. Cedric is both an artist whose work I've admired for many years and a friend. I can't wait to hear him speak and to introduce him to my... Read more →

What Makes a Photo Iconic? Four Dead Boys on a Gaza Beach

Note: This has become part of a series on the politics of iconic photographs. Part 2 is here. I'll post Part 3 later this week. * What makes a photograph iconic? Why do some stick in our minds and represent for us a powerful historical memory, while others fade away?... Read more →

Sarah Stacke: Love from Manenberg

I can't remember when I first saw photos from Sarah Stacke's on-going project, "Love from Manenberg," but I know that I responded immediately to their intimacy and beauty. I also liked the people and the setting. Manenberg is an impoverished suburb of Cape Town, South Africa, a city that has... Read more →

Jürgen Schadeberg: ICP's 2014 Cornell Capa Lifetime Achievement Award

Two people have done more to shape South African photography than any others. They have no peers. The first is David Goldblatt, who received the International Center of Photography's Cornell Capa Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013. The second is Jürgen Schadeberg, who'll be honored with the same award tonight. Both... Read more →

Film: Zanele Muholi, South African Visual Activist

I just stumbled across this terrific short documentary by and about Zanele Muholi, the well known South African photographer and activist. I've been a fan for several years. Her commitment to both art and social justice -- her ability to see and to embody the connection between the two --... Read more →

Street Photography in Johannesburg, South Africa: Akinbode Akinbiyi

I love the way that Nigerian photographer Akinbode Akinbiyi works. I mean his approach to photography (see below) and the way that he uses his camera. At least in the video below, he's shooting with a Rollei Twin Lens Reflex (TLR) camera, using the sports finder. That immediately makes him... Read more →