I had heard of acid attacks before, but hadn’t thought about it in Cambodia. Although barely quantified at the time, readily available acid in Cambodia’s violence desensitized and traumatized society meant acid attack was an increasingly common method of settling disputes or seeking revenge.

Not long after I met the acid attack victim in 2008, I visited the Cambodian Acid Survivors Charity to photograph the survivors who were making a new life for themselves. Although horribly scarred, I found the women engaging, fun, and full of vitality.

A couple of days ago the NY Times published this piece on acid attack in Cambodia.

Click through the jump below for images from my visit in 2008.

After reading the NY Times piece, it looks like Cambodian Acid Survivors Charity has stabilized itself (it was struggling with funding) such that it can increase its services, which is good to hear. Hopefully it can continue its awareness campaign and decrease the incidences of acid attack.

My series of images from early 2008:

Cambodian Acid Survivor Center – Images by Tim Matsui

Being a one-person-band isn’t preferable and, having spent time working with MediaStorm I am an advocate of working as a team. But, sometimes the budget, location, or story don’t allow for more than one, maybe two people.

Part of a series, this post is intended for others journalists who are shooting, or starting to shoot, video with the HDSLR Canon 5D Mark II. I’m posting because I’ve spent a lot of time researching blogs, forums, and testing through trial and error.

I hope this becomes the one-stop-shop I wish I’d stumbled upon and, as such, I would like to encourage reader comments. What tips do you have? What links, videos, or content pertinent to the post would you like to share? Help us grow in this new world of media production.

However, please note the date of the post. HDSLR videography is a rapidly changing field and this information may soon be old.

Click through the jump to learn more about the 180 degree shutter rule, shutter speed, ND filters, and the “rolling shutter” of CMOS sensors.

(Many thanks to my sweetie for her iPhone picture of me wandering around home figuring out gear).

THE CAMERA SHUTTER

Digital cameras today allow for incredible latitude in image capture, but generally digital cinematographers are trying to mimic the ‘film look’ which is why it’s super cool that Canon released the firmware 2.0.4 for the 5D MKII, enabling 24p. Which is…what exactly?

24p means that an entire ‘frame’ is displayed to the viewer 24 times per second. That’s analogous to a film-based movie camera projecting film at 24 frames/second. For video capture on the HDLSR, your playback speed–or frames per second–is what will determine the shutter speed. This is because of the 180 Degree Shutter Rule, another factor you must now consider when shooting.

As a still photographer, what I know is this: given a set aperture and ISO, the slower the shutter speed, the less light I need, but the more motion-blur I can expect. Also, if I want a given aperture, say f2.8 for a shallow depth of field, but it is bright out, I can decrease ISO and increase shutter speed.

When capturing digital video on the 5D MK II, I can still do all of these things but I don’t want to. If I go too low in shutter speed, I will have visible blur; it’s video that looks like a non-stop, blurry and out of focus still. Having done it, I’ve decided it doesn’t look very good.

If I set the shutter too fast, it looks stuttery, especially with any sudden motion by the subject. A variant of this was used in the film Saving Private Ryan and others, adding to the style and “atmosphere” of the scenes, but is generally unwanted.

The how and why of this is founded in how film cinematography works, and what is called the “180 Degree Shutter.” Tyler Ginter helped me understand this (click to his blog at above).

The shutter is a semicircle plate, or a half-moon. When film is fed through the gate, the shutter is closed (the solid part of the plate is the shutter, closing the film gate). As the half-moon plate turns to ‘open’ the film is exposed. One revolution is 360 degrees, but only 180 degrees is open for exposure so, if you’re shooting at 1 frame per second, the shutter will only be open 1/2 second. With digital video, the mechanics are no longer necessary, but the rule still applies.

When shooting digitally, if you’re exposing 24fps, 1/48s shutter speed will sync things up right under the 180 degree shutter rule. Any slower, you get motion blur, any faster and things get too crisp and stuttery.

Take a look at Khalid Mohtaseb’s Haiti piece at 01:20. He notes that he increased the shutter speed to ‘crystalize’ the water.

If you can’t push your ISO and you’re already at your widest aperture, you simply need more light. Period. If you’re shooting in bright sunlight but you want a shallower depth of field, you need to invest in some neutral density filters. All of this is so you can keep your shutter speed properly set and obey the 180 degree shutter rule. Think about it like this: you’re in shutter priority mode and it’s constantly fixed at 1/60 or 1/50; the only variables for exposure compensation become aperture, ISO, or a neutral density filter.

The Shutter Speed Cheat Sheet:
For 24p, set the shutter at 1/48 or as close as possible (1/50)
For 30p, set the shutter at 1/60

Which “p” to shoot at? If you like the look of hollywood film, consider shooting at 24p. If you’re working with video from other cameras (point and shoot, helmet cams, HDV cameras) shoot at 30p so your video will play nice with the other camera’s. And if you’re shooting for European PAL then shoot at 25p.

Neutral Density filters
Neutral density (ND) filters block light so, on a bright day, you can shoot at lower shutter speeds and/or lower apertures. For HDSLR video they are essential for daylight outdoor video when you want to control depth of field. Because the shutter speed is set at 1/50 or 1/60, unless you want to shoot at f22 on a bright day, ND filters will be necessary.

Professional video cameras have a switch the operator can flip that applies a neutral density filter to the image capture. For the documentary or reportage shooter with an HDSLR, a variable ND filter will become invaluable.

Some choices:

Tiffen ND Filter Set – you will need to change these out for each change in lighting conditions.

Lightcraft Workshop Variable ND Filter – a cost effective solution. I have never used them, but they state their step-up ring size eliminates vignetting on wider angle lenses. Reported drawback is you cannot fit a Canon lens hood over the ring nor can you adjust the ring very well if you left the hood in place when you installed the ring.

Singh Ray Variable ND Filter – expensive and will vignette on wider-angles (depending on the lens) due to the thickness of the the rings.

CCD vs CMOS sensors and the “rolling shutter”

Something else to know about is the difference between CCD and CMOS sensors. Since this is about HDSLR’s which use CMOS sensors I’m not terribly concerned with CCD’s except to say this: CCD’s capture the entire image at one moment while CMOS sensors “scan” the image; it happens really fast, but the sensor records the light hitting the pixels in the same way you are reading this text ie. top to bottom, left to right.

In a practical sense, what that means is if the camera (or subject) is in one position at the start of the image capture and another position at the end of the image capture, the subject will have a bending distortion. This is most notable when taking a picture of, say, an airplane propeller with the iPhone. If you have one, take a picture of the door frame and move the phone with a little twist as you do so. See a warped image? This is known as “rolling shutter.”

There’s not much you can do about this except to keep your shots as steady as possible, don’t whip the camera around when panning, and be careful with fast-moving subjects. You can also buy some plugins for Final Cut which can smooth things out. Below are some links with further background (note the dates of the discussions as this is ever-changing technology) and note I am not endorsing any one of these products yet as I’ve never used them.

Check out the example of rolling shutter on a helicopter rotor in this piece by Travis Fox at 5:01.

Discussion:
31 May, 2007; createdigitalmotion.com
12 March, 2009 ; geniusdv.com
1 June, 2007; scottsimmons.tv
28 September, 2009; kenstone.net

Product:
Rolling Shutter from The Foundry
Lock & Load X from Core Melt

Again, many thanks to Tyler Ginter at TNG for his post The 180 Degree Shutter – Learn It, Love It. He’s got a little animation that helped me understand because, as a photographer, I’m pretty visual.

Also, for a more in-depth shutter degree to shutter speed conversion cheat sheet, visit the Pro Video Coalition

Or watch this piece from the 5DFilmSchool on Shutter Degree.

Additional information gleaned from:
dslrvideoshooter.com
review.planet5d.com

“The Aftermath Project is a non-profit organization committed to telling the other half of the story of conflict — the story of what it takes for individuals to learn to live again, to rebuild destroyed lives and homes, to restore civil societies, to address the lingering wounds of war while struggling to create new avenues for peace.

“The Aftermath Project holds a yearly grant competition open to working photographers worldwide covering the aftermath of conflict. In addition, through partnerships with universities, photography institutions and non-profit organizations, the Project seeks to help broaden the public’s understanding of the true cost of war— and the real price of peace — through international traveling exhibitions and educational outreach in communities and schools.”

I’ve spoken about and written about this before and, increasingly, so are many others. We are talking about conflict minerals, those metals essential to the electronics industry and our everyday conveniences. These metals also pay for ongoing war and sexual violence. As a consumer, I feel powerless to affect such a global issue. But, it is becoming easier to see how our role in the killing and what we can do to stop it. Like many things, it starts with transparency and accountability, through knowledge and conversation.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs, as reported by Wired, recently responded to a customer about conflict minerals in Apple products. The customer wrote:

“Are you currently making any effort to source conflict-free minerals? In particular, I’m concerned that Apple is getting tantalum, tungsten, tin, and gold from Eastern Congo through its suppliers.”

Jobs’ brief, ostensibly personal, response stated, “We require all of our suppliers to certify in writing that they use conflict few (sic) materials. But honestly there is no way for them to be sure.”

Wired was unable to verify the authenticity of the letter.

In 2009, Bloomberg News reported reported on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her seven-country trip in Africa, where she pledged to help the Democratic Republic of Congo keep its mineral wealth from funding ongoing violence. Now, on the heels of President Obama’s commitment to force US companies into transparency in mineral sourcing, which is tucked into a 2,300 page financial regulation bill, Clinton stated:“I directed the State Department to develop a holistic strategy on this issue as part of our broader effort to engage effectively with the DRC.”

The new law, as reported by the Washington Post, “requires American companies to submit an annual report to the Securities and Exchange Commission disclosing whether their products contain gold, tin, tungsten or tantalum from Congo or adjacent countries. If so, they have to describe what measures they are taking to trace the minerals’ origin…The law does not impose any penalty on companies who report taking no action. But the disclosures must be made publicly on firms’ Web sites.”

These public disclosures can be buried deep behind a wall of corporate PR or they can be employed as a tool emphasizing the company’s corporate social responsibility. I think what’s going to matter are two things: first, how aware the public, with its buying power, is to conflict minerals and second, how committed a company is to more than the bottom line. I think this comes back to the issue of awareness: one person embedded within the corporate structure can only do so much; he or she must have a workplace environment supportive of human rights and environmental and social responsibility in order to affect measurable change.

In July, Newsweek took a stab at conflict minerals with this piece “The Genocide Behind Your Smart Phone,” bringing its readers into the chain of responsibility. And, of course, where would we be if NY Times opinion writer Nicholas Kristof wasn’t talking about it, both in “Death by Gadget” and “Orphaned, Raped, Ignored.”

The United Nations has its own contribution, weighing in with informative but typically dry reports, like their UN Report on the DRC from this UN Group of Experts on the DRC, in which the experts link mineral mining and export to the funding of conflict and prevalence of sexual violence. The report states:

“The Group investigated FDLR’s [Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, a largely Rwandan-Hutu rebel group based in eastern DRC responsible for, along with DRC government forces, substantial human rights abuses] ongoing exploitation of natural resources in the Kivus, notably gold and cassiterite reserves [the primary ore for tin], which the Group calculates continues to deliver millions of dollars in direct financing into the FDLR coffers…This report shows that end buyers for this cassiterite include the Malaysia Smelting Corporation, and the Thailand Smelting and Refining Company, which is held by Amalgamated Metals Corporation, based in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.” (in case the above link doesn’t work–sometimes it doesn’t–the document is the final report dated November 2009, document number S/2009/603, at this link: http://www.un.org/sc/committees/1533/egroup.shtml)

Our phones–our electronics–use minerals which may have been mined using labor, forced through violence or threat of violence, for little to no compensation. I, as a consumer, cannot make an educated choice about the minerals I use because there is little transparency. After all, how many Apple iPhone 4 buyers are going to read that UN report and do the research to see if the Chinese companies manufacturing the phone are purchasing metals from the a fore-mentioned smelters?

You see, conflict minerals work kind of like the human trafficking market, an issue I’ve closely followed, and even includes components of human trafficking and slave labor. It is convoluted and complex; there are many points where abuses can occur, and many layers we can use to remove ourselves from the abuse. It goes something like this:

• global market needs mineral resource
• country has mineral resource, is politically unstable, corrupt, or at war
• mineral is extracted as ore by slaves, soldiers, or legitimately
• ore is transported–here it may be taxed by rebels, warlords, government forces
• ore may also be smuggled from conflict country subject to trade embargoes to a neighboring non-conflict country
• profits from the transport or sale of the ore are used to purchase more weapons, arming more soldiers or warlords, and fueling an ongoing fight for power, more resources, or oppression
• abroad, ore is smelted, combined with other, non-conflict sources to produce refined mineral
• mineral is incorporated into consumer goods
• mineral is shipped and sold through retailers to consumers
• net effect is the civilian population in the source country continues to suffer while you and I have our smart phones

It’s not that these tech companies, which need the tantalum, tin, and other minerals for their circuit boards and microchips, are causing the war. Nor is it that these companies are directly funding it either. It’s just really hard, right now, to say where the minerals come from; at the moment the Apples, Dell’s, Nokias, and Sony’s of the world cannot efficiently track minerals to their source. They cannot hold their entire supply chain accountable, but some are trying. This is not a hopeless situation.

Diamonds have a regulating body watching where the diamonds come from; this was in response to diamonds funding wars in Africa (just like the electronics industry). Hollywood took a stab at the issue, with Blood Diamond, where we saw Leonardo DiCaprio crawl toward redemption.

Recent news reports (Newsweek, The Daily Telegraph) announced Zimbabwe is to start exporting diamonds from a mine its government seized from a mining company, couldn’t control as civilians came in to harvest the diamonds, then started a brutal crackdown reported to be rife with human rights abuses including torture and forced labor. Still, the World Diamond Council and the Kimberly Process are going to allow Zimbabwe a limited return to the legal international diamond market. It is by no means perfect, and there is plenty of criticism and suspicion about this move, but I hope it will be an ongoing test of transparency and international monitoring of a conflict mineral.

When it comes to electronics, I believe mineral extraction needs to be publicly policed by a combination of non-government, government, and corporate entities. The NGO’s are already there. In the last several years, governments have come on board and, recently, corporations are becoming more transparent in addressing the issues they face in mineral sourcing.

For example, Raise Hope for Congo, an Enough Project campaign, is currently focused on educating and increasing public awareness. Another NGO, the Open Society Institute, created by investor George Soros, stresses transparency in the article “Transparency Can Alleviate Poverty.”

The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), a collaboration of government and private industry, sets standards for transparency in oil, gas, and mining; essentially, who is mining what, from where, how much they’re paying for it, and who that money goes to. When it comes to government-only action, the new financial industry reform bill that Obama just signed, with its conflict minerals passage, is the first of its kind and gives the government more power to pressure companies into transparency.

Yet it’s our consumption habits driving the market. I think the only thing that is truly going to turn the tide is us, the consumer; it’s not that we’re going to do without our smart phones and computers, but we can demand our supply chain to use conflict-free products.

So here’s my own email to Apple CEO Steve Jobs:

“Steve,

I am a multimedia journalist and producer and a loyal Apple customer since my first computer, a Macintosh 128k. Today, the Apple products I own are integral to the storytelling work I do. I applaud Apple for its solid, thoughtfully designed products and especially want to thank you for making computers that are recyclable and PVC, BFR, arsenic, and mercury free.

“In today’s marketplace image is everything, and Apple has defined itself as an innovative leader in the computing and smart phone industry. Will Apple apply that same problem-solving and creativity to the issue of conflict minerals? Apple could be a leader not only in computing, but also in transparency and accountability for the electronics industry; you, Steve, can help bring an end to conflict minerals. I believe Apple can do this by telling a compelling and truthful story about sourcing conflict-free minerals. My question to you, is whether you believe your customers can handle the truth, and if you’re willing to take that risk.”

TIME.com video added to this post on August 26, 2010:

It’s been awhile since I’ve done any music photography, but Spike, who I did this Sasquatch or Bust story on, invited all of us to see his son perform at the Sunset Tavern in Ballard, Seattle.

Bare in the Woods has only existed for about six months, and done about as many shows, but they rocked it at the Sunset. Two other bands performed–they are projects from a bunch of the original Seattle grunge bands–and Bare in the Woods was sandwiched right between them. The coolest thing about it was the family feeling, the mutual support, the casual air, and the shouts of “encore” after BITW performed…to which David (Spike’s son) replied, “Uh, we’ve never been asked for an encore…” but they gave us one.

Spike asked me if I could shoot some stills and video–band shots in a bar, something I haven’t done in ages! Normally, when I’ve shot Seattle bands in small venues, I used a strobe on an off camera shoe cord. At bigger venues, there’s usually better lighting (though you’re still probably shooting at 800 ISO, 125/sec and f2.8) but I was flipping between video and stills and loving the low-light capability of the Canon 5D Mark II. So I went with ambient light. You can see the noise in the files and because of that ambient light…I think I like the black and white. Or maybe it’s the nostalgia…black and white reminds me of grunge concerts, shooting Tri-X and TMAX 3200, and the smell of photo chemicals after hours in the darkroom. Yeah…all those toxic chemicals.

Check out more Bare in the Woods pix on my Facebook–both the color and the black and white.

Check out the Bare in the Woods Facebook and MySpace.

As someone who believes in decreasing sprawl by increasing density, I found Mohler’s approach very interesting. So, not only was I doing a portrait job, I had a chance to talk with an engaging guy about everything from his house to public transportation to important documentary films. I liked him immediately. He also teaches at the University of Washington Architecture department, so I think it’s no surprise he had an ability to tell engaging stories and feel at ease with a photographer.

If I had the money to buy a city lot with a tear down, I would probably do the same as Mohler: build two homes and rent one out.

Read the article here, at Builder Magazine
Read a Seattle Times article here.

The magazine editor wanted a portrait of Mohler that emphasized the exterior of the home. So, while the lead image for this post is more about Mohler (and my favorite of the take), the picture at right is what they editor chose out of the various locations and setups I provided. This was a simple portrait, using gear I’ve traveled with in developing countries (minus the light stands): two Canon 580EX strobes, Pocket Wizards, and the Canon 5D Mark II. Oh, and I put home made snoots on the strobes…made out of heavy duty aluminum foil, the kind you’d use for baking!

Spike Kane grew up immersed in the world of live music, witnessing the rise of bands such as The Clash and Echo and the Bunnymen. Many of his old friends in Liverpool are still musicians. For the last five years, Spike was unable to go to shows or even appreciate the music so vital to his existence.

In June, 2010, Spike returned to the Gorge with the help of his friends, to once again participate in a music festival.

Read more About “Sasquatch or Bust” including tech tips after the jump!

The mantra I’d heard during my three months in NYC at MediaStorm, was “everyone has a story.” I wasn’t looking for one when I returned to Seattle; I hadn’t even unpacked my luggage when Lu bundled me off to Sasquatch with our friends Jeff and Sabrina to meet up with Spike, Andy, and the RV “Roxy.”

During the time we spent with Spike, I had a chance to get to know him better and to see how much his accident impacted him. Just as much, I saw how his friends stuck with him; later, when I interviewed him, I learned just how much that really was. Spike can’t feel anything below his chest and his body has developed a safety check. When something is wrong, he rapidly develops a fever. This occurred twice during the festival, so people stuck around, playing badminton or drinking and talking as they waited for him to recover. If he couldn’t make the show, neither would they. I couldn’t include this in the video, but for him, lying in the back of the RV feeling miserable, he could hear people outside having fun and it relaxed him, letting him know he could focus on getting better. And, even in those moments, he was lively, humorous, and kind.

Without quite realizing it, I began to take more video and stills of him on my Canon Powershot G10, the only camera I brought with me. A couple weeks later I reached out to Spike and asked if we could do an interview, something to build the spine of the narrative, and when he agreed we set out to tell this story of music and friendship.

I worked with friend and stock photographer Tim McGuire to do the two-camera interview. During the editing process, when I realized I wanted to include references to some of the musicians Spike grew up with, I reached out to photographers who might have images.

Ellen van Bodegom (flickr.com/heavenuphere) and Mark McNulty (www.mcnulty.co.uk and blog.mcnulty.co.uk) were kind enough to contribute their work. Adding to the sweetness of it, you’ll note McNulty is Liverpool based, the same place where Spike grew up.

Production can be broken down into sections by assets. I had a mishmash of still images from various point and shoots, including my Canon Powershot G10 (on which I also shot SD video) and a Canon Powershot D10. These required a little special handling to get them into, and playing nice, in Final Cut Studio.

At Spike’s, Tim McGuire and I used Canon 5D Mark II’s on Manfrotto 055XDB Tripod Legs and hand held (with no stabilization), and dual system audio. For this I used an Edirol R-09HR Audio Recorder and Sennheiser ME-66.

Production was done on a MacBook Pro and Lacie 2big 2TB drive using Final Cut Studio and Pluraleyes to sync sound.

And finally: Roxy never had spray paint on her. The title image, from which the name “Sasquatch or Bust” originated, was from an RV just behind us.

I had no idea there was a world record for zombies, nor that there was such a zombie following, but I remember seeing zombies last year around Fremont. Then, on Friday, Lu saw the notice for the zombie walk and Saturday morning we made a run to the local thrift store…along with our costumes we scored on a shirt, bathrobe, and tuxedo for T!

Out came the costume makeup kit and in short order we were the zombie family.

According to organizers, Zombies have gathered in Seattle since 2005, and in 2009 set the world record for the largest gathering. In short order, the record was broken in the UK at a rave. Proud of its oddities, Seattle decided to take it back this year.

If you’re into zombies check out the links, photos and video on the jump.

For the uninitiated, zombies are the undead; they are people who’ve been re-animated and seek one thing, the consumption of living beings. The stories vary, but I’m going with zombification resulting from a viral infection that kills a living person, then reanimates their brain so they can relentlessly pursue the living. The only way to kill a zombie is to destroy the brain and, like many viral infections, it can be transferred through bodily fluids (ie. a zombie bite).

My introduction to zombies was at a friend’s house either in elementary school or early junior high when we watched “Return of the Living Dead.” Night fell and I rode my bike home, getting off to walk my parents’ long gravel driveway because it was so dark in the woods I could hardly see. I think that experience, the driveway, might have set the stage for my general dislike of horror films.

I later saw the original black and white film “Night of the Living Dead,” then years later “28 Days Later,” which I thought was creepy-good, and “28 Weeks Later” (not so good). I watched a pirated version of “I am Legend” while in Cambodia (creepy), then “Shaun of the Dead” (absolutely hilarious). And the other night, in celebration of the zombie walk, I managed to finish “Zombieland,” a not-so-great film with a few funny moments. Lu gave up on the movie.

Of all the zombie lore I’ve explored, which decidedly isn’t much, I most enjoyed a book recommended by one of Lu’s co-workers, “World War Z.” It is a post-apocalyptic story posed as a memoir from the fictional author of a United Nations report on the zombie wars (when earth gets overrun by virus-infected zombies). The “author” felt the UN report didn’t encompass the true horror and heroism of the zombie wars, so he published a series of interviews of his subjects from the report. Some of the stories include coldly calculated government retreats to defensible strongholds, at the expense of thousands of people (who would later become zombies). Another was the survival story of a C-130 pilot whose poorly maintained aircraft crashed over the southeastern US, in zombie land. There is a story of patient zero, of Indians taking to the sea as the hordes of undead descend upon them, of the world’s best military discovering its weapons have little effect on zombies; only head shots will stop them. It’s quite the fantasy, but mixed with enough realism and politics to make you wonder just how the world would respond to a major disaster…like being overrun by zombies.

Well, in Fremont on the third of July, the zombies were quite festive.

Scroll to the end for a short clip from the Thriller Dance.

SeattleZombies.com
Seattle Zombie Facebook page.

KOMO TV news report:

Shot with the
Canon 5D Mark II, but without an external mic (not advised). Consider it ’snapshot’ video.

The event was hosted by the Seattle chapter of the Red Cross, and it was through these people Lu and I had the chance to learn more about what the Red Cross actually does. Martin spoke of the organization’s history, then he segued into the exhibition itself. The idea was to put a face on the statistics, to tell stories about individuals who live in conflict zones or who are coping with the aftermath of war.

Christopher then took the stage, weaving through years of conflict to share with us his experience. Before the ICRC assignment, he’d never worked for the organization; their paths were parallel, but as a journalist he was an observer, an historian, while they were actively involved in conflicts or disasters. To him, war is “one idiot with a gun trying to kill another idiot with a gun.” It’s not that war happens in an empty desert between two armies, it happens in villages, towns, and cities where civilians are killed, and he is sick of it.

I’ve never been to an active conflict zone, but I have been to post-conflict countries. It was here that I fit into the evening, because I put faces to statistics. I create viral media and have experience partnering with non profits and non governmental organizations, telling stories of individuals with the purpose of educating a detached public and spurring them to action. While I am less of an historian than Christopher, I don’t think either of us are any less passionate about revealing truths and conveying them to a global audience.

During the reception I had a chance to talk with Christopher. As a younger photographer who admires his work, it was an honor to have his signature in the photo book the Red Cross presented me. As a peer, it was enjoyable to talk about the editorial industry and the new tools available to us as storytellers, chiefly, HDSLR’s, iPads, and self publishing via social media.

Christopher started his career during a time when assignments were bountiful and print magazines were the place to be published. I started when the web was in its infancy, and both of us are weathering the decline of print media, the rise of digital distribution, and a changing audience capable of choosing the stories it wants from the increasing noise of a 24 hour cycle where old news was published 60 seconds ago.

Needless to say, it was a pleasure to meet him, Martin, and the local Red Cross staff who put on the event. Lu found a mutual boot admirer, a British woman as rapid about football as she is, and, in her devilish way, was trying to convince Martin to delay his flight for the morning world cup game. She also received a gorgeous flower arrangement, seen in the above iPhone photo with Red Giant’s Plastic Bullet processing. (Thanks Majidah!)

The Red Cross is hosting lectures throughout the duration of the exhibition, which I highly encourage you to attend. They’ve put a lot of work into helping people understand the human cost of war.

A piece by Christopher Morris on the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Both this and Obama’s War were shot on the Canon 5D Mark II using a Canon Tilt-Shift lens.

I put “The Cove” on my movie list when it was briefly in Seattle, before it won Best Documentary at the Academy Awards. When it became available on Netflix, it went into the cue; last night I was able to watch it with Lu. I was more than impressed, not just by the film, but by the call to action.

Having a marine biologist for a partner means I get some interesting insight. For instance, some of the interviewees in the film hold multiple roles most viewers wouldn’t know about. How the film makers chose to classify them helped me understand the context of their quotes. We also stopped the film several times so Lu could tell me who certain people were and their role in the IWC or other organizations. I like inside information.

Lu specializes in marine mammals. She scuba dives, has swam with dolphins, and experienced some of the scenes depicted in the film, like dozens of dolphins racing a boat, leaping and playing in the waves. I’ve only seen them in captivity, at the aquarium.

As a multimedia journalist and producer, I was interested in the story development; how it was put together, cut, scored–basically, the nuts and blots of the film. And Lu, who’s been editing over my shoulder recently, kept noticing the same (and, yes, I’m smiling proudly).

I knew about the dolphin slaughter and knew what the filmmakers were building up to. Lu did too, which is one of the reasons she hesitated in watching the film, but I think we’re both glad to have our eyes opened. The final scenes are disturbing but, for me, not as much as an earlier clip where a lone dolphin, already fatally wounded, jumps the net for a desperate run to nowhere.

Dolphin harvesting in Japan has some cultural ties, but it is largely driven by the economics of captivity programs. And while I find the wholesale slaughter an atrocity, the film brings to light something a global audience can connect with: mercury.

Consuming high-level predators, like dolphin or tuna, exposes us high levels of mercury. This was publicized awhile ago in US media when pregnant women were told to moderate their tuna consumption. The film addresses this, using mercury poisoning at Minimata to illustrate it, but the DVD special feature underscores it with much greater severity. The only people we have to blame are ourselves. See images of Minimata by Eugene Smith, from his landmark documentary work.

I found the film a strong piece of documentary work, an amazing effort by filmmakers, activists, technicians, and “regular” people. I also applaud the two Taiji city council members who demanded mercury-poisoned dolphin meat not be served to their children. They stood against Japanese culture, embodying “the nail that sticks up” and not being pounded down.

What takes this film beyond a mere documentary is the follow-through its producers provide us, the viewers. Instead of just ejecting the DVD and going to bed, they help us in doing something. For dolphins and, more complexly, with regard to mercury, another one of our environmental legacies.