Fine People on Both Sides

So for the first time, I've had a video banned from YouTube (I guess this makes me "infamous.").

A little background on this video: In May/2019 I saw a commercial being run by former VP Biden accusing President Trump of racial hatred and fanning the flames of division by proclaiming that there were "Fine People on Both Sides."

I decided to do some investigation on my own by collecting all the photos, videos and statements I could find and then produce, from open source media, a video which could speak to the horrible moments in Charlottesville, VA in Aug/2017. 

I think I did a very credible job with the facts as they were presented and the video represents a thumbnail of that ugly day. I wasn't there. I didn't take the pics or video. I simply took the words of the two leading politicians and put them to the "music" of that day.

So YouTube has band this video for the violation of promoting hate!  The images and footage came from news sources and directly from YouTube.  Shame on you YouTube... your censorship is egregious. I guess I'm in good company.

Have you noticed in the last week the hate and vitriol that is being spewed by politicians... and once again, the issue of Charlottesville is being relived.

My friends, this video is not about the propagation of hate: it is the reality of the moment, the news of the day, the civil war that is going on in our country. It is right here for you to see. It is a documentary of what happens when we lose the sense of who we are, our values and what made our country great.

Do me a favor, watch all 7 minutes of this video and if you care, share it with your friends. Censorship is a dastardly infection that is spreading in our nation... and it won't end well.
[CLICK on the play button and it will link you to the Vimeo site where you need to then hit play again to run the video. Thanks.]

https://vimeo.com/335538207

Terezin: Small Fortress

Announcing: 

Results of the PPD Photo Book Essay Contest

By Larry Cowles FPSA GMPSA/s

This is the second year for the Print Division Photo Essay Book Contest.   This year we had 17 books from 4 countries.   Congratulations to all the winners which were announced at the Photographic Society of America Conference in San Antonio on September 9, 2016.

1st Place Terezin: “Small Fortress” James David Phenicie

2nd Place The Wild and Woolie Sheep Rodeo Viki Gaul

3rd Place The John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon Michael Todd

Judges Choice Exploring China Lynn Troy Maniscalco

Judges Choice Cats of Beaufort Sandy Dimke

Judges Choice Old Car USA, A Photographers Paradise Bill Buchanan FPSA

HM Devesh Devkumar Gupta

For those interesting in entering the 2017 contest, all the information, requirements and entry form can be found on the PSA website in the PPD section.

This summer I entered the Photo Book Essay Contest which is part of the Print Division of the Photographic Society of America.  At their annual conference in San Antonio, TX, it was announced that my entry had won first place.

The idea for this 75 page book was developed from my 2015 visit to the Terezin Small Fortress Concentration Camp located outside Prague, Czech Republic.  It was a happen-stance visit, as we passed through on the way back to Germany.  And there it was, in the afternoon that I walked through this small fortress with its connection to Nazi evil.  I paid the small fee for the privilege of photographing and as I self-toured each room, the impact of the place was great.  I took each image knowing that it had been a horrible and torturous place for those placed in the cramped prison.  The suffering and agony weighed on my heart at each click of the shutter.

When I returned home I was unsure exactly what I would do with the images.  And then a local photographer told me that the PSA had a category for a Photo Book Essay Contest.  So I decided to design a book around the images.

At first I was unsure as to how to tell the story, but after extensive research for a short documentary video on the Small Fortress, I decided to use old, historical photographs on the facing page of each of my images to help tell the story of the "Nameless Ones."  Here are several samples of the pages:

I appreciate the judges rewarding me for the work I did and selecting my entry as the first place winner.

Here is a link to my video:  https://vimeo.com/143300885