Beethoven – Love Story
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgI0k6dHjTA&feature=related

11 DOWN – 10,000 TO GO …

VIVA !!!

I just turned 40 and so have been rather busy.

I must set aside some time to go through all these entries slowly and deliberately.

Good luck all you entrants.

Bach’s Partita #2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB76jxBq_gQ&feature=related

ZERO DOWN – ZERO UP …

VIVA !!!

I HAVE to MOVE You to the BUZZ …
My apologies in advance …please proceed to the BUZZ…

pianist Guiomar Novaes: O Polichinelo by Heitor Villa Lobos
Braziliero
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ie7RgywllaE&feature=related

NINE DOWN -ONE TO GO…

VIVA !!!

All that follows is just my opinion but I have to say that or I haven’t the slightest idea of photography, or somebody has chosen the finalists using a scale that says the more unpleasant the better. For me this last essay (American Dreams) is the straw that broke the camels back. In the world there is more than misery, squalor and sordidness. In news photography we already have the problem of considering that “only bad news are news”.

This grant was for every stile of photography and by now I see it was only for “conceptual” (whatever this word means: strange? incomprehensible? ugly?). What happens with documentary photography? I’m sure that between the over 1200 essays submitted to EPF there is people that have make wonderful efforts trying to show something unknown about a place or about people.

Between the eight finalists I have already seen there are only two that I like: “Aftermath” and “Sakhalin”. Many of the rest are still acceptable, but not good enough to be finalists between 1200 essays! Is really this all the best we have?

And I see many people here trying to look smart by attributing overwhelming depth to something that is just superficial.

I said before that may be is that I haven’t the slightest idea of photography, in that case I would be grateful if somebody tried to explain it to me.

Thanks.

Paco de Lucía Concierto de Aranjuez Part2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8LL1x6J2rU&feature=related

EIGHT DOWN -TWO TO GO

VIVA !!!

G. ROSSINI – William Tell Overture (Finale) – Karajan 1983
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkymTHSbWe0&feature=related

SEVEN DOWN- THREE TO GO…

VIVA !!!

SHOSTAKOVICH, Symphony No. 5,Bernstein
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogJFXqYEYd8&feature=related

SIX DOWN – FOUR TO GO…

VIVA !!!

i am pleased you will be in London for our little party….please stay in touch with me at david@burnmagazine.org and i will give you the details for the Magnum party…due to a down economy , i imagine our party to be a bit austere this year, but a cold beer is a cold beer….

enjoy Sicily…one of my favorite places and cultures….

cheers, david

SYMPHONY
The Lord of the Rings: Symphony – The BLACK RIDERS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzsHrBVHqiY&feature=related

FIVE DOWN-FIVE TO GO…

VIVA !!!

exactly at what point should a photographer become a finalist or given a grant???

hmmm, let me think of the criteria you seem to suggest…somebody who is good , but not quite as good as someone else , but better than most , but well not too good but not too bad, well sort of in the middle, but better than middle but not really so good as to make everyone else feel not so good and discouraged???

please gentlemen , get a grip…

none of these finalists has a book…none have an exhibition set…none are collected…few have agents..they are just among the best of their generation of the ones submitted…..period…i see it that way and apparently so do others….

i just looked at the pictures…i had no idea of their past awards….nobody submitted a bio in advance, and it would not have mattered anyway….if a photographer in a particular generation is making much better work than the others, then they deserve what they deserve….photographers who blame their lack of success on schmoozing and lack of contacts etc etc for sure will never never rise…..

you might not see some of these photographers as emerging , but i sure as hell do…they are certainly not established as per stated above…you might be more emerging than are they..in which case this should give you something to shoot for …any other attitude will take YOU down..not the finalists ..not me….but you…think about it….

i wish i had the funding to give at least 10 more grants…i am working on exactly this and you know it….if you do not know this , then please go back and read at least 20 posts where i have described exactly my goals for you with regard to funding….can i promise it?? no …am i trying like hell, yes….so a bit of support from you gentlemen for whom i am trying to find support would be appreciated…thanks..

and continuing to call it straight…many many thanks for the one comment per essay idea..so simple, obvious, and i just missed it..it works…you have given us the most constructive idea yet….i had struggled for months trying to figure the comment conundrum out ….a very big high five to you for this…

cheers, david

TCHAIKOVSKY: Serenade for Strings in C major, Op. 48
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsGRglp6tvs&feature=related

FOUR DOWN -SIX TO GO…

VIVA !!!

I’ve received an email confirming that I’m not a finalist, which is of course disappointing, but I’d like to use this opportunity to learn and grow as a photographer, so, if possible, please will you revisit my work and give me a critique of my essay? The essay was called ‘The Disappearing Elephant’. To be honest, I’m having a really hard time with it, so your advice would be invaluable at the moment.

I appreciate that you’re incredibly busy but I hope to hear from you soon.

If possible, please send a response to thaddeuspope@hotmail.com.

Best Wishes,

Thaddeus.

Pavarotti – Nessun Dorma
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VATmgtmR5o4&feature=related

THREE DOWN-SEVEN TO GO

VIVA !!!

did you sent the emails through photosholter or normal email address?

we are now preparing letters to all who applied to the EPF so that you can know one way or the other if you are in the running….

the delay in doing this was caused in part by one finalist voluntarily dropping out because this photographer chose to no longer work on the project for which application was being made…a VERY honest photographer…thanks, you know who you are…..the other reason is of course the sometimes slow task of double checking the credibility and veracity of each applicant and their story, permissions etc etc…….and with one dropping out, we had to go back through quite a few second choices and quite a bit more research…

this whole process has been daunting to say the least…Anton and i literally have had to go through and do all of this by ourselves with not even an intern to help…..no complaints, just a bit of an explanation of why we are a week behind….when the dust settles i hope all of you will be proud of the selection….

i would also like to point out that the judgments of work here has nothing to do with perhaps previous judgments of the same work….i had no clue, nor did Anton, of any previous recognition of work submitted…with so many photographers to view, we did not research each and every one to see what had happened to the essay in previous awards…however, really strong essays often are awarded several grants , so this is not an unlikely scenario at all….as a matter of fact, i cannot remember any strong essay not winning multiple awards….

photographers who are not finalists are still high on our list for future publication and possible commissions…i mean, there was a lot of truly fine work submitted……a lot….mind boggling actually…a real surprise to me….

while obviously i am proud of the EPF and thankful to the donors who made it possible, the EPF is just a small part of what we want to do with BURN….it came up as an interesting possibility on Road Trips and just segued over here….however, at this very moment , i would say i will never do it again…a whole lot of work and a constant defense of doing this whole lot of work and at a personal financial loss to both Anton and i to boot….but, time may change my opinion…as i always say, a good nights sleep and a hot shower remedy many things….i do at least have hot water….

thank you for your patience…..letters should go out within 24 hours…should i call Anton and wake him up????

cheers, david