Week 2 Forum

Photographer of the Week:

Antonio Aragon Renuncio
Freelance Environmental and Human Photographer

"Punishment from The Gods" UNICEF 'Faces of Hope'

Antonio was born in Santander, Spain in 1971.
He has always been fascinated in photography; capturing the light and the potential of "one 'one hundred and twenty-fifth of a second' may be the closest thing to eternity"

He was a photography professor at a handful of different universities, University of Cantabria (Spain), UAM, UCA and URACCAN (Nicaragua), for more than 15 years.

In 2003 he founded the NGO OASIS which develops medical projects in the most depressed areas of the Gulf of Guinea, Africa.

His most recent claims to fame includes an award for UNICEF's "Faces of Hope" and placed as a winnder for The Environmental Photographer of the Year





Lynsey Addario "It's What I do" Prelude and Chapter 1 response:

So far I absolutely love the book. Maybe it's because I've been needing a good book that isn't science fiction or "self help" related to lose myself in, but her relativity and spunk is absolutely inspiring.

I really enjoy how frank and revealing she is with her emotions as they come up in each experience, whether its about her upbringing, traveling or trying to capture the perfect shot.

I think what impresses me the most honestly is that she followed the pull over and over again to do what she loves, get out of her comfort zone and not settle for the "normal" life of society... in New York. It's exciting, and almost makes me jealous, to hear that she seems to have felt many of the same emotions that I've felt in my time on earth also. The drive to get out and travel as a woman takes guts and perseverance, which she obviously has whether she feels it or not.

I think her work is actually pretty unique in that she seems to gravitate towards capturing "the simpler moments" rather than ones that are so jam packed with action, idealism or organization.
I think applying her eye for simplicity is something I can utilize in photojournalism to relieve some of the pressure I may feel. Let people be themselves, let them do what they are going to do, and act as a supporting role with an eye for the perfection in our flawed humanity.  I also think it's really cool how she spent so much time with the transgender prostitutes. I feel like this is critical, often, to truly having the allowance to capture the most potent moments in personal situations. That really inspires me.
My favorite quote, out of the many I've already dog ear'ed, would have to be on page 15, ending the prelude Addario says, "I'm sure there are other versions of happiness, but this one is mine".

My favorite photo of hers is one of the prostitutes in the Meatpacking District, NY 1999. Her subjects is holding themselves in a tender both open and protective way, one as a woman I can relate to in a soft way. The lighting to me couldn't be better, capturing the evening atmosphere, the tenderness of the characters position in life but also the potential, impending grief, danger, joy and rebellion of the night. The profiling of the body, with the hat shading her face while she slightly turns away allows the sex worker be in control of the photo enough to be in her own world while also being the center of everyone elses.