Podcast … 1 Hour 24 Minutes on Photojournalism & I … 

… very happy to be featured nattering to Podcaster and former journalist/photographer Issac McCarthy for … whoa … an hour and twenty odd minutes about photojournalism and my pictorial work over the last several decades. Isaac hosts “How Good Are Humans” podcasts available on Spotify, Buzzsprout and Apple etc … and my little natter with him is his 54th Episode since beginning in 2020.

Isaac entitled this episode “Getting the Shot in Brothels, Refugee Camps and Disaster Zones | Photojournalism | Brian Cassey” … and it can be listened to right here …

If you’d rather listen on your own device you can find the podcast at Spotify here … https://open.spotify.com/episode/4DEvcB5suDfqmQkmIQdAo7 … and Buzzsprout here …   https://www.buzzsprout.com/1317145/episodes/17195749-getting-the-shot-in-brothels-refugee-camps-and-disaster-zones-photojournalism-brian-cassey … and also on Apple and wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Isaac is a terrific talented compere, extremely knowledgable about the media and certainly completes pain staking research on his subjects. In our hour and twenty four minutes and 32 seconds chat Isaac and I touch on the ethics of photojournalism, working and making images in hostile environments, gaining the trust of pictorial subjects, telling stories that inform the planet and ‘keeping the bastards honest’,  the stories around several of my favourite images, the future of photojournalism … and much more …

If have you any interest about what I’ve been up to for the last few decades and curious about the ‘realities’ of photojournalism and media photography … pull up a comfy chair (and a couple of glasses of Shiraz or similar) … and relax for near an hour and a half.

Would really enjoy your feedback … 

(Images referred to in the Podcast may be found on my website at … www.briancasseyphotographer.com … All Isaac’s Podcasts can be found here … https://open.spotify.com/show/7tzkkhieb3c519LFfaj770 ).

Thanks Isaac … a great chat … 

16 Photos That Changed the Way We See the World …

Proud as punch and super overwhelmed to be included in a collection of photographs published last week by the ‘Head On Foundation’ entitled “16 Photos that changed the way we see the World”.

To say my 2016 image of asylum seeker “Abdullatif” in detention on Papua New Guinea is good enough to be in the amazing company of the work in this collection is a vast overstatement ( I think that’s right 😉 ).

The collection is chock a block full of truly historic and iconic photographs … images that are embedded in most peoples memories … Nick Ut’s napalm girl ‘The Terror of War”(1972), Joe Rosenthal’s “Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima” (1945), Robert Capa’s “Falling Soldier (1936), Malcolm Browne’s “Burning Monk” (1963), Thomas Hoepker’s brilliant “9/11” (2001), David Scherman’s “Lee Miller in Hitlers Bath” (1945) … and … without listing them all … other legendary works by current International legends … Ben Lowy, Ron Haviv, Paula Bronstein, Lynsey Addario and Australian’s Merv Bishop, Stephen Dupont and Kate Geraghty. You can see them all here … https://headon.org.au/magazine/16-photos-that-changed-the-way-we-see-the-world

Then … and it was the shock of my life … at number four … between Ben Lowy and Nick Ut’s startling work … was my pic and the story of “Abdullatif”. Head On described the rationale for the complete set thus … “Photojournalists have captured images that have continued to shape our world to this very day. We are highlighting some of the most impactful of these images, showcasing their history and investigating their continuing legacy.”

One of the nicest surprises of my decades wielding cameras. (If I had been sitting on a chair I would have fallen off it !).

Please don’t miss seeing this amazing collection of fabulous unforgettable photojournalism (even though you likely know them all anyway 😉 ). Thank You Head On Foundation !

“Abdullatif” Image © Brian Cassey

Nikon F2 … Roll of Tri-X … 36 Pics …

Thanks to legendary veteran combat photographer Tim Page (who dobbed me in) … I have this week been wielding on a spare shoulder a pristine circa 1971 manual everything Nikon F2 loaded with a roll of Tri-X film.

The idea … the brainchild of photographer Renato Repetto … is to get the Nikon into the hands of top (and not so top) photographers all around Australia who will each shoot one roll of B&W film … just 36 frames each.

The AFP400TX Project is about seeing life through the eyes of Australian Film Photographers. The Nikon F2 (eye level DE-1 Plain Prism, 1971-1976) no 7587117 with a 55mm 2.8 Micro Nikkor will be used for every exposure of the project, making the only variable the photographer. All rolls of film will be developed by the project sponsor Rewind Photo Lab in NSW to ensure consistency across the project.

My colleagues of note featured in the project include the afore mentioned Tim PageDavid Dare Parker, Michael Coyne, Stephen Dupont, Jesse Marlow, Sean Davey, Heather Faulkner, Roger Garwood  … and many maybe not so well known.

A diary accompanying the camera will document the creative thoughts of all the photographers in the project for later  incorporation into a photo book. The book will be launched with gallery exhibitions in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne featuring silver gelatin prints of the best photos of the project.

Now … I cut my teeth shooting ‘manual everything’ film SLR’s way, way back when … but can now confirm that ‘going back’ is somewhat of a sobering and frightening experience !!

Below is a pic I made (on a D4S) of Wik Munkan artist Lex Namponan from Aurukun, wielding the precious Nikon F2 used in the project. Lex was born in 1971 … the same year that the F2 was released. I used two precious frames from the Tri-X roll to make a portrait of Lex. Fingers crossed that Lex and I make the AFP400TX Project exhibitions and book …

Image © Brian Cassey

AFP400TX Project - Australia - Brian Cassey