AUDIO: STEPHEN MAYES KEYNOTE LECTURE AT WORLD PRESS PHOTO AWARDS 2009

Stephen Mayes, who has served as World Press Photo Jury Secretary for the past six years, gave a keynote lecture during which he shared his personal observations, reflections and concerns about "how the media processes images" as well as his insights on the grueling but efficient behind-the-scenes workings at this most important award in photojournalism.

You can listen to Stephen Mayes' entire 49-minute presentation, including an introduction and closing remarks by Michiel Munneke, Managing Director of the World Press Photo Foundation, in this audio recording at Lens Culture.

You can also view a high-resolution slideshow of many of this year's winning images in Lens Culture.

Lens

Lens is the photojournalism blog of The New York Times, presenting the finest and most interesting visual and multimedia reporting — photographs, videos and slide shows.

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/

The Bhopal tragedy ... after 25 years

The Bhopal industrial disaster killed about 4,000 people in the early hours of Dec. 3, 1984. A few days later the death toll had doubled. Over the next few years, the lingering affects of the poison nearly doubled the toll again, to about 15,000, according to government estimates. Local activists say the real numbers are almost twice that. A quarter-century later, thousands like are still grappling with the affects of exposure to the deadly gas as it winds its way through generations not even born when the disaster struck. Rights groups say toxic waste from the plant still contaminates the soil and groundwater in nearby neighborhoods.

Photos: Daniel Berehulak / Getty Images

WORLD PRESS PHOTO In Montreal

WORLD PRESS PHOTO 2009 :
Opens today in Montreal at the Just For Laughs Museum.

I have the pleasure of presenting a series of 5 images from Nepal, that were produced for Centre d'étude et coopération internationale (CECI), dedicated to the empowerment of women.

My photos will be a part of the CAPIC exhibit: La Foire de l'image (same venue, different floor, exhibiting the work of Canadian photographers).

Also on exhibit: the winners of Anthropographica 2009 (photojournalism competition on human rights issues).

Change le monde

Over the last few days, I have had the honor of mentoring a photojournalism workshop at the Institut du Nouveau Monde's "École d'été" at the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM).

Here is a slideshow I put together with some of the images produced by me and my participants:

Women Empowered

CARE and Documentary Photographer Phil Borges Launch the Women Empowered Project

Phil Borges, the acclaimed documentary photographer, and CARE, the humanitarian organization that fights global poverty by empowering women and girls, recently launched the Women Empowered Project. The Project spotlights some of the issues that women and girls in the developing world face while demonstrating practical, proven solutions to fighting global poverty.

The new website, includes three mini-documentary films: Learning to Lead portrays the transformative power of education and leadership for girls and women; Vigilantes de la Vida shows how childbirth can lead to heartbreak rather than happiness when adequate maternal health care is not available, and Strength in Numbers illustrates how African women can turn tiny amounts of money into sustaining capital through village savings and loan programs. These three issue areas – maternal health, education and financial services – are signature examples of CARE's work to combat poverty.

"Through this new endeavor, we hope to continue the momentum we have gained through our partnership and continue to raise awareness about the unique position women hold," said Valenda Campbell, CARE's senior photo editor. "Despite the inequity women face, they unite their families and communities and when they are able to make the most of three key windows of opportunity in their lives, they can create lasting change for themselves and everyone their lives touch. These are stories that people must hear and understand."

Women's Trek for Peace and Development

I am pleased to announce that our article on the Women's Trek for Peace and Development has been published in the latest issue of Geo Plein Air. The trek, organized by the Centre for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI) in March 2008 in Nepal, provided Canadian and Nepalese women a unique opportunity to understand the issues of the local women in the fields of healthcare, leadership and indigenous livelihoods. Merci Karine and Marie for your well written article on our trek and the situation of the Nepalese Women. And ofcourse a big thanks to CECI for inviting us on this life-changing adventure!