Larry Towell multimedia on Katrina

[StephenS]

On the Magnum In Motion website ( http://inmotion.magnumphotos.com/ ) there's a new Larry Towell multimedia of his work after hurricane Katrina.

Worth seeing as Towell is one of the most interesting/most appealing/ and important photojournalists working and one of the few people I always try and seek out their photos. I haven't personally been so much interested in anything that's come out of this disaster, but it's interesting to hear Towell's take on events.

Good website if you don't already know about it.

 

[BWKate]

This is very interesting. I wonder if Sam Portera has seen and heard it. I would be interested to know what he thinks of Larry Towell's work.

Stephen,
Is Larry Towell Canadian? I'm pretty sure I've heard of him. His work is incredible.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

 

[roteague]

Interesting work, interesting use of the panoramic format - most of the images have a digital look to them, although that doesn't distract from the content. However, I much prefer Sam's work - it is much more personal, showing how much the little things in life affect us, and what happens when those little things are taken away.

 

[StephenS]

Yes, Towell lives up in Ontario. You may have seen his work from El Salvador, Palestine, or the Mennonite project. You can find more on the Magnum In Motion site - I know there's an essay about Palestine someplace. There's also a neat 'behind the scenes' where he talks about how he shoots, what gear he uses, etc.

He's a very interesting character as well. Writes poetry and, as you heard, sings.

About the "digital look" - I'm sure it has more to do with the Flash presentation than anything else. I'm not how much he shoots digital these days, if at all. Probably for some assignment work, but I'm pretty sure he still mostly uses film.

One thing; everytime someone mentions images from this disaster they compare it to a members work here. I'm not familiar with most of the work from Katrina, but all of it has a certain sameness - that's to be expected. I try not to compare, however, and try not to create a hierarchy of good, better, best. Everyone has a different take and all are valuable.

 

[roteague]

About the "digital look" - I'm sure it has more to do with the Flash presentation than anything else.

I think you are probably right.

 

[SuzanneR]

Thanks for the link Stephen... Larry Towell is an excellent photographer, and this work is very good. I would agree that Sam's work is more personal than Towell's in this case, but I think both play an important role in telling the story. The use of panorama is great... what a sense of the devestation in the immediate aftermath of Katrina! And the images of the flooded cemetary in New Orleans are eerie.

FWIW, Towell has a deeply personal body of work of his home life that I saw published in PDN, oh, probably eight or nine years ago. I seem to remember that home for him was on a farm in Ontario, and he made some great images of his family's life there, including his teenage children and wife. I've always hoped it would be published in a book, but I haven't seen it, yet!

He really is one of the most interesting journalists working today.

 

[david b]

Thanks for posting this.

Very touching.

 

[Sportera]

Thanks for posting this, it seems Mr Towell covered the story quite some time.

Particulary the photos of immediatly after the storm interest me, they have a strange beauty to them. Surreal. His photos brought me back to those early days.