Peter van Agtmael Named Winner of W. Eugene Smith Fund Grant

© PETER VAN AGTMAEL/MAGNUM PHOTOS Pech Valley, Kunar Province. Afghanistan. 2007. "A number of strays hung around Patrol Base California, waiting for food and company. Usually the soldiers welcomed them. But I was told that a few weeks earlier, when one of the dogs urinated on a soldier’s cot, he and his buddies shot the dog to pieces."

On October 17th, it was announced that Peter Van Agtmael had won the $30,000 W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund Grant for Humanistic Photography. The photographer who plies his trade in Brooklyn for Magnum Photos, was given the award for his project, 'Disco Night September 11,' which explores the affects of the wars initiated by the U.S. on the lives of people in Afganistan, Iraq, and the Middle East (among others) in the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks. Van Agtael vowed in his acceptance speech to use the grant money to continue working on his project despite the fact that, according to Jury chair Lauren Wendle, he "recognizes that his perspective has been limited, because it is solely an American’s perspective." The photographer added that he intends to return to Afganistan and Iraq in order to produce a multimedia piece for the proposed 2014 withdrawl of U.S. troops from Afganistan. “As an American of the generation shouldering these wars, I feel a strong responsibility to document their cost,” said Van Agtmael.

Read more: http://lightbox.time.com/2012/10/17/peter-van-agtmael-receives-the-2012-w-eugene-smith-grant-in-humanistic-photography/#ixzz2A8efdrit 

To learn more about the man behind the fund, NYIP grad W. Eugene Smith, click the link to our article Famous Alum: W. Eugene Smith.

We're the New York Institute of Photography, a distance education school teaching photography since 1910 - over 100 years of knowledge and experience. Listen to the following podcast to learn more about who we are and what we do.

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Field Trip: Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego

Looking for something else to do in the San Diego area? In our newest field trip installment we are heading off to the Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego, located in the magnificent Casa de Balboa building. Known as MoPa for short, it houses some of the world's premiere photography collections and exhibits. The museum is one of the few U.S. institutions solely dedicated to the presentation and preservation of photography, spanning the breadth of photographic history from its conception.  

A breathtaking shot of the Casa de Balboa building at night

While there are a great number of fantastic exhibits and avenues to explore within the museum, we will be focusing on the exhibition of The Jazz Loft Project, documenting the work of famed photojournalist and NYIP grad W. Eugene Smith between the years of 1957 and 1965. During this time period he made around 40,000 exposures of the nocturnal NYC Jazz scene taking place in and around his 5-story loft at 821 Sixth Avenue, where many famous musicians would often flock. Here are just a few of the brilliant photos that will be on display: 

W. Eugene Smith, Thelonious Monk and Town Hall Band Rehearsal, c. 1957-1965. Collection of the W. Eugene Smith Archive

W. Eugene Smith, Zoot Sims, c. 1957-1964. Collection of the W. Eugene Smith Archive, Center for Creative Photography.

W. Eugene Smith, W. Eugene Smith at fourth-floor window of 821 Sixth Avenue, c. 1957. Collection of the W. Eugene Smith Archive.

For further information on The Jazz Loft Project: W. Eugene Smith in NYC, 1957-1965 exhibition, as well as the museum's hours of operation and contact information, click on any of the above images or go to www.mopa.org.  

We're the New York Institute of Photography, a distance education school teaching photography since 1910 - over 100 years of knowledge and experience. Listen to the following podcast to learn more about who we are and what we do.

AUDIO LINK: WHAT IS THE NEW YORK INSTITUTE OF PHOTOGRAPHY? [20:58M]

Famous Alum: W. Eugene Smith

The New York Institute of Photography is proud of our 100+ year record of training great photographers, both hobbyists who have the equipment and want to learn to take better pictures and aspiring professionals. Many of our alums have reached celebrity status, and one of them is certainly W. Eugene Smith.

We salute his creative vision. He pioneered "humanizing" photojournalism, providing amazing and unflinching images from World War II and environmental disasters, and powerful stories for News Week (later Newsweek) and Life magazines - including his still-talked-about profile of Dr. Albert Schweitzer. Smith left his first family behind and moved into a New York City loft to devote his full attention to photography. He left jobs when he wasn't able to call the creative and artistic shots or when editorial policies tried to dictate his photography subjects and slant. He marched to the beat of his own drummer and was a fearless advocate for photography's ability to communicate the soul behind the image. His work and vision continue to inspire photographers through the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund.

Photo Credits: © The Heirs of W. Eugene Smith, W. Eugene Smith/LIFE ©Time Inc., Magnum Agency

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