Festival of the Photograph

Don't forget- The Festival of the Photograph will be taking place this weekend (June 7-9) in Charlottesville, VA. This is the first official year for the festival, which has grown out of a gathering hosted by National Geographic photographer Michael "Nick" Nichols. Most of the tickets for the three featured talks (William Albert Allard, Sally Mann, and Eugene Richards) are sold out, but there will be plenty of tickets available to the final show, "Works", which will include a special musical performance, along with work by many photographers, including Donna Ferrato, Paolo Pellegrin, David Alan Harvey, Alexandra Boulat, Alex Webb, Jonas Bendiksen, and many many others. There are also a number of exhibitions around town, including a collaborative installation, YourSpace, where everyone is encouraged to bring in digital files to print and hang, or to display as digital slide shows. If you can get to Charlottesville, go- this weekend promises to be…

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R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Forty years ago yesterday (June 3), Aretha Franklin was #1 on the Billboard Charts, with her recording of 'Respect'. The Detroit Free Press has put together a detailed look at the song, it's origins, and the era surrounding it. There are several videos, covering everything from the story of the song to interviews with other musicians, sociologists, and producers, along with photos, the article, and other features. Check out the multimedia package, then get the song.

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Media that Matters

The Seventh Annual Media That Matters Festival is now up. Sixteen short films have been selected by a jury, with topics ranging from Egypt's garbage collectors to rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina to transgendered youth. The films are available online, at screenings throughout the country, and on DVD.

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The Price of Sex

Documentary photographer Mimi Chakarova looks into the lives of young East European women trafficked into the sex trade, in "The Price of Sex", the debut story for PBS's flashPOINT series. It is estimated that between 200,000 and 400,000 have been trafficked from Moldova, to be exploited as sex workers, factory workers, maids, and other laborers. In an interview about the story, Chakarova says, "I hope that it will enable people to see this story from a different angle. I hope that the sadness it leaves will push people to find out more about what can be done." PBS introduced the flashPOINT program in January 2007, as part of their FRONTLINE/World series, which also includes documentary videos.

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NPPA Multimedia Immersion Program and Photojournalism Summit- Now Underway

The NPPA Multimedia Immersion Summit in Portland, OR, is underway! You can follow it from home, see what's happening behind the scenes, and find some great tips, including a section on Gathering Quality Audio, put together by Josh Meltzer from the Roanoke Times and Scott Sharpe from the News and Observer. The Multimedia Immersion portion of the Summit began yesterday, and the Photojournalism Summit takes place on June 1 and 2 (walk-in registration is still available for this portion, if you're in the area.) Check their site throughout the weekend for more updates.

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