"It starts before you snap the shutter... It starts with your sense of what's important." These are the words of Roy DeCarava, one of the foremost photographic artists of the twentieth century, contributor to the Family of Man exhibit and the first black photographer to receive a Guggenheim Fellowship.

Mr. DeCarava Passed away on Tuesday in Manhattan as reported in The New York Times.

CONVERSATIONS WITH ROY DECARAVA examines his life and work, and deftly interweaves 108 of DeCarava's black and white stills with a portrait of the artist discussing his life, past struggles, his efforts to foster young black photographers, and the relationship of his work to the black experience in America.

Labels: photography, Roy DeCarava

According to BBC News, Venice Biennale's prestigious Golden Lion lifetime achievement award has been presented to a photographer for the first time, Malick Sidibé from Mali. "Organisers of the Biennale said Sidibe was 'the signal portraitist of his city and nation and the intimate observer of the Malian musical scene.'" For more on Sidibé, check out Susan Vogel's MALICK SIDIBÉ.

Labels: Africa, awards, Mali, photography