The Sub-Arctic Adventure Begins
July 18, 2011 in Also posted in Climate, Nature, Nikon, photography, solar powerI'm off for the Thelon, close the the Arctic circle with a group of indigenous children from the Dene' tribe and will be incommunicado except for a blog we will have on The Nature Conservancy website called Cool Green Science—check it out. blog.nature.org Naturally, I'm very excited for this epic adventure. For three weeks, we will be on canoes and venture into unchartered territory that the tribe believes is the place where God ... Read More
Bangladesh: On the Frontlines of Climate Change
July 17, 2011 in Also posted in Bangladesh, ClimateI was in Bangladesh trying to tell the story of how this country is on the frontlines of climate change. I have a feature length documentary coming out soon, but here is a short I did for Oxfam about how one village is being impacted by the changing weather. Read More
Tags: Bangladesh, Climate Change, film, Multimedia, Oxfam
Over the Islands of Madagascar
July 17, 2011 in Also posted in Africa, Nature, Nikon, photographyThese are just the first few minutes of the documentary on my work in Madagascar. It will be available in full length as an app in the Apple appstore in July 2011. Over the Islands of Africa -- Madagascar The sounds of their names alone conjure up thoughts of pristine beaches, spices and the tales of a thousand and one nights. The five-part documentary series "Over the Islands ... Read More
Tags: Multimedia, photography, TV
Guinea Bissau: Rediscovering the Soul of a Forgotten Land
July 17, 2011 in Also posted in Africa, Uncategorized, conflict, contests, grantsI recently returned to the West African country of Guinea-Bissau on a generous grant from the Alexia foundation to revisit a village where I began my career as a photographer ten years ago. Young and very green, I had applied for a grant from them back in 2000, on a whim. To my delight and horror, I got it – even beating out some National Geographic photographers I heard, who had also applied that year. I had no idea what I was doing and ... Read More
Tags: Africa, photography
Madagascar
November 16, 2010 in Also posted in Africa, Nikon, photography, travelI'm back from Madagascar where I spent a month before the holidays, discovering the island for a TV show called "Maritime Africa". It will be a five-part documentary series about the islands around Africa. SWR/ARTE (German and French public TV) and twelve other European stations will air the show that will be about the islands, their people and the distinct cultures as I document it for a coffee table book. It was a privilege to work with this incredibly talented group of people. Check ... Read More
Tags: Multimedia, photography, TV
Return to Sierra Leone
March 24, 2010 in Also posted in Africa, Nikon, conflict, photography, travel, warI am leaving tomorrow to Freetown, Sierra Leone filled with feelings of anxiety as well as hope. The last time I was there was just a few months after the brutal civil war ended in 2002 that claimed tens of thousands of lives and left more than a third of its population displaced. Yet it is the unspeakable atrocities that are so haunting. I remember back in 1999, Miguel Gil Moreno de Mora, a friend and extremely committed journalist, who was later killed covering the conflict, told me stories ... Read More
Flight for Survival: Rhinos go back to Africa
March 9, 2010 in Also posted in Africa, Europe, Kenya, Nature, Nikon, extinction, horns, photography, poaching, rhinos, travelView the story at msnbc.com They are huge but gentle, lumbering beasts and there are only eight left on the entire planet. Scientists believe the magnificent Northern White rhinos are nearly extinct. In a last ditch effort to save this species from extinction, the Lewa Conservancy in Kenya cut a deal to airlift the last four breeding age animals from the Czech Zoo to live "free" on the savannas of Kenya. You ... Read More
Where can I find interviews about your career?
September 29, 2009 in Also posted in Africa, F.A.Q., India, Interviews, Kashmir, Seminar, Websites, conflict, internet, photography, travel, workshopsThe talented Steve Casimiro, a photographer and editor for National Geographic's Adventure magazine has created a wonderful blog called the Adventure Life. I was honored that he invited me for this interview.http://www.theadventurelife.org/2009/07/ami-vitales-beautiful-cultures-and-powerful-documentary/ Field Notes from a National Geographic story I did on the ... Read More
Frontline: Kashmir
September 13, 2009 in Also posted in India, Kashmir, photographyView Project at PBS online here: http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/flash_point/kashmir/ Over the past 60 years, the beauty of Kashmir has been overshadowed by tension and violence. Despite the wishes of Mahatma Gandhi, regarded as the father of Indian independence, the sub-continent was divided along religious lines and two nations were born: the secular but Hindu-dominated India and the Islamic Republic of ... Read More
Mirages: A Video Shot for Nikon with the D300s
August 29, 2009 in Also posted in D300s, India, Kashmir, Nikon, travelThis was my first attempt at shooting video with a still camera. I used the Nikon D300s and experimented in different situations from riding on the hood of a taxi in Mumbai, India to the deadly, blowing sands of the Thar desert in Rajasthan. Or maybe its the other way around.. more deadly is sitting on the top of an Indian taxi just to get a few images. Dai Sugano, an absolute genius and wonderful journalist, helped me with the editing. ... Read More
