The Sub-Arctic Adventure Begins
July 18, 2011 in Also posted in Climate, Multimedia, Nature, 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
National Geographic Workshop in Santa Fe
July 17, 2011 in Also posted in photography, workshopsI'm looking forward to teaching two multimedia workshops at the Santa Fe workshops from February 19-25, 2012 and april 29-May 05, 2012. This week long workshop will be intense and challenging but ultimately very rewarding. I will be exploring how to make the jump from stills to video and will focus on helping the students tell more compelling visual stories using video, audio and still imagery. I ... Read More
Tags: Ami Vitale, education, film, Learning, Multimedia, National Geographic Workshop, photography, Santa Fe Workshops
Over the Islands of Madagascar
July 17, 2011 in Also posted in Africa, Multimedia, Nature, 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
Santa Fe Workshop: From Stills to Video
January 20, 2011 in Also posted in D300s, internet, photography, workshopsThe medium I work in is changing and video is now playing a much bigger role in what we do. Cameras like the one I carry can shoot hd video and it can enhance our abilities as storytellers. This is already playing a big role in my future but I don't think I would have had the courage to take the leap into shooting video without one small lie, to Nikon, when they called and asked if I knew anything about making videos. "Yes of course", I replied instantly, knowing nothing about moving images ... Read More
Madagascar
November 16, 2010 in Also posted in Africa, Multimedia, 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, Multimedia, 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, Multimedia, Nature, 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
Nikon Contest
November 10, 2009 in Also posted in D300s, contestsNikon has an incredible opportunity! Capture the essence of your day in a video of 140 seconds or less. It can be funny, touching or profound. It can be about everything you did, everything you didn’t do, the day’s biggest dilemma or its most telling detail. Enter your video and you could win $100,000 plus a new camera from Nikon. Deadline is December 15, 2009. Read More
What gear do you carry?
September 8, 2009 in Also posted in F.A.Q., photographyI use Nikon bodies and usually just a few lenses but the choice of lenses really depends on the nature of the assignment. If I am shooting wildlife, I need very different lenses, (longer) then when I am doing portraits of a culture. Mainly I like to travel lightly and bring 2 bodies, 3 lenses and a Gitzo tripod. I'll usually buy medicines in country as they are always cheaper there. Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, I like to bring gifts. It is the minimal that I can do to bring small ... Read More
Mirages: A Video Shot for Nikon with the D300s
August 29, 2009 in Also posted in D300s, India, Kashmir, Multimedia, 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
