This 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. Check out his work. Its very inspiring. David Barreda and Ashima Narain assisted me in the field. Not only are they both talented photographers and story tellers, but they also happen to be lovely people. I’ll be posting a blog soon to discuss how I created the video as well as some tips I have for still photographers making the transition into shooting video. These cameras are revolutionizing the business of photography and opening up more avenues for us to develop our story telling.
Author: Ami Vitale
Ami Vitale’s career stands as a testament to her deep dedication to documenting and addressing global crises. As an acclaimed National Geographic photographer, writer, and documentary filmmaker, as well as the founder of Vital Impacts, Ami has consistently spotlighted critical issues affecting our world. Her journey began in conflict zones, where she observed firsthand how environmental degradation—from resource scarcity to climate change—intensifies human suffering and conflict. This early exposure shaped her understanding of the profound connections between human and environmental crises.
Vitale's work focuses on the stories of individuals living on the front lines of war, climate change, and extinction, who refuse to let cataclysm define their futures. Through her compelling journalism, she highlights stories of resilience and innovation, emphasizing the delicate balance between humanity and wildlife and the urgent need for conservation. Vitale’s work connects viewers to critical local conservation issues of global importance, underscoring our interconnectedness with one another and the natural world.
In addition to her journalism and filmmaking, Vitale is the founder and Executive Director of Vital Impacts, a non-profit organization that leverages the power of art to inspire and mobilize youth as agents of change. Vitale and her non-profit have raised over $5 million to support vital conservation projects.
Ami is an honorary fellow of the Royal Photographic Society and a recipient of the prestigious Lucie Humanitarian Award, the Missouri Honor Media for Distinguished Service, and an inductee into the North Carolina Media and Journalism Hall of Fame. She has also received the Daniel Pearl Award for Outstanding Reporting, been named Magazine Photographer of the Year at the International Photographer of the Year awards, and is a six-time recipient of World Press Photo awards.
Instyle magazine featured her alongside Jane Goodall and Ruth Bader Ginsburg in its series "Fifty Badass Women," celebrating women who exemplify courage and action. Ami is currently serving as Conservation International's 2023/2024 Lui-Walton Innovators Fellow. A sought-after speaker, she continues to share her experiences and insights with audiences worldwide, and is featured on the National Geographic Channel Explorer TV series.
New Beginnings
Thank you Jayson Singe of Neonsky.com for helping me design my original website which was created almost nine years ago. Nine years… eternity in the world of the web. I am grateful for his immense talent, sensibilities and innovative ideas. The site helped launch my career as a photojournalist and also became a prototype for many of the online flash portfolios that photographers and artists use today. It has taken me much too long, but with help from another wonderfully talented designer, Mike Schmidt, www.mohawkstreet.com, I have a new design that fits my needs in today’s ever changing online world. One of the main considerations was to use HTML and the challenge was to design it elegantly without the slick capabilities of Flash. HTML can be inflexible; the confusing array of screen resolutions makes design imprecise and often frustrating. Mike managed to find ways to merge WordPress with Photoshelter.com, an online archive, and I have a site that I hope will engage you. I’ll be adding more material weekly so please check back and thanks for taking the time to look! Please feel free to send back ideas, criticisms and suggestions.
India
Camel fair-trading-Camel traders from India look at the vast offerings as sun falls at the largest camel fair in the world in Pushkar, India in the state of Rajasthan November 26, 2001. Thousands of camels and traders come to the annual event which some say have been going on for centuries.
Kashmir
In Western news accounts, Kashmir is invariably described as an important piece in a longstanding geopolitical puzzle. It is identified as the axis of relations between India and Pakistan, a “nuclear flashpoint” that could spark an unthinkable war in South Asia. While these characterizations are accurate, they overlook the intrinsic value of Kashmir as an entity in itself, as well as the human story of a long-ignored war that is slowly destroying one of the world’s most exquisite cultures.
Africa
Villagers fetch water from a polluted hole in the village of Dambas, 80 kilometers outside of Wajir, in northern Kenya May 10, 2006.
Africa
Villagers fetch water from a polluted hole in the village of Dambas, 80 kilometers outside of Wajir, in northern Kenya May 10, 2006. Many people are suffering from diarrhoea, cholera, malaria and are even more vulnerable to diseases because of their weakened state. The number of people who are at risk in the Horn of Africa is estimated to be around 15 million of which more than 8 million have been identified as being in need of urgent emergency assistance. Though the rains have come and turned the land green, the problems facing the pastoralists still persist after 3 years of drought that resulted in severe livelihood stress, food insecurity, livestock deaths and high rates of malnutrition. (Ami Vitale)
The W. Eugene Smith Howard Chapnick Grant
The Howard Chapnick Grant was developed to encourage and support leadership in fields ancillary to photojournalism, such as editing research, education and management. The annual $5,000 grant may be used to finance any of a range of qualified undertakings, which might include a program of further education, research, a special long-term sabbatical project, or an internship to work with a noteworthy group or individual.
