Yuai, Sudan
Photograph by Alexandra Avakian

Photography is a signature aspect of our identity at National Geographic Society, so it's no surprise that we contributed seven exhibits to the FotoWeek roster. You've read about Visions of Paradise (November 6, 2008) and Odysseys and Photographs (November 10, 2008), but I'd also like to mention three NG shows that are tied to ongoing Society programs. The recently launched book imprint Focal Point specializes in documentary photography, Photo Camp workshops encourage young people in underserved communities to use cameras to look at their own neighborhoods, and All Roads seeks out photographers who are documenting the change in their own indigenous communities, to bring their work to the attention of the international media.

Focal Point

Tucked away in a foyer leading to the Grosvenor Auditorium at National Geographic headquarters in Washington is a select sampling from three of the four Focal Point books coming out this season (the fourth is Odysseys and Photographs). Sam Abell's Life of a Photograph, Alexandra Avakian's Windows of the Soul, and Reza War and Peace include many surprises from three distinguished bodies of work, as well as many of the signature images previously published in National Geographic magazine. I've been fortunate enough to work with all three photographers, and hope to again. The exhibit continues through January 4, 2009.

Whale watching, Fraser Island, Queensland, Australia
Photograph by Sam Abell

In The Life of a Photograph, Sam Abell dissects how an image comes into being, often displaying a series of frames leading up to his final frame of choice and reconstructing the context using anecdotes from his time in the field in Australia, Japan, and the American West. Known for his carefully crafted photographs, Sam is also a respected teacher and speaker.

Alexandra Avakian's Windows of the Soul chronicles her twenty years of photographing the Muslim world. With an appealing intimacy, she shares her memories of both good fortune and misadventure from places as varied as Gaza, Sudan, Iran, Lebanon, Somalia, Uzbekistan, and the US. Her reflections on the challenges and rewards for women working as journalists add another compelling dimension to her narrative.

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