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Happy Couple

………It is with great pleasure that we introduce to you part two of the photographs of Cuba by master photographer Eric Mencher. He’s covered regional, national and international assignments from 1987 to 2009 for the Philadelphia Inquirer, including the civil war in Chechnya, the aftermath of genocide in Rwanda and the post apartheid era in South Africa. He is the recipient of numerous national and international awards including World Press Photo, pictures of the year.

Beach Scene

Swim

A Stroll Through Havana

Marina Hemingway

To learn more about Eric Mencher’s photographs log on to www.EricMencher.com.

Castro

Posted by Eric Mencher

Cuba is truly a country on the edge. It’s government, for 50 years the authoritative body over the island’s 11,000,000 people, seems forever on the verge of collapse. The people themselves live constantly in flux, with the promise of freedom one day or prison the next. In Old Havana, people lurk in and of the shadows and the sun’s constant glare seems to ask more questions than it illuminates.

Fishing Along The Malecon

Havana is a street photographer’s paradise. The alleys and streets are a constant swarm of human activity, and moments surreal or all too real unfold in an unending stream of live theater. In the five times I’ve visited the island since 1997, there remains one constant in Cuba: the love of life, whether it’s a couple in embrace on the Malecon or kids who seem to dance in the streets to the beat of the ubiquitous music.

Cuban Music

We can learn a lot from the Cubanos–in the face of a harsh living standard, they always seem to maintain their joy, dignity and spirit.

Young Boy Plaza Of The Cathedral In Havana

Streets Of Havanna

Baseball Field In Pinar del Rio

Cuba's Light And Shadow

To learn more about Eric Mencher’s photographs, please log on to www.EricMencher.com.

Wall Street

Posted by Orville Robertson

……….This was Wall Street when the workers were allowed to go out and get lunch. Now I suppose they chain them to their desks to squeeze out the last drop of blood profit.

To learn more about Orville Robertson’s work log on to www.newyorkstreetphotography.com.

07-23-1986

……….Orville Robertson follows a long tradition of street photographers whose visual passions are stirred by street life at night in New York City. It requires a certain visual acuity that takes practice, patience and technical verve, all part of the unique qualities ever present in Mr. Robertson’s photographs over the past 25 years.

03-05-01

……….He was awarded a 2002 Fellowship in Photography by the New York Foundation for the Arts and his work is included in many public institutions including; The Brooklyn Museum, Center for Creative Photography in Arizona, Bibliotheque Nationale in France, and the Museum of the City of New York.

12-11-1985

06-26-02

04-17-2007

12-11-1985

……….To learn more about Orville’s photographs, log on to www.newyorkstreetphotography.com.

Museums

Posted by Harvey Finkle

…….A conventional view of museums might see them solely as institutions that house works of art, and as places for elites to view these works.

Ad Reinhard

But museums are communities.

Communities

Besides enhancing our insights into the human condition and providing us with an historic vision of the evolution of our development socially, economically, culturally and creatively, they house activities that go far beyond these roles.

Man With Sculpture

Many activities of a community take place at museums; romance, relaxation, performance, protest, education, dining. In many ways, they are our melting pots, accommodating people of all ages and backgrounds

Carol

There was no intention of producing a documentary or photo essay about museums. These photos were taken over time and location without any thought of a unified body of work. The locations include Philadelphia, Paris, Barcelona, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. The time span covers a period of over 20 years.

www.HarveyFinkle.com

The Tribute To Harvey Finkle

……We reported a couple of weeks ago that the Bread & Roses Community Fund of Philadelphia paid tribute to the documentary photographs of Harvey Finkle at the Constitution Center of Philadelphia. For those who are not familiar with the center, it is located on Independence Mall, the same place where Presidential candidate Barack Obama gave his famous speech about race in America in 2008, during his run for the presidency.

The upper floor of the marvelous new facility was turned into an art gallery and celebration for the extraordinary commitment Harvey has made to the downtrodden and unfortunate in our society. Eighty photographs were on display and well over 1000 people attended the events of that memorable evening. One of the highlights was a spoken word/rap presentation by Mr. Tim Dowlin. We asked Tim if he would give us permission to publish his especially crafted words for the special tribute to Harvey…….

Project Home

Tim Dowlin;
I try to capture moments with the pen/ just like he does with the lens/ 

He’s a man of principle, he seems invincible/ yet he blends in so well, he’s invisible/ 

Moving through the crowd/ you know he’s got a vision/ 

We chant loud, and stand proud/ its no decision/ 

Cause for us to protest against death is the same as living/   

I ain’t kidding/ situations that I been in/ 

Got me and Harvey on a world tour/ 

Stop the war/ and the war on the poor/ 

Economic Human Rights is what we fighting for/  

Together we’ve seen some great places/ in this great nation/ but its no vacation/ 

Taking the Documentation of the Violations/ to the United Nations/  

We all agree without hesitation/ the greatest task that we facing/  

Is to BREAK UP- and WAKE UP- and SHAKE UP- the complacent/  

OK, OK, I know its a Tribute to Change/ I ain’t mean to change the tribute/  

This is just how I contribute/ from the food distribution center/ 

I’m a take it back to the National Constitution Center/ 

I’m a practice my First and speak freely/  

Harvey has seen me/ since I was a teenager/  

Yeah I was a minor now it seems major/  

Ever since I was a Urban Nomad/ with no pad/ crib or apartment/ 

No food to keep the dudes ribs apart wit/ the right attitude to start wit/   

Harvey taught me how to develop a negative into a positive picture.

From The Deaf Blind Series

www.HarveyFinkle.com

Street Musician, Philadelphia, 1994

……Every time I think about the life and work of Harvey Finkle, he reminds me of the good fortune he has had in his life. A beautiful life partner, close knit family and a passion for something that each day brings him great joy. That passion, to our benefit are his photographs. Following a long tradition of documentary photography, Harvey Finkle is the Mother Theresa of passionate photography. He began to excel at his lifes work in his early years, receiving a Social Work degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1961. From there, his education lead him to picture making which helped him define his social causes.

On Thursday, October 15th, 2009 The Constitution Center of Philadelphia will recognize his legacy. A press release has just arrived at the studio from Bread & Roses Community Fund of Philadelphia. Tickets are available at the door. You don’t want to miss this event!

Tent City, Philadelphia 1995

Tribute

The Bread & Roses Community Fund will be honoring social documentarian, Harvey Finkle, at its annual event on 10-15-09 at the National Constitution Center. Harvey is a still photographer, whose interests are social, political and cultural. His career has centered on photographing marginalized and disenfranchised people, including low income and homeless families, refugees and immigrants, the disabled and the Deaf, as well as groups working for economic justice, peace and human rights. The tribute will exhibit 75 photos reflecting the groups and people that he has photographed. His work can be seen on his website, harveyfinkle.com

www.HarveyFinkle.com