DOUBLEtruck Magazine Issue 36 April - June 2014

DOUBLEtruck 36

WORLD’S BEST NEWS PICTURES

MAGAZINE

ISSUE 36 SECOND QUARTER 2014

PICTURES THAT NEED TO BE SEEN

US $21 - UK £12 - EU €15

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THE PICTURES OF THE DAY

June 15, 2014 - Isle Of Wight, United Kingdom - British singer and songwriter Ella Eyre performs during the Isle of Wight Festival, an annual music festival that takes place on the Isle of Wight.

Picture by Richard Isaac/London News Pictures/ZUMA

AmaZing images from around the world. 24/7/365

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Welcome to DOUBLEtruck Magazine

I s s u e

T H I R T Y

S I X

doubletruck: n. An ad or editorial project that covers two facing pages. The term originates from the days when heavy forms for newspaper pages, largely filled with lead type, were rolled around the composing room floor on heavy carts called trucks. Two pages for one project meant a doubletruck. — The Detroit Free Press

W

elcome to the thirty-sixth issue of DOUBLEtruck Magazine. Proud to bring you another blockbuster issue.

Featuring one major in-depth reportage and 90 days of the world news from every corner of the globe, by the greatest storytellers of our time.

Since our last issue, the world has had a lot of great tragedy as well, amazing moments in sports and culture and daily life that will go down in history.

This issue features a powerful reportage on Uganda’s: ‘Keepers of The Forest’ by German-born, documentary photographer and visual story-teller, Peter Bauza, who is committed to capturing images that are not only beautiful, but also inspire the viewer to reflect deeply on the subject matter. It is his hope that his imagery might inspire viewers to take action on issues.

Deep in the rich rainforests of southwest Uganda, the indigenous Batwa pygmies known as ‘Keepers of The Forest’ shared their tropical terrain with majestic mountain gorillas for thousands of years. The Batwa way of life predated farming and livestock-keeping; they were hunter-gatherers who depended on the forest’s natural resources. In 1992, the Batwa’s home-the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest-was made a World Heritage Site in order to save the endangered mountain gorillas. The Government determined that to protect the gorillas - a national treasure - the Batwa would have to move out of the forest. The impact on the Batwa people was devastating. Having no title to the land, they were evicted from the forest without compensation. Turn to page twelve for the rest of the story…

Rounding out this issue is Stan Sholik - The Technologist – who talks about a great product ZEISS Lenses.

Thank you for your support,

Scott Mc Kiernan

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

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Via Crucis

Picture by Evandro Inetti/ZUMA

April 19, 2014 - Rome, Italy - Pope Francis during the Via Crucis at the Colosseum in Rome. Via Crucis refers to a series of artistic representations, often sculptural, depicting Christ Carrying the Cross to his crucifixion.

Volume XI, Issue THIRTY SIX Publisher & Editor in Chief: Art Director: Contributing Editor:

Scott Mc Kiernan Jeremy Mc Kiernan Stan Sholik

Director of Photography: Senior Picture Editor: Picture Editors:

Scott Mc Kiernan Ruaridh Stewart Mark Avery, Coby Brooks, James K. Colton Jessica Cotsonas, Michael Hollaran, Ryan Noble Julie Rogers, Shalan Stewart

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOJOURNALISTS Adrian Brooks • Alessandro Di Meo • Ali Jadallah • Artyom Korotayev Brad Vest • David Eulitt • Evandro Inetti • Guillermo Arias Hamde Abu Rahm • Hossain Chowdhury • Isabel Infantes • Jim Lytle Joel Marklund • Jon Durr • K.C. Alfred • Kiko Huesca • Kurt Miller Li Suren • Michael Kappeler • Mikhail Pochuyev • Oliver Conteras Peter Bauza • Radoslaw Nawrocki • Riccardo Antimiani • Ruslan Shamukov Scott Mc Kiernan • Sean M. Haffney • Sergei Savostyanov • Stan Sholik Stuart Palley • Tali Mayer • Then Chih Wey • Thomas Aichinger Thomas Padilla • Valery Sharifulin • Wang Lei

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DOUBLEtruck Magazine (ISBN# 1932-0906) is a quarterly publication published in January, April, August and October.The contents of DOUBLEtruck Magazine are copyrighted. They may not be reproduced or transmitted, either in whole or in part, in any matter, including photocopy, recording or any informationstorage or retrieval system known or to be invented, without written permission from the publisher.

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DOUBLEtruck

PICTURES THAT NEED TO BE SEEN

36 MAGAZINE

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the beautiful game

Picture by Guillermo Arias/Xinhua/ZUMA

June 15, 2014 - Manaus, Brazil - As Pele would say, ‘Joga Bonito’ is as natural in Brazil as the air itself. Brazilians play soccer on the beach in Ponta Negra during the 2014 World Cup.

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REPORTAGE

P R E S E N T S

Keepers of the Forest Text and Photos by ©Peter Bauza/ZUMA Reporting by Stacy Lippert

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REPORTAGE

P R E S E N T S

Keepers of the Forrest

by Stacy Lippert

Deep in the rich rainforests of southwest Uganda, the indigenous Batwa pygmies shared their tropical terrain with majestic mountain gorillas for thousands of years. Some anthropologists estimate that pygmy tribes such as the Batwa have existed in the equatorial forests of Africa for 60,000 years or more. The Batwa way of life predated farming and livestock-keeping; they were hunter-gatherers who depended on the forest’s natural resources for their livelihood.

In 1992, the Batwa living situation drastically changed when their home—the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest—was made a World Heritage Site in order to save the endangered mountain gorillas. The Ugandan Government determined that to protect the gorillas—one of their national treasures—the Batwa would have to move out of the forest. The impact on the Batwa people was devastating. Having no title to the land, the Batwa were evicted from the forest and given no compensation.

Located in western Uganda, the Basua community was similarly removed from their forest home. Finding themselves moved from one location to another, the Basua struggle to cope with the modern world and continually battle health crises.

For millennia, they had depended upon hunting and gathering in the rich rainforest environment. Now residing in villages surrounding the forest, the Batwa began to experience starvation. They were not trained to subsist on the surrounding flat farmland of the Bakiga people, and they had no land of their own. Fortunately, the Batwa had not been living entirely isolated lives. For centuries Batwa elders had learned Rukiga, the language of the local Bakiga tribes, so that they could trade goods such as meat and honey with the local population on market day. Now that they had been evicted from the forest, some of the Batwa began working for local Bakiga farmers in exchange for a day’s worth of food or a very small amount of money. Payment was just enough to keep them alive; this was not a long-term solution for survival.

The people were not thriving, and their children—particularly those under five—were dying at an alarming rate. They were conservation refugees struggling to avoid their own extinction.

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In 1995, the Anglican Church of Uganda agreed to assist the Batwa and, together with American volunteer Diane Stanton, helped purchase several parcels of land to be used as a settlement area where the Batwa could live. This settlement area allowed the Batwa to grow crops and begin to establish a more stable living situation outside of the rainforest. Small-scale health projects such as administering immunizations, spiritual support from churches and pastors, and agricultural training allowed the Batwa to regroup as a people and have a place to call their own.

Soon the Episcopal Medical Mission Foundation sent out a request for a medical missionary to perform a needs assessment of the Batwa. In the year 2000, Dr. Scott and Carol Kellermann, who had previously served as medical missionaries in Nepal, answered the call. After spending weeks conducting a needs survey the last forest keepers they became deeply moved by the situation and made the dramatic decision to turn their lives upside down and move to Uganda, and for the next nine years they served as full-time medical missionaries to the Batwa.

The needs of the region were enormous— nearly beyond belief. To this day, almost the entire population of this isolated region lives on less than $1 a day, and the minority Batwa were even worse off. Most had no access to clean water, no home except a hut made of sticks and leaves, no access to healthcare, and no chance to attend school. More than a third of Batwa children—38 percent—died before reaching the age of five. Such diseases as HIV, TB, malaria and hunger were rampant, and life expectancy was estimated at a meager 28 years.

Starting treating patients one by one, they decided to found in 2003 a small clinic to provide healthcare to the Batwa. It quickly grew into a full-service hospital with a 112bed facility that serves over 100,000 people.

Despite its isolated location, it has been rated the best-performing hospital in Uganda since 2009, providing basic medical care. Underfive mortality among the Batwa dropped from 38% to only 6% in 12 years, and maternal death rates have decreased by more than 60%.

Uganda’s decision to turn the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest into a World Heritage Site to protect the mountain gorillas, although difficult for the Batwa, has had a silver lining: the many people who visit the region to see the gorillas have also gained an appreciation and a heart for the displaced Batwa.

The survival of the Keepers of the Forest such as the Batwa and Basua depends on individuals and groups like the Kellermann Foundation, volunteers, professionals from many industries, and the local Ugandans working together to provide such programs as the Batwa Development Program, education opportunities, health care, and training in agriculture and other skills. DT

March 5, 2014 - Uganda - A gorilla in the rainforest of Uganda near by the Congo. The last 300 gorillas are protected here.

March 5, 2014 - Uganda - The entire Pygmies tribe, including the eldest and children, celebrate with dancing the return of the hunters.

January 10, 2013 - Aleppo, Syria - At a small hospital, doctors help a young boy get rid of his cast.

March 5, 2014 - Uganda - Pygmies prepare fire to suppress the bees for honey collection.

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March 5, 2014 - Uganda - The last king of the Basuas pygmy tribe, King Nzito. Some anthropologists estimate that pygmy tribes such as the Batwa have existed in the equatorial forests of Africa for 60,000 years or more.

King Nzito holds a pipe. In Basua culture marijuanna holds important religious value, because it is by smoking it that leaders can build a link with the gods.

January 10, 2013 - Aleppo, Syria - A Free Syrian Army fighter aims his gun in the Saif al-Dawlah neighborhood.

March 5, 2014 - Uganda - Pygmies climbing a tree and using smoke on bees for honey collection. The smoke triggers a primitive reflex in the bees which makes them think that a fire is nearby. Rather that surrender to the fire, the bees consume large amounts of honey for fuel which causes a stupidfied drowsfy effect and makes the honey extraction easier for the Pygmies.

T a b l e O f C o n t e n t s : April 4 to June 30, 2014

April 36 April 4, 2014

42 April 23, 2014

38 Hamde Abu Rahm

April 18, 2014

Joel Marklund

April 25, 2014

April 24, 2014

April 24, 2014

Oliver Contreras

48

46

44 Oliver Contreras

40 Alessandro Di Meo

Whitehotpix

April 24, 2013

48

Jon Durr

May 50 April 28, 2014

52 Brad Vest

56 May 2, 2014

April 30, 2014

52 Thomas Padilla

May 2, 2014

Panoramic

May 9, 2014

May 14, 2014

Sean M. Haffey

May 14, 2014

62 Valery Sharifulin

68 K.C. Alfred

May 13, 2014

Tali Mayer

J.M. Garcia

Andrew Boyers

64

64

Jim Lytle

60

58 Ruslan Shamukov

April 30, 2014

May 17, 2014

70 Radoslaw Nawrocki

May 18, 2014

Riccardo Antimiani

DOUBLE

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72

May 20, 2014

Kiko Huesca

May 24, 2014

Wang Lei

May 29, 2014

Mikhail Pochuyev

May 20, 2014

Artyom Korotayev

May 27, 2014

80

88

Sergei Savostyanov

May 29, 2014

Ali Jadallah

June 5, 2014

May 20, 2014

Li Suren

May 28, 2014

Hossain Chowdhury

86

92

90

May 28, 2014

Then Chih Wey

84

82

74 May 20, 2014

78

76

74 Kurt Miller

May 19, 2014

Thomas Aichinger

94 Adrian Brooks

May 30, 2014

Michael Kappeler

June 15, 2014

ChinaFotopress

june 96 June 3, 2014

98

100

Cherie Diez

June 21, 2014

Isabel Infantes

June 24, 2014

Liang Xu

106

104 Imago

June 27, 2014

108 David Eulitt

truck

June 28, 2014

MAGAZINE

102

Stuart Palley

Scott Mc Kiernan

36

good friday

Picture by Hamde Abu Rahma/NurPhoto/ZUMA

April 4, 2014 - Ramallah, State of Palestine - Tear gas fills the air at the Ofer Prison demonstration. 17 Palestinians injured while protesting Israel’s retraction of the last prisoner release agreement. Dozens of others wounded and more suffered severe gas inhalation. A Palestinian photographer, sustained two injuries, in the stomach and face from Israel’s army.

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good friday

Picture by Alessandro Di Meo/ANSA/ZUMA

April 18, 2014 - Holy See,Vatican City - POPE FRANCIS lies on the ground for the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday at St Peter’s basilica at the Vatican.

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Truth Has No Ally

Picture by Zakir Hossain Chowdhury/NurPhoto/ZUMA

April 18, 2014 - Dhaka, Bangladesh - Members of the Garu Student Union of Bangladesh form a human chain in front of the Dhaka Press Club to demand the arrest of a rapist and to demand an end to violence towards women and especially those from the indigenous community.

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Pow Wow

Picture by Oliver Contreras/ZUMA

April 23, 2014 - Washington, District of Columbia, U.S. - A group of ranchers, farmers and tribal communities from along the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline route, called the Cowboy Indian Alliance, came to the nation’s capital and set up camp at the National Mall to tell President Obama to reject the pipeline.

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spike

Picture by Joel Marklund/Bildbyran/ZUMA

April 24, 2014 - Linköping Sporthallen, Sweden - Martin Larsson and Carl Ahremark of the Linköping Volleyboll Club (in blue), jump up to block a vicious spike by Falkenberg’s Jordan Varee, during final three in SM-finals in volleyball between Linköping and Falkenberg.

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When Pigs Fly

Picture by Whitehotpix/ZUMA

April 25, 2014 - Wenzhou, China - Firefighters successfully rescued a 600-pound pig who fell down a well at a pig farm Friday morning.

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Wash and Wear

Picture by Jon Durr/Cal Sport Media/ZUMA

April 26, 2014 - Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. - Madison Park, ridden by Kyle Carter, competes in the Cross County Test at the Rolex Kentucky 3-Day Event at the Kentucky Horse Park.

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Home, HOME At Last

Picture by Brad Vest/The Commercial Appeal/ZUMA

April 28, 2014 - Tupelo, Mississippi, U.S. - Constance Lambert embraces her dog after finding it alive when returning to her destroyed home. Lambert was at an event away from her home when the tornado struck and rushed back to check on her pets.

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Home, home at last

Picture by Jim Lytle/ZUMA

April 28, 2014 - Tupelo, Mississippi, U.S. - Constance Lambert embraces her dog after finding it alive when returning to her destroyed home. Lambert was at an event away from her home when the tornado struck and rushed back to check on her pets.

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EF-4

Picture by Jim Lytle/ZUMA

April 30, 2014 - Louisville, Mississippi, U.S - Sarah Smith folds clothing on her dining room table in her destroyed home Wednesday, after a tornado touched down on Monday, April 28, 2014. The U. S. National Weather Service has rated this tornado an EF-4.

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Without Words

Picture by Ruslan Shamukov/ITAR-TASS/ZUMA

May 2, 2014 - St. Petersburg, Russia - Irina Perren, performs during a preview of Nacho Duato’s triple bill Without Words. Prelude. White Darkness at the Mikhailovsky Theatre.

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Far Side of The Moon

Picture by Panoramic/ZUMA

May 2, 2014 - Jordan - Racer Abdulla Alqasimi rides his Ford Fiesta RRC during the 2014 Jordan Rally.

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sunbathing

Picture by Valery Sharifulin/TASS/ZUMA

May 9, 2014 - Moscow, Russian Federation - In the bright noon day light on Moscow’s famous Red Square, military officers in full dress, march in formation during the Victory Day military parade, marking the 69th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in the Great Patriotic War.

Picture by Christophe Karaba/EPA

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C CP

Picture by Tali Mayer/NurPhoto/ZUMA

May 13, 2014 - Donetsk, Ukraine - Two youths dance together under neon CCP lights in the ‘’USSR’’ nightclub the evening after the celebration for the result of the referendum organized by the People’s Republic of Donetsk to secede from Ukraine and possibly join the Russian Federation.

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Number One Priority

Picture by Sean M. Haffey/U-T San Diego/ZUMA

May 14, 2014 - San Marcos, California, U.S. - The hills behind Cal State San Marcos burn as structures caught fire and others were threatened. Homes and brush burned in the canyons near Coronado Hills Road in the hills of San Marcos. The San Marcos blaze, dubbed the Cocos fire, is the county’s “number one priority,’’ Cal Fire Battalion Chief Nick Schuler said.

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Scorched

Picture by K.C. Alfred/U-T San Diego/ZUMA

May 14, 2014 - Carlsbad, California, U.S. - The Poinsettia Fire burned close to many homes in Carlsbad. California firefighters have continued to battle up to 9 wildfires, which have scorched more than 11,000 acres and caused thousands to flee.

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Bring Back Our Girls

Picture by Abed Rahim Khatib/NurPhoto/ZUMA

May 17, 2014 - Cannes, France - Actress Salma Hayek holds up a sign reading ‘Bring Back Our Girls,’ part of a campaign calling for the release of nearly 300 Nigerian schoolgirls being held by extremist group Boko Haram, as she attends the ‘Saint Laurent’ premiere during the 67th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes.

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Here’s Looking at You

Picture by Riccardo Antimiani/Eidon Press/ZUMA

May 18, 2014 - Rome, Italy - Serena Williams celebrates with the trophy after winning her third Italian Open victory, beating home favorite Sara Errani 6-3, 6-0 in Rome.

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safe in her arms

Picture by Kurt Miller/The Orange County Register/ZUMA

May 19, 2014 - Riverside, California, U.S. - Riverside Police Chief Sergio Diaz, presents a flag to Regina, the widow of Riverside police Officer Michael Crain, as Michael’s nephew, Tyler Camonte, comforts her, during the ceremony. The names of two officers who died serving Riverside County were to a memorial during a ceremony at the ‘’Safe in His Arms’’ memorial statue. Officer Crain was killed by Christopher Dorner.

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Night of The Living Dead

Picture by Mikhail Pochuyev/TASS/ZUMA

May 20, 2014 - Slavyansk, Ukraine - Crying and holding on for dear life after their house is destroyed during a Ukrainian forces night shelling.

Night of The Living Dead

Picture by Mikhail Pochuyev/TASS/ZUMA

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Above Water

Picture by Then Chih Wey/Xinhua/ZUMA

May 20, 2014 - Singapore - Australian swimmer Christian Sprenger swims in the infinity pool during the ‘’Singapore Swim Stars” swimming festival press conference at Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands.

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Tuesday

Picture by Zakir Hossain Chowdhury/ZUMA

May 20, 2014 - Dhaka, Bangladesh - Two laborers haul barrels on a wooden cart on a Tuesday.

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Head Over Heels

Picture by Kiko Huesca/EFE/ZUMA

May 20, 2014 - Madrid, Spain - Spanish bullfighter David Mora fights a bull during a bullfighting held on the occassion of the 12th journey of the San Isidro Fair at Las Ventas bullring.

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Down

Picture by Artyom Korotayev/TASS/ZUMA

May 24, 2014 - Minsk , Russia - Sweden’s goalie Anders Nilsson concedes a goal in the 2014 IIHF World Championship semi-final ice hockey match against Russia at Minsk Arena Stadium. The Russian team won the game 3:1 and advanced to the final.

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Time Stays Still

Picture by Li Suren/Xinhua/ZUMA

May 27, 2014 - Jingning, Zhejiang Province, China - In a reflection in water, a farmer walks along the terraced fields in Wubu Village of Jingning. She Autonomous County, in China’s Zhejiang Province. The villagers, which retain many ancient She ethnic customs, are busy farming as terraced fields here enter the plough season.

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White Knights

Picture by Wang Lei/Xinhua/ZUMA

May 28, 2014 - West Point, New York, U.S. - A sea of cadets attend the graduation ceremony at the United States Military Academy.

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Water World

Picture by Thomas Aichinger/VW Pics/ZUMA

May 28, 2014 - Tyrol, Austria - Scuba diver, with a red lantern underwater, in a lake in the dense Alpine forest.

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Face of Nature

Picture by Sergei Savostyanov/TASS/ZUMA

May 29, 2014 - Moscow, Russia. Surreal projection ‘Face of Natureš by Clement Briend, famous French artist and photographer, presented during the Polytech Festival of Science and Curiosity, at the All-Russian Exhibition Centre. The festival is organized by Russian Polytechnic Museum and American World Science Festival.

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Go Pink

Picture by Adrian Brooks/Imagewise/UPPA/ZUMA

May 29, 2014 - London, England, United Kingdom - Shocked commuters go bananas when they see pink gorillas hitting the pavement to encourage women across the UK to sign up for Cancer Research.

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DUCK DUCK Goose

Picture by Chinafotopress/DPA/ZUMA

May 30, 2014 - Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China - A giant inflatable Rubber Duck designed by Dutch conceptual artist Florentijn Hofman is on display at the Xixi National Wetland Park. Dutch conceptual artist Florentijin Hofman’s inflatable Rubber Duck starts a new tours in China again. It will be exhibited in nine mainland cities in China, starting from June 1 in Hangzhou for a month and will takes off to Qingdao then.

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Bridge People

Picture by Ezra Acayan/ZUMA

June 3, 2014 - Paranaque, Philippines - A family rests under a busy bridge they use as a shelter in Paranaque, suburban Manila. Between the water below and traffic passing overhead, many Filipino families in poverty have set-up makeshift homes under bridges. According to the United Nations, one tenth of slum dwellers live in Metro Manila with 80,000 people per square kilometre in some neighborhoods.

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Deja Vu

Picture by Michael Kappeler/DPA/ZUMA

June 5, 2014 - Ranville, Normandy, France - Former paratrooper, Fred Glover (88), WWof the 9th regiment from Brighton watches a landing by soldiers of the Parachute Regiment during events to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings by Allied Forces during World War II.

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Fire season

Picture by Stuart Palley/ZUMA

June 15, 2014 - Lake Isabella, Kern County, California, U.S - The Shirley Fire burning near Lake Isabella, while a helicopter circles overhead and crews work on a slipover. By morning the fire had burned 2200 acres and was 10% contained. At least two structures were lost.

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Rainbow Dance

Picture by Isabel Infantes/London News Pictures/ZUMA

June 21, 2014 - Stonehenge, England, United Kingdom - A girl aglow with a rainbow of colors from her led light-up hula hoop dances around the ancient stone circle of Stonehenge to celebrate the Summer Solstice as she admires the beautiful sunset.

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Hungry For The Win

Picture by Imago/ZUMA

June 24, 2014 - Natal, Brazil - Luiz Suarez of Uruguay holds his teeth after his clash with Giorgio Chiellini Italy who lays on the ground clutching his shoulder. Uruguay beat Italy 1-0 and they will advance out of their group to the top 16 teams with Costa Rica. Suarez was suspended for 9 matches. This is Suarez’s third biting incident.

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NOOOOOO!

Picture by David Eulitt/Kanas City Star/ZUMA

June 26, 2014 - Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. - Just moments after the game’s only goal by Germany, Meghan Kennedy of Leawood, Kansas, lower center, reacts in frustration with thousands of soccer fans in the Power & Light District. The United States advanced on points in World Cup Group G action despite losing to Germany 1-0.

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boys of spring

Picture by Scott Mc Kiernan/ZUMA

June 28, 2014 – Laguna Beach, California, U..S. - T-ball in full action. As Casey’s Cupcakes has bases loaded and hit the ball to the pitcher and Hobie’s goes for the play at First.

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ECHNO

Shot with 30mm f5.6 on Leica S2

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TECHNOLOGIST ZEISS Sight BY

STAN SHOLIK

T

he resolution of digital SLR sensors are on a slow but consistent rise. Manufacturers are eliminating anti-aliasing filters to improve sharpness. This is forcing optics firms to design and manufacture lenses that exceed the resolution of these and future sensors while minimizing the lens aberrations that photographers are becoming increasingly aware of.

To meet this need, Carl Zeiss made the decision to produce the finest lens, both optically and mechanically, that current technology and a century of experience would permit. The Zeiss Otus 1.4/55 is the result.

With a MSRP of $3990, the price of perfection is high.

As the Zeiss Touit lens line for mirrorless cameras is named after a genus of small parrotlike birds, the Otus lens is named for a genus of owls renowned for their night vision.

From the looks of the Zeiss website, www. lenses.zeiss.com, other lenses will likely join the 55mm f/1.4 to form an Otus lens line of fast, high performance optics.

Where other f/1.4 normal (approximately

50mm) lenses are generally based on the Planar lens design, the Otus is based on the retrofocus (reverse telephoto) Distagon design.

While this choice certainly seems to be the right one for optimum optical performance, it also is responsible for the 2.27 lb. weight, 3.64 inch front diameter, and 5.66 inch length of the lens. I noticed these immediately as I mounted the lens on my Nikon D800E which, with its MB-D12 accessory battery pack, weighs just a little less than the lens. While the D800E body and Otus lens are reasonably well balanced for hand holding, the system definitely deserves to be tripod mounted with the mirror locked up to maximize the performance.

Mechanically the lens exceeds the already high standards of the ZEISS lens line.

The focusing mechanism uses ball bearings like the best cinematography lenses for a silky smooth feel, free of play or backlash. Only manual focusing is possible. The large, grippy focusing ring rotates through 248 degrees from the minimum 19.7 inch focusing distance to infinity, ensuring precise focus, but requiring some time and turning to move through the entire range. The focusing ring stops rotating at each end of the range. And the focus ring on the Canon and Nikon versions rotates in the same direction as lenses made by Canon and Nikon.

TECHN The all metal lens is finished to a satin sheen. Distance scales in feet and meters are shown in bright yellow. Depth of field markings are provided below the distance scales for every aperture. There is even a mark for infrared focusing correction.

While the attention to mechanical details is impressive, the optical performance is even more so. Images captured with this lens seem almost three dimensional, especially at wide apertures with a high resolution camera such as the Nikon D800E. There is about one EV of vignetting at f/1.4 that diminishes until it disappears by f/5.6. Other than that, and almost imperceptibly thin lines of color fringing at f/1.4, optical aberrations are nonexistent at all apertures and from the center of the frame to the edges.

Where other lenses, even my most highly corrected macro lenses, have an optimum aperture, the Otus delivers superb images at every aperture. This allows you to select an aperture to control depth of field rather than to maximize image quality.

The lens offers advantages for photographers in nearly every discipline other than action sports. Landscape photographers can shoot with the sun at the edge of the frame and even in the frame without flare or ghosts appearing in the image. In high contrast landscape situations, shadow areas are free of veiling glare and you can open the shadow areas without them becoming dull and low contrast. Lack of veiling glare in the shadows will also be appreciated by HDR photographers, where many images require additional post-processing to remove a gray haze in the shadows.

While it probably isn’t the lens of choice for fast-paced photojournalistic wedding coverage, it is ideal for other wedding photographers. The ability to accurately capture an extremely wide dynamic range will hold details in the bride’s dress as well as the groom’s tuxedo. And the freedom from distortion ensures that members of the wedding party at the ends of group shots aren’t any wider than they are in real life.

If the 55mm focal length is appropriate

to the assignment, architectural, product and still life photographers will not find a lens that delivers better sharpness throughout the frame, lower distortion, more accurate color, and greater freedom from flare. A studio shot that I did of crystal glassware on a backlit sweep Plexiglas sweep table was perfectly sharp with crisp edges to the glass despite the background exposure being just overexposed.

And, while the Otus is more appropriate for head and shoulder portraits with an APS-C format sensor body where it becomes the equivalent of approximately an 85mm f/1.4, with a high resolution full frame body you can step back and crop in later. However, when pulled back from the subject, and especially in low light, achieving precise focus at f/1.4 can be a challenge. Camera (if hand held) and subject movement combined with the inherent difficulty of using a digital SLR focusing screen to focus manually can all lead to loss of focus on the eyes. Working closer to the subject may make it easier to focus, but with the face at an angle to the camera, it is impossible to hold focus on both eyes at f/1.4.

Portraits with the lens stopped down to apertures of f/4 or smaller yields a higher percentage of in-focus captures. But be warned that this is a lens for subjects with perfect skin or professional makeup. Otherwise, you may be in for some serious post-processing to please the client.

There is no doubt that this is the finest lens, both mechanically and optically, ever produced for a 35mm camera, film or digital. For photographers looking for a lens that delivers the ultimate image quality in a “normal” focal length for current Canon and Nikon digital cameras and for future cameras with even higher resolution sensors, the Zeiss Otus 1.4/55 is that lens.

Stan Sholik is a commercial/advertising photographer in Santa Ana, CA, specializing in still life and macro photography. His latest book on macro photography will be published

by Amherst Media this summer. DT

NOLOGI f1.4, 1/640

f5.6, 1/30

Shot with ZeissOtus55 on f2.8 on Nikon D800E

f11, 1/4000

Pictures by Stan Sholik

Mama Mia WAN’14

June 9-11, 2014 66th World Newspaper Congress 21st World Editors Forum 24th World Advertising Forum

Hundreds of Countries Thousands of Attendees Millions of Ideas & Solutions

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Damon Dowse Project Syndicate

Jon Hoffmann Project Syndicate

Dean David Boardman Temple University

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In Orange County, throughout California, and across the nation, the American Red Cross is there to provide shelter, food, and comfort in times of emergency, whenever and wherever needed, thanks to the volunteer efforts and financial support of the American people.

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THE PICTURES OF THE DAY

April 14, 2014 - Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. - A nearly full moon rises behind the Las Vegas High Roller at The LINQ. The 550 foot-tall attraction, which opened to the public on March 31, 2014, is the highest observation wheel in the world and features 28 spherical cabins that can take up to 40 people each on 30-minute rides.

People in most of North and south America were able to witness this year’s first total lunar eclipse, which will cause a ‘blood moon.’

Picture by David Becker/ZUMA

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Keepers of the Forest

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T E C H N O L O G I S T

From

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Photography by Peter Bauza/zReportage.com via ZUMA March 5, 2014 - Uganda - Deep in the rich rainforests of southwest Uganda, the indigenous Batwa pygmies have shared their tropical terrain with majestic mountain gorillas for thousands of years.

Some anthropologists estimate that pygmy tribes such as the Batwa have existed in the equatorial forests of Africa for 60,000 years or more.

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