Form London to New York, LA and Manchester plus points in-between James Mooney connects with marginal youth groups to discover the story behind the prejudice.

NOTE - I used the word 'gangs' before and James very quickly asked me to change that pejorative word because it causes so much harm to young people. The term we came up with together is 'marginal' or 'marginalised youth' as this better describes these young people's relationship to society.

James comes from a tough district of Dublin where he grew up with a choice; too join or not to join, that was the question. Now James lives between NYC and London and has made connections with gangs all over the world into which he has gained unprecedented access.

Trust is crucial to Mooney's work and when you listen to him taking about his photography it won't surprise you that he breeds trust wherever he goes. Indeed, when he came into my studio I was immediately intrigued by this softly spoken Irishman and wanted to know more. A big ego would not get you very far in the world of young men who live beyond the normal.

Another facet of Mooney's relationship to his work is that he is incredibly modest about it. The only way you can see his images (at the moment) is through his Instagram,  'pointshootthink'.

Please listen in full to this fascinating discourse on a man's quest to make sense of young people, their alienation and culture.

Thanks,

Alex

AS PRINTING

This episode of Photographica Podcast is about a recent visit to the refugee camp in Calais known as 'The Jungle'.

I went there with the writer, Tom Blass, and our objective was to discover more for ourselves about the crisis that is unfolding just a few miles from our shores. 

This podcast is a description of the trip and the problems facing photographers getting access when restrictive regimes are in place. It is also about the way that the way you, as a photographer, connect to the environment in which you find yourself, defines that kind of work you do.

Lastly, something I didn't mention in the podcast; the role of colour in describing a scene. When I started to look at the pictures that I had shot in the camp I converted some to black and white. Doing this seemed a travesty against the telling of the story of what I had witnessed. I learned the lesson that colour is necessary when trying to depict a scene where the details matter. It is if lesser importance that colour rendition is subjective than to show as much detail as possible of a space that requires serious human contemplation.

You can see more of the pictures at www.alexschneideman.net

If you are affected by the crisis and would like to help please contact Help for Refugees who are supporting people in Calais and other migrant centres.

Thanks for listening,

Alex

I'VE LIVED A THOUSAND LIVES

One bright September morning in 2001 Heathcliff O'Malley was preparing to spend another day among the catwalks of New York Fashion Week for the Daily Telegraph. His phone rang. It was his editor in London saying that reports were coming in about a plane strike on one of the Twin Towers. This call changed the course Heathcliff's life was to take for the next 5 years. From that moment he was engaged in a story which lead from Ground Zero to Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya.

Heathcliff O'Malley has been a contract photographer at the Daily Telegraph for 19 years. He has covered everything from fashion shows to conflict. He has won numerous press awards and given talks at London's Frontline Club.

In this Photographica Podcast Heathcliff talks movingly and fascinatingly about his work. He describes in details the life of a photographer covering conflicts, the highs and the deep lows. With almost two decades of time spent photographing the world's conflict zones as well as royal weddings, catwalks and sporting events he offers many wonderful insights into the life of a photojournalist.

ABOUT HEATHCLIFF O'MALLEY - Heathcliff O'Malley is a photojournalist based in the United Kingdom where he lives with his family and has a long standing contract with the Daily Telegraph . He has travelled worldwide throughout the Americas, Middle East, Europe and Asia, covering Reportage, Portraiture, Fashion and Corporate assignments

Prior to this Heathcliff assisted a number of photographers including the catwalk photographer Chris Moore before moving on to a London based news agency.

Heathcliff's Editorial work has been published in publications as diverse as National Geographic, Nouvel Observateur, Le Monde and the Guardian to name a few . He received an Award in the Photographer of the Year category of the Picture Editor's Guild Awards in 2001 for his work covering the Genoa G8 Summit, 911 and the subsequent War in Afghanistan.

 In 2007 Heathcliff gave a talk and slideshow presentation of his work at the Frontline Club in London focusing on the aftermath of 911 and the War on Terror which he has covered from it's beginning until the present day.

He also appeared with a panel of war reporters during a "Talkback" session with an audience after the showing of Hollywood actor Tim Robbins  "Embedded"  play at the Riverside Studio's in 2004.

In 2010 Heathcliff won a Press Photographer's Year award for a video he shot in Helmand province whilst embedded with the Coldstream Guards.

info taken from Heathcliff's site heathcliffomalley.photoshelter.com