Back to Europe. And to work.

My traveling in Morocco has today come to an end and a new part of my Summer trip awaits me starting as soon as I publish this entry.

Work wise — some of you may know I traveled to Western Sahara to gather material for a possible story — it has not been extremely fruitful, and alas, I think I will need to go back soon...it was all due to a mixture of unfortunate circumstances and mistakes on my parts. I have learned the lesson and not all is lost.

But, while driving interminable miles mostly by myself up and down the country I had the time to do a lot of thinking, and I came up with what I think is a good and promising idea for a future project. Writing? well, not only, but yes, writing of a different type and in a different way...refer to the previous post to see where part of this inspiration comes from.

Something is cooking in the pot...

Regarding this I will now have to sit down and draw a proper plan of action, which I usually enjoy doing but to which I seldom stick...soon I will also discuss my idea with some of you in the real world to get your impressions, listen to your doubts, and ponder your advice.

To start with, who has any idea on how to draw a business plan? Any Business Plan for Dummies type of books out there?

Exploited in Palestine - The Freelance

One of the pictures I took at a NUJ's London Freelance Branch meeting and that was published on the branch's own magazine.



Journalist and researcher Penny Quinton has carried out a series of interviews with Palestinian colleagues focusing on how they cope with the stress of working in a conflict zone, often for Western news agencies that lay them off if they get injured or wounded. This was the case of Osama Silwadi (pictured) who used to work for Reuters and now runs a photo agency from a wheelchair.

Browsing (in) Marrakech

Moroccan kids from in a Atlas Mountain village, Morocco.

Another little update, still far from my goal of keeping this blog regularly updated, but for the moment internet is definitely not my priority...apart from today since I'm in Marrakech where I have found this little place called Cafe' du Livre: very much an expats type of eatery, but they have good wi-fi connection that I've been using all morning.

As some of you may know by following my trip on my travel blog, I have had several opportunities to think, ponder, reflect...about my life at present, my traveling around Morocco, and — somewhat more relevant to this blog — my professional future and ideas to make it into something that I can be proud of and happy about.


Peering around the corner in the village of Imilchil, Morocco.

Before leaving London at the beginning of August, I managed to meet up with a journalist and academic that I've always esteemed since working with him back in 2007: Charlie Beckett, the director of London think-tank POLIS. We chatted mainly about my career prospect as a freelance writer and photographer, and, among other things, he pointed out three things that he sees as the only alternatives to make in an increasingly competitive industry:

1. find a niche market and create a small but consistent client base, or
2. find a new product that nobody else is doing, or
3. find an innovative way to do the any of the above.

The last option immediately struck me as the most appealing and feasible, but in the last few days I've been thinking about an idea that will include number 2. and 3., and in some way number 1. as well.

Joyful epiphany and happy days!

For obvious reasons I cannot use this space, at least at this time, to say any more about this little idea of mine: its realisation, crossing fingers, is rather remote in the future, and some serious research work and proposal preparation will have to be undertaken...but I am saying already too much. Farewell.

Latest news from a forlorn traveler

Some readers may feel that, after promising important changes to the nature and layout of this blog, I have slipped into the golden cage of summer holidays and forgotten about writing new entries.


This is partly correct, as I realise just now how distant I was until tonight from what should be my daily activity and pastime: nosing around, talking to people, asking questions, taking pictures and writing about it all.

In my defense I can say that I holiday also means shuffling around unfamiliar places on a regular basis, worrying about finding a place to stay for the night, attempting to drive those extra miles, and ending up sleeping in a parking lot or a rest area... arguably not the best conditions for jotting down thoughts, let alone uploading them on the internet.

But I sincerely hope this will soon change, or at least am confident that I have finally understood my priorities regarding my communication work flow while on the road. After getting hold of a good wifi connection at a camping site in the south of Spain between Cadiz and Tarifa, I have been updating my travel blog first, sorting out my next Moroccan move between drafts, and am now planning to have a look at this blog with some initial adjustments.

Once again, thanks for bearing with me and taking the time to come back to this page every now and again to check on me.

stay tuned

ps: check my latest set of photos from Tarifa, Spain here.

A new beginning

Important changes will soon take place on this site, and I take the opportunity not only to announce them to my audience but also to write down this intention so that I won't be changing my mind at a later stage*.

These changes were long overdue and I see them fitting the learning curve I am negotiating at the moment, ie going from being a full-time student and semi-professional writer and photographer to Human Rights graduate and professional freelancer. A long and arduous road indeed...

A little background regarding my decision: I was out with a bunch of "talented individuals"** last night and for the first time in a little while I felt inspired and compelled to do some more writing, and above all to begin using this site more as a full-fledged blog rather than as a mere archive of my published work. I can highlight two main reasons:

1) Soon I will leave London for some serious traveling and was reminded that my travelogs during my time in the US last summer were quite good stuff. More of that seems a good idea to me.
2) Taking into account my medium-term plan to launch my own 'proper' website, moving things around and creating new ways to work with them should be rather inspiring.


Thanks in advance for bearing with me in the meantime and for all the precious feedback that I'm sure you can't wait to send through...

Stay tuned,

Daniele


The fine print:
*I do reserve the right to change my mind at a later stage.
**The "talented individuals", quoting one of them, are Alex 'the usual suspect' Masi, Magnus 'British Swede' Andersson, and Sara 'Ebasta' Dominici.

A Man's Home Is Their Castle - Portfolio

Million Dollar Squatters published on the online version of Condé Nast's Portfolio.





© Image Alex Masi

Over a period of five months a group of squatters occupied three different homes each worth millions of pounds in one of the most exclusive areas of London, Hampstead Garden Suburb, in the north west of the British capital.

Click here to read the full article and watch a slideshow of Alex Masi's pictures.

The Guardian Weekend

One of the images I shot of the freeway bridge in Minneapolis, MN. that collapsed on August 1, 2007, killing six and injuring scores more.



Marketed by New York-based World Picture News, it was published by the Saturday supplement of The Guardian as part of their end-of-year review in pictures.

Other images of the event are available for syndication through WPN.

Million Dollar Squatters

Here's the latest project born from yet another collaboration with photojournalist Alex Masi, a multimedia slideshow about squatting in London, UK.

Between June and November 2007, we followed a group of squatters with a penchant for mansions worth millions of pounds. In just over five months they occupied three different homes in one of the most exclusive areas of London, Hampstead Garden Suburb, in the north west of the capital.

During one of their incursions they found themselves sleeping in the lavishness previously enjoyed by former Indonesian president Haji Mohamed Suharto....watch the video to see how it worked out.

A complete reportage — text and photostory — is available to be syndicated. More info on alexmasi.co.uk

NEED magazine | Cooperation | Building Community

Published on NEED Issue 4, out in the US in November 2007, this is the story that started my ongoing collaboration with the humanitarian magazine.



It focuses on the collaboration between two Minnesota-based nonprofits that sparked the rebuilding of Sri Lankan Communities annihilated by the Asian Tsunami of Boxing Day 2004.














Get the full story and all the images here.

Con Buddha nell'astuccio - D, La Repubblica delle donne

Dharma is an ancient Indian spiritual concept that signifies the underlying order present in nature and life.

Dharma is also a private faith school that provides alternative education situated in the balmy seaside resort of Brighton, in the south east of England.


Inspired by, and informed with, principles of compassion and non-confrontation, its curriculum has encountered immediate success among progressive-thinking parents and their children since it opened to business in the late 1990s.



Mind you, not everybody here is a practicing Buddhist.

What has appealed to hundreds in the course of just a few years is the school's commitment to providing the kids with a high standard of well-being and creative stimuli.


More images can be found on alexmasi.co.uk











This story has so far been published only in Italian on D, the weekend supplement of leading daily newspaper La Repubblica.

An English version can be provided on request, and pictures and text are available to be syndicated separately.

Education, not proselytism;
Spirituality, not religion;
Acceptance, not confrontation.

Dharma school motto.