International Herald Tribune, France
Sept 27 2004
Kerkorian’s main man looks to post-MGM life
Andrew Ross Sorkin NYT
He says sale wasn’t goal for him or boss
LAS VEGAS Alex Yemenidjian, the chairman and chief executive of
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, was sitting at his private pool outside his
high-roller villa at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino here recently.
He had just struck a $5 billion deal to sell MGM, the Hollywood studio
famous for its roaring-lion mascot and film franchises including
James Bond, to Sony and a group of investors after an agonizingly
long auction.
But he was not interested in talking about the deal. He wanted to
discuss why he never wanted to sell the company and why his boss,
the elusive billionaire Kirk Kerkorian, who controls MGM and who
has now bought and sold the studio three times since 1969, did not
especially want to give it up, either.
“There is a perception out there that Kirk is a seller if somebody
gives him a good price,” said Yemenidjian, cutting a Bond-like figure
in a double-breasted blue blazer with a yellow silk handkerchief
protruding from the breast pocket. “That isn’t true. I think it bothers
him that Hollywood thinks that he treated MGM as an investment toy. Not
one time did either Kirk or the board tell me, ‘I want you to clean
this company up and prepare it for sale.’ Not once.”
Yemenidjian, 48, has been dogged by his reputation as MGM’s
flipper-in-chief ever since Kerkorian installed him as its boss
in 1999. Back then, the company was beaten and battered, written
off as a has-been, a debt-laden stepchild of the studio that once
produced films like “Gone With the Wind” and “The Wizard of Oz.” And
when Yemenidjian arrived on the scene, he was a virtual unknown
in Hollywood. If anything, he was considered Kerkorian’s henchman,
an accountant experienced in making deals, not movies.
Yet within five and a half years, Yemenidjian turned around the
business by drastically scaling back productions, scoring a few
unexpected hits like the comedy “Barbershop” and the documentary
“Bowling for Columbine,” and by milking its library of more than
4,000 films.
He won respect on Wall Street, if not fans among the Hollywood elite.
Then he performed the final scene of the script that had been written
by critics the day he arrived: He sold the studio. In doing so,
he made a bundle for Kerkorian – who banked at least $2 billion –
as well as a small fortune for the company’s minority shareholders.
“Bringing an outsider’s viewpoint to Hollywood may not have
necessarily endeared him to the agents, movie stars and the rest
of the quote-unquote Hollywood community,” said Jack Liebau, the
principal at Liebau Asset Management, one of MGM’s largest minority
shareholders. “But from a shareholder’s standpoint, he’s exactly what
you’d want in the CEO of a publicly held company.”
But as Yemenidjian leaned back in his faux 17th-century Tuscan chair,
he said he still wished he could have ordered a rewrite and made his
own blockbuster acquisitions instead of selling.
“We tried to acquire other companies and they weren’t available,”
he said in a rare interview.
He listed targets that he said he had pursued vigorously: Vivendi
Universal, Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures.
“There was nothing left to buy,” he said with a shrug. “There was no
place for us to go.”
How Yemenidjian, who, like Kerkorian, is of Armenian descent, became
Kerkorian’s top lieutenant, to run the last independent studio in
Hollywood and to sell it in a heated auction between Time Warner and
Sony could be its own dramatic release. There is even a potential
sequel: for all the sniping in the industry, Yemenidjian is being
talked of as a possible successor to Michael Eisner, who will step
down as chief executive of Walt Disney in 2006.
Yemenidjian was born in Argentina; his father was a shoemaker who
had fled Armenia. The family moved to Los Angeles when Alex was 13.
Yemenidjian graduated from California State University at Northridge
in 1977 and founded his own accounting firm. In 1989, Yemenidjian
went to a lunch that would change his life. A mutual friend of his
and Kerkorian’s, George Mason, a managing director of Bear Stearns,
planned for them to meet.
Two days later, he recounted, “Kirk asked me if I would take a leave
of absence from my firm for six months to work on a special project.”
Yemenidjian continued: “He never told me what the project was and
I never asked. When I showed up on January 1, 1990, I found out the
project was selling MGM.”
That was the second time Kerkorian would sell MGM. He had bought it in
1969, sold it to Ted Turner in 1986 and bought back a large chunk of
it only months later, when Turner’s financing fell apart. The second
sale, with Yemenidjian’s help, was to the Italian financier Giancarlo
Parretti in 1990. But Kerkorian would buy it back again in 1996.
The two hit it off immediately, creating what friends and associates
describe as almost a father-son relationship.
“He was the perfect man for Kirk – just perfect,” said Mason, who
plays a doubles tennis game at Kerkorian’s house every Sunday with
Yemenidjian and other friends. “People say Alex would throw himself
off a cliff for Kirk. He’s always had that attitude.”
Kerkorian, 87, who has not given an interview to the news media
in decades, said through a spokeswoman, “Alex is one of the most
accomplished CEOs I have worked with, and I am very happy with what
he and his team have achieved at MGM.”
Throwing himself into the role of Kerkorian’s right-hand man,
Yemenidjian worked on his mentor’s attempted takeover of Chrysler,
an effort to rescue Trans World Airlines and a bid for Pan Amercan
Airways. In 1995, Kerkorian sent him to Las Vegas to become the
president and chief operating officer of the hotel and casino company
now known as MGM Mirage.
But his Las Vegas act was cut short in 1999. Kerkorian had assigned
him to help find a replacement for Frank Mancuso, who was retiring
as MGM’s chief. Kerkorian rejected all the candidates and gave the
job to Yemenidjian, who had never worked in movies.
It was an audacious move. Yemenidjian hired Chris McGurk, president
and chief operating officer at Universal Pictures, as his own chief
operating officer, and the two went about shaking up MGM’s business
model.
Out went high-priced, risky picture deals. The James Bond films,
which had been released every two years, were moved to a three-year
schedule. Production budgets were cut.
The centerpiece of the turnaround was a renewed focus on additional
sales from the company’s library, typically an afterthought at other
studios. Bonuses were attached to sales of digital video disks and
marketing was redesigned. By 2003, the plan had succeeded. They may not
have created the next Miramax, but the company was no longer bleeding.
The New York Times

CENN – SEPTEMBER 27, 2004 DAILY DIGEST
Table of Contents:
1. Request for Input on Panel 2004 Trip
2. PAN Germany calls for more transparency on international pesticide
trade
3. United Nations International Day for Disaster Reduction — 13 October
2004
4. Section of Extremely Poor Population in Armenia to Disappear in 5-6
Years: WB Representative in Armenia
5. Agribusiness Teaching Center Attracts Foreign Students
6. Armenia allows hunting for Red Data Book animals to entice hunters
7. EIA Reports Submitted to the Ministry of Environmetn of Georgia
1. REQUEST FOR INPUT ON PANEL 2004 TRIP
As part of its three-year mandate to study the impact of the BTC
pipeline and related BP-led investments in the Caspian region, the
Caspian Development Advisory Panel (CDAP) has begun preparations for its
second site visit to Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey, scheduled for late
October 2004. The Panel requests input from all interested parties about
the individuals and organizations with which it should consider meeting
during its visit to the region. The Panel made a similar request last
year in advance of its trip to the region and benefited greatly from the
many suggestions that were provided.
All submissions should be sent to CDAP via e-mail at [email protected] or
addressed to Caspian Development Advisory Panel Secretariat, c/o
Covington & Burling, Attention: Mr. Peter Flanagan, 1201 Pennsylvania
Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20004-2041, USA. CDAP thanks you for your
time and consideration of this request and looks forward to receiving
your input.
Caspian Development Advisory Panel Secretariat
c/o Covington & Burling
1201 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004
[email protected]
2. PAN GERMANY CALLS FOR MORE TRANSPARENCY ON INTERNATIONAL PESTICIDE
TRADE
PRESS RELEASE
Hamburg, 2004-09-24
On the occasion of the First Conference of the Parties of the Rotterdam
Convention in Geneva, PAN Germany declares that the Rotterdam Convention
is an important first step towards increasing transparency on
international trade in pesticides.
At the side event organized by the Pesticide Network UK (PAN UK), PAN
Germany states that the Rotterdam Convention is a large step ahead,
regarding transparency in particular. “The Governments ratifying the
convention have identified the importance of transparency and
acknowledged that information on regulatory decisions about pesticides
traded is important to identify potential hazard”, says Simone Hueber
from PAN Germany, “but it’s crucial that governments also know about
pesticide exports in general.”
The conventions Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure permits
developing countries to decide on the import of certain hazardous
pesticides and chemicals on the basis of detailed information.
The procedure is limited to a small number of chemicals and pesticides
listed in Annex III of the convention. “Metaphorically speaking we have
PIC as a small island of transparency in the middle of a dark sea of the
major trade in pesticides”, Simone Hueber says.
PAN Germany reminds of the problem that safe use of pesticides is not
guaranteed, especially not for farming under poverty conditions and
emphasizes the need of creating a legal basis for transparent trade in
pesticides globally. Furthermore the publication of the collected data
should be mandatory on the basis of active ingredients.
According to PAN Germany having detailed information on pesticide
exports would be beneficial to the aims of the Rotterdam Convention and
would help the secretariat of the Rotterdam Convention monitor the
parties compliance with the regulations under PIC.
The so called Rotterdam Convention entered into force as from February,
two months after the fiftieth party had ratified the agreement.
The First Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam
Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous
Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade takes place in Geneva
from 20-24 September 2004.
For further information contact: Simone Hueber, Tel. 040-399 19 10 26
[email protected]
(2.408 signs, 413 Words)
Pestizid Aktions-Netzwerk e.V. Fon: +49 (0)40-39 91 91 0-0
Nernstweg 32, D-22765 Hamburg Fax: +49 (0)40-390 75 20
Please use our new mail address: mailto:[email protected]
Do you know our website?
A lot of interesting information is available at:
3. UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR DISASTER REDUCTION – 13 OCTOBER
2004
ATTENTION ALL YOUNG PEOPLE!!
The theme of this year’s World Disaster Reduction Campaign is “learning
from today’s disasters for tomorrow’s hazards”.
To raise awareness, an International art contest for young people aged
16 and under is being held by the UN, and you are invited to
participate!
The best 12 pictures will be selected for publication in a UN/ISDR 2005
calendar that will be disseminated both to participants of the World
Conference on Disaster Reduction (18-22 January 2005, Kobe, Hyogo,
Japan) and all around the world! In addition, the pictures will be
framed and exhibited2005 on-site at the WCDR. Deadline for receipt of
pictures is 20 October 2004.
Information for this exciting competition can be seen at:
contest-eng.htm
Address:
UN/ISDR Attention:
Nicole Rencoret
Office A.579 Palais des Nations CH-1211 Geneva 10 Switzerland
E-mail: [email protected]
4. SECTION OF EXTREMELY POOR POPULATION IN ARMENIA TO DISAPPEAR IN 5-6
YEARS: WB REPRESENTATIVE IN ARMENIA
Source: ARMINFO, September 23, 2004
The Armenian Office of the World Bank will put a stress on
implementation of social, health and educational programs in its policy
for the coming 4 years. Head of WB Office in Yerevan Roger Robinson said
at a press-conference today.
He said that the policy of the WB Office in Armenia for the coming 4
years is estimated at $200-220 mln, including $20 mln to be directed to
the state budget of Armenia within the coming three years annually. The
major idea of the budgetary credit PRSC is contribution to poverty
reduction, improvement of the business environment, customs and taxation
administration. Roger Robinson said that in conformity with WB’s
expectations, the annual revenues of Armenia’s state budget are to grow
by some 0.4% of GDP annually. In this connection, he said that after the
expiry of the given strategy, the WB will refuse from the idea of
crediting the state budget,
Commenting on the efficiency of the estimation of WB’s programs in
Armenia at the request of ARMINFO, Robinson said that WB Factor
Monitoring Department gave the highest assessment both of the work of
the Yerevan Office and the efficiency of the programs in Armenia.
Several our problems contained definite mistakes and miscalculations.
But all them depended on the underestimation of the difficulty of the
set tasks, Robinson said. As regards the reduction of absolute volumes
of WB’s credits issued to Armenia, Robinson said that it is accounted
for by improvement of the indicators of the fiscal policy of the
government which leads to reduction in demand for credits.
It should be noted that since 1992, the WB has issued $820.8 mln credits
to Armenia.
5. AGRIBUSINESS TEACHING CENTER ATTRACTS FOREIGN STUDENTS
Source: ARMENPRESS, September 23, 2004
An Agricultural Academy-affiliated Agribusiness teaching center, run
with the financial and technical assistance of the US Department of
Agriculture Yerevan office has started teaching two more subjects,
namely International Business Law and E-Trade. The course that lasts
three years and is conducted in English has attracted this year 60
students. Upon graduation they will be awarded diplomas of Texas
University (USA) and the Armenian Agricultural Academy.
This year 11 students from Agricultural Universities of Tbilisi and
Batumi, Georgia, have been enrolled and next month another 100 students
from India will be enrolled.
6. ARMENIA ALLOWS HUNTING FOR RED DATA BOOK ANIMALS TO ENTICE HUNTERS
Source: ITAR-TASS, Russia, September 25, 2004
Armenia has allowed unprofessional hunters to shoot wild animals listed
in the international Red Data Book, Head of the Armenian environmental
ministry’s agency for biological resources Artashes Ziroyan said.
He noted that the government had decided to set a part 2.4 thousand
hectares of land in the Vaiots Dzor region and 459 hectares in the
Syunic region in the republic’s southeastern area for the
Armenian-Italian company `Safari international’.
The company will organize hunting for wild goats, bears and Asiatic
moufflons in the assigned areas.
According to Ziroyan, the Red Data Book will not be an impediment to the
project because hunting will be allowed only for male moufflons, bezoar
goats and bears which are older than eight years and are no longer
capable of reproducing the species.
Ziroyan also said that there are quotas: permission will be issued to
shoot up to five goats and moufflons and no more than two bears each
hunting season.
Ziroyan, who earlier headed the Armenian Academy of Sciences’ Institute
of Zoology is convinced that `the hunting will produce profits.’
According to him, `the pricing process is now in progress’ and the
environmental ministry hopes to get no less than 500 dollars per each
killed animal.
Efforts will be made to secure the restoration of the population of the
animals in the Red Data Book, and the joint Armenian-Italian program
will help encourage environmental and hunting tourism in Armenia.
However, Karen Manvelyan, director of the Yerevan office of the World
Wildlife Fund (WWF) in the Caucasus does not agree with Artashes
Ziroyan. According to him, bears can live for 25 years and the old males
continue to lead goat families. Their extermination will not be without
negative consequences.
7. EIA REPORTS SUBMITTED TO THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMETN OF GEORGIA
Source: “Sakartvelos Respublica” (“Republic of Georgia”), September 27,
2004
In accordance with the Georgian legislation EIA reports are submitted to
the Ministry of Environment of Georgia to obtain an environmental permit
for the activity of second category:
1. Draft project of the development of the Gunia-Tsalka Deposit in
Tsalka Region, submitted by Ltd. “VGKS”;
2. Investigation and development of the Kizilajlo Basalt deposit in
Marneuli Region, submitted by Ltd. Roki”;
3. Development of the inert materials deposit in Borjomi region, village
Daba, submitted by Ltd. “Mshenebeli”;
4. Development of the inert materials deposit in Borjomi region,
Tsagveri, submitted by entrepreneur “Gio”
EIA report is available at the press-center of the Ministry of
Environment (68, Kostava Str., VI floor) and at the Department of
Environmental Permits and State Ecological Expertise (87, Paliashvili
Str., Tel: 25 02 19). Interested stakeholders can analyze the document
and present their comments and considerations until November 9, 2004..
Public hearing will be held on November 9, 2004.at 12:00, at the
conference hall of the Ministry of Environment.

Armenian, Chinese leaders set to deepen cooperation
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
27 Sep 04
[Presenter] A delegation led by Armenian President Robert Kocharyan
is currently in China on a state visit.
[Correspondent Lilit Setrakyan reports by phone from Beijing]
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan and Chinese President Hu Jintao
held a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in the Chinese capital,
Beijing, a while ago, after which they held expanded talks.
The state visit by Robert Kocharyan started at the Great Hall of the
People where an official reception was held. At the end of the meeting,
Kocharyan and Jintao will sign a joint declaration which notes that
Armenia and China are ready to continue and deepen relations in the
political, economic, trade, scientific, cultural and education spheres.
The Armenian and Chinese presidents stressed the importance
of developing economic relations between the two countries. The
presidents outlined the work and activities of the Armenian-Chinese
economic commission which is to speed up this process.
Robert Kocharyan and Hu Jintao noted that Armenian-Chinese cooperation
is not directed against a third side.

Visiting Armenian officials discuss cooperation with Chinese colleagues
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
27 Sep 04
[Presenter] A delegation led by Armenian President Robert Kocharyan
left for China on a state visit on Sunday [26 September]. The president
made a stopover in Tajikistan en route to China.
[Passage omitted: Kocharyan discussed bilateral cooperation with his
Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmonov]
[Correspondent Lilit Setrakyan reports by phone from Beijing] The
agriculture ministers of the two countries have held a meeting at the
Chinese Agriculture Ministry. Armenian Agriculture Minister David
Lokyan said he was confident that the programme to provide Armenia
with Chinese tractors would be continued.
Also, Armenian businessmen met their colleagues at the Chinese
international trade development council today. The presidents of the
companies Pure Iron, Mshak [Technology Innovation Center] and Armenal
[Armenian Aluminium] discussed cooperation in the spheres of machine
building, high technologies and aluminium trading.
Chinese President Hu Jintao will meet Armenian President Robert
Kocharyan this afternoon.

Armenian, Chinese leaders sign joint declaration
Mediamax news agency
27 Sep 04
Yerevan
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan, who is paying a state visit to
China, today met Chairman of the People’s Republic of China Hu Jintao.
A special correspondent of Mediamax reports from Beijing that according
to the results of the negotiations, the two countries’ leaders signed
a joint declaration.
The document says: “The sides think that the current international
situation is still facing deep and complicated changes. Peace and
development remain the leitmotif of this epoch and are the common
concern of the peoples of all the countries of the world. The
international community should step up its consultations, defend
the diversity of the world and promote the exchange and reciprocity
between various civilizations and models of development in the world.
“The sides stress that the role of the United Nations in the cause of
maintaining peace and security in the whole world is irreplaceable
and that the main purposes and principles of the UN charter remain
a cornerstone norm to be observed in settling international affairs.
“The sides positively assess the coordination of cooperation and mutual
support by both countries in international and regional organizations,
including the United Nations.”

Azeris protest at Armenian plan to hold youth forum in Karabakh
ANS Radio, Baku
27 Sep 04
Armenia plans to hold another international forum in Nagornyy
Karabakh. The Pan-Armenian Youth International Centre Foundation
non-governmental organization intends to hold a forum on human rights
and democracy on 15-19 November.
The centre reported that it would cover all the costs of the forum,
adding that its members decided to hold their forum in Karabakh because
Nagornyy Karabakh was in a blockade and its youth had difficulties
in establishing relations with the internaitonal community. The forum
will help expand ties between Karabakh’s youth and the outside world.
A group of Azerbaijani residents have already sent an appeal to the
UN regarding this plan.

Armenia vows not to establish official contact with Taiwan
Mediamax news agency
27 Sep 04
Yerevan
The problem of Taiwan is reflected in the joint declaration which was
signed today by Armenian President Robert Kocharyan and Chairman of
the People’s Republic of China Hu Jintao in Beijing.
A special correspondent of Mediamax reports from Beijing that the
declaration says: “The Armenian side confirms that the government
of the People’s Republic of China is the only legal government that
represents the whole of China and Taiwan is an integral part of
Chinese territory.
“The Armenian side confirms its commitment not to establish official
relations with Taiwan in any form and not to maintain official contact
with it, acting against attempts to create ‘two Chinas’ or ‘one
Taiwan’, as well as against the ‘independence of Taiwan’ in any form.
“The Chinese side highly rates this position of the Armenian side.”

China favours international law in solving Karabakh problem
Mediamax news agency
27 Sep 04
Yerevan
China supports a peaceful solution to the Nagornyy Karabakh problem.
A special correspondent of Mediamax reports from Beijing that this
is said in a joint declaration signed by Armenian President Robert
Kocharyan and Chairman of the People’s Republic of China Hu Jintao
in Beijing today.
The document says: “China supports a peaceful solution to the Nagornyy
Karabakh problem, the efforts of the international community in this
direction and expresses the hope that the Karabakh problem will be
solved in a fair and rational way as soon as possible on the basis
of norms of international law.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Ethnic Azeris stage demo in Moscow over Armenian aggression
ANS TV, Baku
25 Sep 04
[Presenter Natavan Babayeva] The Azerbaijanis living in Russia have
staged a rally against Armenia’s aggressive policy in the vicinity
of the Russian State Duma in Moscow.
[Correspondent, over video of rally] Our compatriots staged
the authorized rally today at the initiative of the Movement for
Azerbaijan. The action was staged in protest at Armenia’s aggression
against Azerbaijan. It was staged on Teatralnaya Ploshchad [Theatre
Square] near the Russian State Duma. Ilqar Qasimov, chairman of
the Movement for Azerbaijan, said that along with the Azerbaijanis,
Russians as well as representatives of other nationalities had joined
their protest against Armenia’s aggressive policy. [Passage omitted:
Russian TV channels filmed the rally]
[Qasimov, on the telephone] The Azerbaijanis living in other regions
addressed the rally as well. We adopted two appeals to Russian
President Vladimir Putin and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. We
decided to stage a picket outside the Armenian embassy [in Moscow]
on the occasion of Zangilan’s occupation on 28 September. We are
also going to stage another rally here on Teatralnaya Ploshchad on
29 September.
[Passage omitted: security beefed up on the rally venue today]
[Correspondent] The rally passed off peacefully, Qasimov added.
Mahir Mammadli for ANS.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The Faces of Armenia
By Robert Kurkjian and Matthew Karanian
Photo Life Magazine
Toronto, Ontario (Canada)
September 2004
;Res=1280
When you look at the outline of a map of Armenia, you’ll see the profile of a
young girl with long, flowing hair. But there is no face, no eyes. It’s just a
profile.
For some photographers, regardless of where we are, there might as well be no
face on the people. We shoot the landscapes, the monuments, the cities and the
stars. Too often we miss the opportunity to capture the people, which is often
the most compelling and revealing part of the scenery. These are the subjects
that reveal the soul of the land we are visiting.
After many years of traveling throughout Armenia, we’ve managed to capture much
of the beautiful scenery. But the faces of Armenia are what really captivate
us, inspire us, and keep us shooting. We have found that we can convey the
spirit of the land most effectively through the faces of the people that live
there.
We started photographing Armenia as part of a book project, which then turned
into two projects. Both books have been successfully published but our passion
for photographing the people there has not diminished. We continue to make new
portraits and connect with the people on a deeper level. We may have seen the
entire country, but we haven’t seen all the people. And the people are always
changing, always different.
Most of the portraits that form our body of work are taken in informal
situations. We prefer the candid shots because they show the face that the
country shows to us each day. We look for images that convey the soul of the
person, the country, whether it is the innocence of a child or the experience
etched on an elder’s face.
We often spend extended amounts of time with people before we make any
photographs. This may entail going back and visiting our subject numerous
times. We are considerate and friendly, and our smiles disarm most of the
strangers we approach. We explain who we are and what we are doing and, after
chatting for a bit, the person usually stops noticing that we are even taking
pictures.
This is a technique that works well when making environmental portraits—images
of people in their surroundings. It may be an image of them at their workplace
or home, or at a park or other public area. An example is an outdoor market.
These markets, with vendors selling everything from fresh fruit and produce to
auto parts, often captivate us. Customers and vendors are haggling over prices,
others are laughing and socializing. There’s no shortage of subjects.
Working as a pair has helped us to get excellent results. One of us can be
photographing while the other is engaging the person in conversation. This
usually helps the subject to remain relaxed and candid. If you are working
alone, you can accomplish this by asking the subject to do something. If you
are photographing a vendor, ask the vendor to show his wares. Ask an artisan to
show how he hand-carves his wooden artifacts. Allow a child to show you his
favourite toy. And, be ready with your camera.
Despite our preference for candid shots, subjects will still insist on posing.
On these occasions, you have the opportunity to arrange the shot. You can
position the person in a way that you feel is engaging. You can also adjust the
lighting and other elements. These images too can be compelling and provide a
different kind of personal connection.
Of course, after shooting so many portraits, we’ve received many requests for
copies. In the villages in Armenia, many times, it is expected that the
photographs will be ready in just a few minutes. For these situations, we put
our professional equipment aside for a moment and pull out a much more
important tool: that cheap consumer-grade Polaroid camera that we bought at an
outdoor market. We then give something back to the people who have captured us.
Author Bios
The writing and photography of Robert Kurkjian and Matthew Karanian is featured
in The Stone Garden Guide: Armenia and Karabagh which was released this month
in the US. This book follows their successful publication in 2002 of Edge of
Time: Traveling in Armenia and Karabagh.
Robert Kurkjian is a professional photographer and an environmental consultant.
He has lived and worked in Armenia and Karabagh from 1995 through 1999 as a
professor of environmental science and as a research director at the American
University of Armenia. E-mail: [email protected].
Matthew Karanian has lived and worked in Armenia for several years as a writer,
a photographer, and as a professor of law. He is a member of the law faculty at
the American University of Armenia. E-mail: [email protected]
Photographs
A young girl dances at sunset in her village in northern Armenia. Nikon FM2,
28mm, Fujichrome Velvia 50
Three children riding a donkey. Nikon N90S, Nikor 80-200mm, F11, Fujichrome 100
Young girl with her great-grandmother. Nikon FM2, 28mm, Fujichrome Velvia 50
A youth releases a pigeon near the monastery of Khor Virap. Nikon F100, Nikkor
28-105mm, Fujichrome Velvia 50
Villager at the ancient monastery of Dadi Vank. Nikon N90S, 28-105mm, Fujichrome
Velvia 50
A father kisses his son in Yerevan. Nikon N90S, Nikkor 50mm, fill flash,
Fujichrome Velvia 50