One thing about travel is packing our visual connections to the world through other people's photographs. I opened my New York Times magazine on the plane only to see Matthew Porter's photomontage accompanying an article...and whenever I fly, I see William Eggleston's image of the airplane cocktail in the sun, and airports always make me think of Gary Winogrand, and Paris, well, that's too easy.
Photography seems to be alive and well in Paris, not just in the galleries, but in the business of. There seem to be camera stores every few blocks, chock a block with film and surprizingly enough, darkroom supplies and boxes of photo paper.
Had the pleasure of seeing a wonderful photo exhibit at the satellite Jeu de Paume at the Hotel de Sully in the Marais district, "Paris, capitale photographique 1920-1940, collection Christian Bouqueret" filled with the work of French photographers who were busy keeping up with and being inspired by the painters and surrealists of that era. I was struck by so much creativity in photography. Claude Cahun and Maurice Cloche were standouts...
Also opened an e-mail to discover that one of my images is on the cover of the new issue of f-stop Magazine (sorry, links don't seem to be working on this computer).
Monday, March 30, 2009
Matthew Porter
Matthew Porter's images would make Clint Eastwood and Steve McQueen very happy men... and also a certain sister of mine who happens to be slightly obssessed with the movie Bullitt, and made her first car a Mustang. Driving with her was not unlike these photos--fast, scary, and smoky.
"Matthew Porter was born in Pennsylvania and attended Bard and Bard/ ICP for a BA and MFA, respectively, in Photography. He has contributed work to Topic, Tokion, Capricious, New York Magazine and Modern Painters. Porter teaches at the University of Maine and the International Center of Photography and lives and works in Brooklyn. He recently exhibited had solo shows at SCOPE Art Fair in Miami,VOLTA NY and Hudson Franklin in Manhattan. M+B will present a solo show of his new work in the Fall 2009."
"Matthew Porter was born in Pennsylvania and attended Bard and Bard/ ICP for a BA and MFA, respectively, in Photography. He has contributed work to Topic, Tokion, Capricious, New York Magazine and Modern Painters. Porter teaches at the University of Maine and the International Center of Photography and lives and works in Brooklyn. He recently exhibited had solo shows at SCOPE Art Fair in Miami,VOLTA NY and Hudson Franklin in Manhattan. M+B will present a solo show of his new work in the Fall 2009."
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Doubt and Hope
Image by Bill Vaccaro
I think it was slightly ironic that when I finally got around to watching Bill Maher's Religulous (which is much better than I expected), I got the e-mail from Center that I did not win the Santa Fe Prize for Excellence in Photography. I don't doubt myself on a regular basis, but I did doubt that I would ever win something of that magnitude. I'm not photographing war or death or poverty. I'm just pulling rabbits out of my imagination. And unfortunately, my work has historical references, which lately doesn't seem to be a good thing. A whole bunch of other fantastic photographer friends heard the same news, so I was in good company. The funny thing is, that even though we sort of knew, sort of doubted our chances, at the same time, we had a glimmer of hope. And isn't that the case with all things in life. And wasn't it nice to be nominated (I mean that).
Whoever is the chosen photographer, I wish them well and am happy that their hope became a reality.
I think it was slightly ironic that when I finally got around to watching Bill Maher's Religulous (which is much better than I expected), I got the e-mail from Center that I did not win the Santa Fe Prize for Excellence in Photography. I don't doubt myself on a regular basis, but I did doubt that I would ever win something of that magnitude. I'm not photographing war or death or poverty. I'm just pulling rabbits out of my imagination. And unfortunately, my work has historical references, which lately doesn't seem to be a good thing. A whole bunch of other fantastic photographer friends heard the same news, so I was in good company. The funny thing is, that even though we sort of knew, sort of doubted our chances, at the same time, we had a glimmer of hope. And isn't that the case with all things in life. And wasn't it nice to be nominated (I mean that).
Whoever is the chosen photographer, I wish them well and am happy that their hope became a reality.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Earth Hour
In case your in box hasn't been filled with e-mails about tonight's Earth Hour, let me fill you in. At 8:30 Pacific time, we are encouraged to turn out all our lights for one hour. If you want to document the event though photography, add your photo to the Flickr page. There are also places to add your videos, blog about it in real time (by the light of you computer? hmmm), or even twitter about the event. Check it out.
Annenberg Space for Photography
There's been a lot of excitement building around the opening of the Annenberg Space for Photography, and now I know why. It officially opened today, and exceeded all expectations. Beautifully designed, uber chic, set in a vista of steel and glass and a wonderful green scape with lots of restaurants surrounding it. Once inside, it's a modernist's shrine to all things photography, showcasing a wide variety of Los Angeles photographers from John Baldessari to Julius Schulman to Catherine Opie to Greg Gorman, and more. It is totally fantastic and not to be missed.
"The interior design is influenced by the mechanics of a camera and its lens. The central, circular digital gallery is contained within the square building to create an architectural metaphor for a convex lens. Even the ceiling features a striking, iris-like design that is reminiscent of the aperture of a lens."
Damon Webster has a great write-up and lots of photos on his blog, photoinduced.
"The interior design is influenced by the mechanics of a camera and its lens. The central, circular digital gallery is contained within the square building to create an architectural metaphor for a convex lens. Even the ceiling features a striking, iris-like design that is reminiscent of the aperture of a lens."
Damon Webster has a great write-up and lots of photos on his blog, photoinduced.
Paris Je T'aime
It's that busy time of year and I'm leaving for Paris and Amsterdam on Sunday for a couple of weeks, so my postings will be a tad spotty. I will try to get a pulse on the French photo scene, and if anyone has any suggestions for anything Paris or Amsterdam related, send them on... and then when I get back I'm going to be scrambling to pull everything together for Photolucida--if anyone else is going to Portland, let me know.
In keeping with the Paris as City of Love theme, I am sharing a photographer who's work is all about loving ourselves to the best of our abilities....
In keeping with the Paris as City of Love theme, I am sharing a photographer who's work is all about loving ourselves to the best of our abilities....
Giulio Sciorio
A commercial and fine art photographer, Guilio Sciorio, states that he brings a "fun, energetic, passionate, and ego-free attitude to his/your projects". That's putting it mildly. Giulio has created a body of work that gives us a peek into a fully clothed private world of personal fulfillment, titled Faces of Ecstasy.
"The photographs in this series are portraits of a variety of everyday people--each image captured with the subject in the middle of an orgasm. Utilizing people from all walks of life--teachers, actors, bankers, artists, and even the premiere rock-and-roll midget--the exhibition highlights a universal thread that filters throughout humanity, and reminds us that there is always something below the surface."
Who knew?
"The photographs in this series are portraits of a variety of everyday people--each image captured with the subject in the middle of an orgasm. Utilizing people from all walks of life--teachers, actors, bankers, artists, and even the premiere rock-and-roll midget--the exhibition highlights a universal thread that filters throughout humanity, and reminds us that there is always something below the surface."
Who knew?
Thursday, March 26, 2009
One More Submission Opportunity
Deadline: May 1st
Jen Bekman Projects, Inc. is now accepting entries for Hey, Hot Shot! 2009.
What is Hey, Hot Shot!?
Hey, Hot Shot! offers unrivaled opportunities for emerging photographers to have their work promoted online, reviewed by top-notch panelists and exhibited in our New York gallery. Now entering its fifth year, the international competition has been lauded by curators, critics, educators and journalists.
We are also pleased to announce that photographer and former Creative Director of Colors magazine, Stefan Ruiz, has joined ranks with our seasoned panelists, Jen Bekman, Christine Collins, Dana Faconti, Caterina Fake, Stephen Frailey, Raul Gutierrez, Darius Himes, Jenni Holder, Julia Leach, Nion McEvoy, Lesley A. Martin and Kent Rogowski.
Stefan is just one of many exceptional additions + surprises we have in store. As Hey, Hot Shot! is becoming, increasingly, well, competitive, we're working hard to ensure that it continues to bring photographers — at all stages of their careers — the exposure, recognition, and support they deserve. Go here for details!
Tonight!
Hiroshi Watanabe kicks off the 4 Evenings with Fine Art Photographers Series in Santa Monica...it'a at A & I (17th and Wilshire), starts at 7pm. For more information, check the Julia Dean website.
Submission Opportunities
Two terrific submission opportunities have arrived in the mail....
NYMPHOTO (a Collective of Women Photographers) is pleased to announce it's forth group show and firs call for entries o be exhibited at the Sasha Wolf Gallery. Nymphoto is looking for the best in female contemporary and emerging photography. Work will be curated by the core members of the collective, in conjunction with highly respected curator and gallery owner, Sasha Wolf. Works selected will be included in "Nymphoto Presents at Sasha Wolf Gallery" and be on view from May 23 to June 6, 2009. Sasha Wolf Gallery is located in lower Manhattan, conveniently located and easily accessible from both Chelsea and Dumbo, two of New York's artistic centers.
Eligibility: Any woman working in photography.
Deadline: Midnight (EST) April 3, 2009.
For more information, go here.
NYMPHOTO is also publishing there first book: "Since we've grown in readership from our blog with our interviews, we've decided it was time to take the publishing step. There's no real publication dedicated to contemporary women photographers so we decided it needed to be done. We've made a curatorial selection from our long list of artists we've interviewed and was fortunate enough to meet gallery owner, Sasha Wolf, who approached us to collaborate in an exhibition to coincide with the book.
Our book is simply titled "Nymphoto: Conversations Volume I."
Including work by Michele Abeles, Juliana Beasley, Rona Chang, Michal Chelbin, Nina Buesing Corvallo, Candace Gottschalk, Jessica M. Kaufman, Klea McKenna, Talia Greene, Maria Passarotti, Susana Raab, Emily Shur, Tema Stauffer, Jane Tam, Garie Waltzer & Jennifer Williams."
For submission guidelines see: http://www.pcnw.org/gallery/entries.php
The Photographic Center Northwest's 14th Annual Photographic Competition Exhibition, Photo-Op, will be chosen by Ms. Jen Bekman. This annual juried exhibition draws entries from across the country and around the world, and remains among the most popular shows in PCNW's annual schedule. Selected entries will be exhibited at PCNW in Seattle from July 13th - September 4th, 2009. First, second, and third prize winners will take home $1000, $500, and $250 as well as $75 Gift Certificates of Blurb Scrip for each winner. The competition is open to all photographers, all photographic processes, and all themes. The juror is looking for work that represents a larger, cohesive body of work and will be selecting a short series from each photographer chosen. All entries must be received by Friday, May 15, 2009.
Juror: Jen Bekman owns an eponymous a gallery, writes a blog called Personism and is the founder of the international photo competition, Hey, Hot Shot!. Her latest endeavor is 20x200, a place to buy editioned prints and photos at ridiculously affordable prices. Jen Bekman Projects, the gallery, its exhibitions and Jen herself have been featured in dozens of publications including The New York Times, Harper's, Art in America, Foam, Businessweek, Dwell, Der Spiegel and Le Monde.
PCNW gratefully acknowledges Blurb for sponsoring the First Place Award & the Gift Certificate Scrip packages.
NYMPHOTO (a Collective of Women Photographers) is pleased to announce it's forth group show and firs call for entries o be exhibited at the Sasha Wolf Gallery. Nymphoto is looking for the best in female contemporary and emerging photography. Work will be curated by the core members of the collective, in conjunction with highly respected curator and gallery owner, Sasha Wolf. Works selected will be included in "Nymphoto Presents at Sasha Wolf Gallery" and be on view from May 23 to June 6, 2009. Sasha Wolf Gallery is located in lower Manhattan, conveniently located and easily accessible from both Chelsea and Dumbo, two of New York's artistic centers.
Eligibility: Any woman working in photography.
Deadline: Midnight (EST) April 3, 2009.
For more information, go here.
NYMPHOTO is also publishing there first book: "Since we've grown in readership from our blog with our interviews, we've decided it was time to take the publishing step. There's no real publication dedicated to contemporary women photographers so we decided it needed to be done. We've made a curatorial selection from our long list of artists we've interviewed and was fortunate enough to meet gallery owner, Sasha Wolf, who approached us to collaborate in an exhibition to coincide with the book.
Our book is simply titled "Nymphoto: Conversations Volume I."
Including work by Michele Abeles, Juliana Beasley, Rona Chang, Michal Chelbin, Nina Buesing Corvallo, Candace Gottschalk, Jessica M. Kaufman, Klea McKenna, Talia Greene, Maria Passarotti, Susana Raab, Emily Shur, Tema Stauffer, Jane Tam, Garie Waltzer & Jennifer Williams."
For submission guidelines see: http://www.pcnw.org/gallery/entries.php
The Photographic Center Northwest's 14th Annual Photographic Competition Exhibition, Photo-Op, will be chosen by Ms. Jen Bekman. This annual juried exhibition draws entries from across the country and around the world, and remains among the most popular shows in PCNW's annual schedule. Selected entries will be exhibited at PCNW in Seattle from July 13th - September 4th, 2009. First, second, and third prize winners will take home $1000, $500, and $250 as well as $75 Gift Certificates of Blurb Scrip for each winner. The competition is open to all photographers, all photographic processes, and all themes. The juror is looking for work that represents a larger, cohesive body of work and will be selecting a short series from each photographer chosen. All entries must be received by Friday, May 15, 2009.
Juror: Jen Bekman owns an eponymous a gallery, writes a blog called Personism and is the founder of the international photo competition, Hey, Hot Shot!. Her latest endeavor is 20x200, a place to buy editioned prints and photos at ridiculously affordable prices. Jen Bekman Projects, the gallery, its exhibitions and Jen herself have been featured in dozens of publications including The New York Times, Harper's, Art in America, Foam, Businessweek, Dwell, Der Spiegel and Le Monde.
PCNW gratefully acknowledges Blurb for sponsoring the First Place Award & the Gift Certificate Scrip packages.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Boosty Holler
With a name like Boosty Holler, you'd better bring it. And bring it she does. Bootsy juggles her photographic life as a commercial photographer, churning out impressive travel, editorial, band, and fashion imagery, all the while continuing her fine art career. No matter her subject, she "continues her quest to capture and magnify the beauty of the human spirit."
Bootsy's also having a print sale of a wonderful new piece, HOPE
20" x 20" paper size
18" x 18" image size
Fujicolor Crystal Archive paper
matte surface
edition of 5
Each print signed and numbered
One time price of
$ 195.00
If you want one, give Bootsy a holler (sorry, couldn't help it)
or check her blog for more info.
Boosty has a number of interesting series, including Shelter. When recently asked to document the occupants of Noel House, a shelter for women in Seattle, Bootsy found her subjects open to the experience and found her own inspiration in their stories and perspective. She plans to make this an ongoing series.
Bootsy's also having a print sale of a wonderful new piece, HOPE
20" x 20" paper size
18" x 18" image size
Fujicolor Crystal Archive paper
matte surface
edition of 5
Each print signed and numbered
One time price of
$ 195.00
If you want one, give Bootsy a holler (sorry, couldn't help it)
or check her blog for more info.
Boosty has a number of interesting series, including Shelter. When recently asked to document the occupants of Noel House, a shelter for women in Seattle, Bootsy found her subjects open to the experience and found her own inspiration in their stories and perspective. She plans to make this an ongoing series.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Kevin J Miyazaki
Everything Kevin Miyazaki creates is clever, evocative, elegant, and smart...from his statement, to his clean website, great blog, and of course, amazing work. He manages to balance fine art and commercial work with equal grace, and has an impressive client list. Kevin also has had work featured on 20x200 and has created a booklet of observations, for sale on his site.
The work featured below is from Camp Home, a series where Kevin set out to explore his father's experience during WW II in a concentration camp in Tule Lake, California. The original barracks were built on a dry lake bed, then later given to returning veterans, and now are used as barns and homes. Kevin was able to capture the current world of Tule Lake, but also managed to find the fingerprints of the families that lived there without choice.
"The series is part architectural, part archeological. While Miyazaki's initial fascination was with the current structures -- how the barracks that stood so prominent in his family lore had been built upon and abandoned by other families, transformed for other uses -- he also discovered a treasure trove of modest artifacts that he felt captured an important "human element". He found bottles, baseballs, decorations that had remained behind from some family that had passed through there -- perhaps not his own family, and not in the same circumstances, but perhaps in some way like his own -- faded through decades of disuse."
The work featured below is from Camp Home, a series where Kevin set out to explore his father's experience during WW II in a concentration camp in Tule Lake, California. The original barracks were built on a dry lake bed, then later given to returning veterans, and now are used as barns and homes. Kevin was able to capture the current world of Tule Lake, but also managed to find the fingerprints of the families that lived there without choice.
"The series is part architectural, part archeological. While Miyazaki's initial fascination was with the current structures -- how the barracks that stood so prominent in his family lore had been built upon and abandoned by other families, transformed for other uses -- he also discovered a treasure trove of modest artifacts that he felt captured an important "human element". He found bottles, baseballs, decorations that had remained behind from some family that had passed through there -- perhaps not his own family, and not in the same circumstances, but perhaps in some way like his own -- faded through decades of disuse."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)