Michael Jang

Bernd Reinhardt, shared the work of his friend, Michael Jang, with me recently. Bernd is inspired not only by his photographs, but by his philosphies and approach to his image making and I have to agree with that assessment. Michael is not your typical photographer. He grew up in the Gold Rush town of Marysville in California, and had a knack for finding the defining moment early on. Michael received his bachelor's degree at Cal Arts and his Master's degree at the San Francisco Art Institute, and for the next 30 years worked as a commercial photographer creating portraits of prominent San Franciscans and working for publications including Rolling Stone, Interview, the New York Times, and Spin Magazine. In his spare time, Michael captured whatever he found interesting --the punk rock movement, denizens of San Francisco life from gang members to the man on the street, his family, and he always made an effort to be where the action was.

Much of Michael's personal work was not printed until recently. "I'm the Rip van Winkle of photography. Thirty-five years later, I'm coming out and showing this stuff." And it's a good thing. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art has purchased a number of his prints for their permanent collection.

I'm featuring two YouTube videos about Michael and selections from two bodies of work, At Home with the Jangs, and selected images from his body of work.







Jang 's family images are humorous look into the life of an Asian family trying to assimilate into the American mainstream of the '70s. It wasn't until he looked at them 35 years later, that he saw these pictures in a larger social and historical context.
"Look at what we're doing then. We had all the accoutrements - the clothes, the house, the cars, the pets, the Caucasian friends, the Fourth of July party. At the time, I was just bringing in homework for class. I wasn't thinking too much, I was just responding." The pictures, he adds, "were really taken in the same spirit that any family takes snapshots. It just happens that I had black-and-white film, a wide-angle lens and I went to art school. There's nothing else going on, but I do know the history of the medium."

At Home with the Jangs, captured 1973, printed 2008
















Images from selected projects

Emma Powell

Emma Powell recently opened her MFA show at the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York that will run through Oct. 31, 2010.

A Life Reviewed: George Eastman through the Viewfinder consists of 25 color photographs that cover different facets of Eastman's life and legacy. This work serves as both photographic biography as well as look into the past. Seeing the images through two sets of lenses allows for a sense of nostolgia and history to permeate the work.

Powell is an artist and educator whose work often examines photography's history while incorporating historic processes and or devices within the imagery. As an undergraduate at the College of Wooster, she studied the nineteenth-century spirit photography movement as a subject for her undergraduate thesis exhibition of wet plate collodion photographs. Pursuing her MFA at Rochester Institute of Technology, she has explored the intersection between historical and contemporary practice by creating the images in this exhibition. Her work has been shown in a variety of one-person and group exhibitions throughout the country.

Images from A Life Reviewed


In order to create these images Powell used a modern digital camera to photograph the viewfinders of old Kodak cameras. Many early snap-shot cameras have an auxiliary lens used only to frame the shot. By peering into these dusty and distorting lenses Powell is able to create an aesthetic reminiscent of older processes, such as the autochrome. This project explores the merging of the present and the historical while telling a story about photography's past that is relevant to the medium itself.I wanted to find a way to look back in time, through a window into the past, to visualize temporal distance,” Powell said. “I needed a turn-of-the-century device that could speak to the technological advancements of the industrial revolution. I needed a time machine. Instead, I used cameras.”



In order to create these images Powell used a modern digital camera to photograph the viewfinders of old Kodak cameras. Many early snap-shot cameras have an auxiliary lens used only to frame the shot. By peering into these dusty and distorting lenses Powell is able to create an aesthetic reminiscent of older processes, such as the autochrome. 



This project explores the merging of the present and the historical while telling a story about photography's past that is relevant to the medium itself.I wanted to find a way to look back in time, through a window into the past, to visualize temporal distance,” Powell said. “I needed a turn-of-the-century device that could speak to the technological advancements of the industrial revolution. I needed a time machine. Instead, I used cameras.”

Jeff Sheng at the Kaycee Olsen Gallery

Last week, I had the great pleasure of hearing a photographer's lecture at a terrific new gallery that has recently opened in Culver City. Kaycee Olsen has fulfilled a long time dream of opening a gallery and she comes to the job with an outstanding pedigree. She graduated from USC in Art History and received the prestigious California Museum of Photography Fellowship. Kaycee has worked as a Director at several galleries, worked at Christie's, and dedicated time to independent curating and writing. She was also a contributor to the LACMA blog, "Words Without Pictures", under the direction of Charlotte Cotton. The Kaycee Olsen Gallery is a wonderful addition to the Los Angeles photography community.

For her inaugral exhibition, Kaycee is presenting the compelling series by Jeff Sheng, Don't Ask, Don't Tell, that will be on display until October 23rd, 2010. I wrote about this project on Lenscratch in January, and Jeff has added about 40 new images to the series.

His project now features the photographs and stories of over sixty servicemen and woman currently affected by the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which mandates the immediate discharge of those persons in the United States military who are allegedly or openly gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. This exhibition coincides with the current political debate of the issue and potential vote for repeal of the laws known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in Congress.

All names have been changed and selected by the model.

Alana, Great Lakes, Illinois, 2010


I have purposely shot each image in a way that obscures to some degree the identity of the individuals, and the final image that is released to the public is first approved by the subject, and is in many ways, their expression of their closet-ness and lack of identity. For each image, I have asked the individual to wear their uniform, while staging the photoshoot in a bedroom or local hotel room where that person is currently serving. I am interest in the intersections between public and private space, and the government's policing of our private spaces - the bedroom being the most representative of this.

Anthony, Pensacola, Florida, 2010


Ultimately for me, these photographs underscore the silence permeating the unsung heroism of gay and lesbian military personnel. The photos are about the men and women who continue to fight and serve despite the heartbreaking invisibility they suffer.

Brad and Clay, Pacific Northwest, 2010


Bryan, Honolulu, Hawaii, 2010


Dean, Montgomery, Alabama, 2010


Gabriel Fox, Chicago, Illinois, 2010


Grace, Fort Jackson, South Carolina, 2010


Katherine and Elizabeth, Denver, Colorado, 2010


Lee, Clarksville, Tennessee, 2010


Logan, San Jose, California, 2010


Oliver, Helena, Montana, 2010


Patty, Monterey, California, 2010


Pearce and David, Seattle, Washington, 2010


Richard, Norfolk, Virginia, 2010


SPC Clio Hill, Home, 2010

Jess Dugan

Jess Dugan is working hard to make her Open View Farm: A Photography Project a reality. She is raising funds through Kickstarter, a site that provides a new way to fund creative projects that might not come to fruition without backing.

Jess is a large-format portrait photographer currently living in Cambridge, MA. She earned her BFA in Photography from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston and her ALM in Museum Studies from the Harvard University Extension School. I featured her work on Lenscratch this Spring and her site reflects several new projects of interest. I know she would very much appreciate any support you could

Here is Jess' statement about her project:
For the next year, I will be documenting the people of Open View Farm, a small fiber farm in Western Massachusetts. Open View Farm is an incredible place devoted to peace and education. Their mission includes: "creating an environment where interpersonal understanding across race, class, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national identity, and religion is valued, artistic expression is nurtured and avenues towards Peace and Justice in our communities and in the classroom are explored."

Through portraits of the people and animals, documentation of their activities, and interviews with those who spend time on the farm, I will explore what it means to be a farmer in 21st century America and what it feels like to raise animals, to grow food, and to intentionally foster an environment of learning, acceptance, and love.



Open View is a very special, amazing place. Not only is it focused on the critical issues of farming, raising animals, and learning to be self-sufficient, it also promotes peace and education across all issues and fosters an environment where everyone is welcome. Though I have been visiting the farm for years, and even making photographs there, I have always wanted to do an in-depth photography project over the course of at least one full year. In May, I embarked on a year-long journey to document the farm throughout the full range of seasons.

I was first introduced to farming eight years ago by working as a camp counselor at CampOUT, a farm camp experience for kids from GLBT families, which was started by Emmy, the owner of Open View Farm, and which continues to this day. The combination of social justice and the farming experience is powerful. Emmy's absolute dedication to progressive education is part of what makes her farm so unique and wonderful. Her doors are truly open.

I am also deeply concerned about our impact on our environment and the issue of sustainability. I believe in our collective responsibility to take care of our surroundings and to reduce the amount of waste we create.