Many, many opportunities to get your work seen out there these days. Thought I'd gather them up in case there are any you've missed. Feel free to send me details for any I'm missing.
• Is photography your day job? If not, do you want it to be?
- It is on the days I get work, and not on the days I don’t.
• Can you remember/describe the first print you ever made? Why photography? Why do you do this?
- No, sadly, I can’t. But I did totally destroy the first roll of film I developed, though. I guess I was doomed from the beginning!
• How did your project develop?
- Research, mainly via the internet. I knew I wanted to do something on children in Latin America. And somehow came across La Chureca and took it from there.
• It's early yet, but have you had any concrete opportunities arise from your participation in Critical Mass? Shows? Publications? Print sales? High fives at a party?
- Nothing concrete. I have received some praise, which is great for the ego, but not for the pocket book.
• Who are your favorite photographers, images, websites, projects, or blogs, etc. that inspire?
- Too many to name!
• Do you have a favorite youtube video that you'd like to share? It doesn't have to be photo-related.
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. Click here for submission guidelines.
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.
for the record: I don't really use this forum to plug each and every call for entries that comes across my path, but I've got to tell you that we really love PCNW. If you look back over their exhibition history you can see how much overlap there's been between our participating photographers (and Reviewers, really). As I see it, these are good folk, and a good opportunity.
• Is photography your day job? If not, do you want it to be?
- As Professor of Art at Georgia Southern University where I have taught photography for years, my everyday life is wrapped in photography and I love that. I love getting up in the morning and knowing that I have the good fortune to be able to talk about my favorite subject – and because the subject of photographic images can be about anything – it leaves a wide-open field for discussions.
In a perfect world, I would teach one class part time and make images for all the rest of my time. Lately, I have been enjoying assignments from book publishers to do book covers and assignments from magazines to accompany stories. I like the way the assignments cause me to think in unexpected ways -- enhancing my creative thinking.
• How did your project develop?
- My project developed serendipitously when a friend and colleague in the Political Science department taught a course on American politics in Vietnam. I casually mentioned that I had many letters written home by my brother, Gary, when he was stationed in Vietnam. My friend borrowed the letters and asked his class to read them. The class analyzed the letters and tried to understand who this person was. They invited me to come to the class and talk with them. This began what has been for me, a most meaningful journey.
• It's early yet, but have you had any concrete opportunities arise from your participation in Critical Mass? Shows? Publications? Print sales? High fives at a party?
- As a participant in Critical Mass, I have been contacted by an agency that wishes to sell my prints and we have begun the process. I’ve had some invitations to submit work to shows in Italy and France. Definitely a lot of “high fives” at parties.
• Who are your favorite photographers, images, websites, projects, or blogs, etc. that inspire?
- Amazed by the work of Arbus, by the role of photography in history, politics, advertising, and simple family snapshots, I was hooked. In the beginning, I did street photography -- spontaneous images. Influenced by Edward Hopper, I photographed diners at night -- outside looking in. From there, I became fascinated by dreams, read Carl Jung and kept a nightly dream journal from which I read before photographing. I’ve been influenced and inspired by the work of Duane Michals, Brassai, Sophie Calle, Alfredo Jarr, Diane Arbus, Avedon, among many. But other artists working in other media such as Magritte, Gauguin, Edward Hopper, Fellini, Bill Viola, John Cage, and the early silent American and European cinema have also influenced me. Directors such as Sergei Eisenstein, D.W. Griffith, Cecile B. De Mille, Jean Cocteau and Ingmar Bergman were great influences. I am also affected deeply by the study of physics and by simply observing nature.
Favorite websites are…of course, Photolucida’s Critical Mass blog, lensculture, and radiolab. And then there’s TED Ideas Worth Spreading and this particular story: Jill Bolte Taylor: My stroke of insight:
• Is photography your day job? If not, do you want it to be?
- Yes, I teach photography at the Trinity School as well as the International Center of Photography, both in Manhattan. I mix this with attempts to photograph as much as possible!
• Can you remember/describe the first print you ever made? Why photography? Why do you do this?
- I can't remember the specific photo but it was when I was in high school. I do this because I am compelled to constantly look at the world and investigate ideas.
• How did your project develop?
- I originally began the "Lams of Ludlow street" project as an investigation into many lives in NYC's Chinatown neighborhood. I was curious about how this huge population lives and what goes on behind closed doors. Much of this curiosity stemmed from me being half-Chinese but feeling little to no connection with the neighborhood even though I had relatives living there.
• It's early yet, but have you had any concrete opportunities arise from your participation in Critical Mass? Shows? Publications? Print sales? High fives at a party?
- Nothing as concrete as job opportunities or publications but several phone calls congratulating me.
• Who are your favorite photographers, images, websites, projects, or blogs, etc. that inspire?
- I adore Eggleston, Larry Sultan and Cartier-Bresson. I like Nikki S. Lee's work a lot as well. I check Jorg Colberg's blog everyday since its about photography and ideas and not about what he did that day or which contests he won. Those types of blogs drive me nuts.
• Do you have a favorite youtube video that you'd like to share? It doesn't have to be photo-related.
Jeffrey Aaronson Matthew Baum Matt Eich Thomas Holton Graham Miller Kevin Miyazaki Jonathan Smith
Amy Stein is a photographer and teacher based in New York City. Her work explores our evolving isolation from community, culture and the environment. She has been exhibited nationally and internationally and her work is featured in many private and public collections such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Photography, the Nevada Museum of Art, SMoCA and the West Collection.
In 2006, Amy was a winner of the Saatchi Gallery/Guardian Prize for her Domesticated series. In 2007, she was named one of the top fifteen emerging photographers in the world by American Photo magazine and she won the Critical Mass Book Award. Amy's first book, Domesticated, was released in fall 2008. It won the best book award at the 2008 New York Photo Festival.
Amy is represented by Robert Koch Gallery in San Francisco and Pool Gallery in Berlin.
When it rains, it pours. In the past twenty four hours I've stumbled into many sightings of our former Review and/or Critical Mass participants getting their work out in big ways:
ORION MAGAZINE has a great story illustrated with photographs by Sonja Thomsen. You can read the story online, but I'm not going to. I'm going to actually get myself down to a newstand and shell out the money to have that one in print. note: for those of you attending our Reviews in April, Jason Houston, Orion's Picture Editor, will not only be one of our Reviewers, but he'll be giving a "lunchtime chat" one of those days also. TWO WAY LENS has posted yet another great interview. This time it's Jessica Todd Harper. One line that immediately stood out, in her response about her path to success:
"in addition to luck, were two other key factors: a willingness to be rejected (often) and a body of work at the ready for the times when I was fortunate enough not to be."
And last but not least, former CM Book Award Winner, Louie Palu, has done a fascinating series of video podcasts for the ATLANTIC:
I'm so glad he finally got down on the ground, and that he talked about it in the commentary. Right before he mentioned it I'd been yelling at the screen: "Get down! Take cover!" Follow the link above to watch the whole series.
Wow, one more sighting just came in: looks like CM2008 Book Award Winner Priya Kambli's going to be completing a residency at Light Work in December. Priya, I used to live in Syracuse. Bring a good coat and ask me for restaurant recommendations. Congrats to all.
Photolucida is a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization, whose mission is to provide platforms that expand, inspire, educate and connect the regional, national, and international photography community.
Current Critical Mass Updates:
We are now gearing up for Critical Mass 2013! Stay tuned for our stellar new 2013 Juror list and some pretty exciting awards associated with this year's Critical Mass.
'Color and Light', curated by Bill Hunt, opens May 17th at the Jennifer Schwartz Gallery in Atlanta. The CM12 TOP 50 exhibition will then travel to the Southeast Museum of Photography in Florida.
CM12 Solo Show award winner Heidi Kirkpatrick will be having her exhibition at the Center for Fine Art Photography in October!
LIST OF CRITICAL MASS 2013 JURORS TO BE LISTED SOON!
Critical Mass: The Books
Mila Teshaieva, Promising Waters (in production)
Jennifer B. Hudson, Medic
Jeff Rich, Watershed
Alejandro Cartegena, Suburbia Mexicana
Birthe Piontek, The Idea of North
Céline Clanet, Máze
Andy Freeberg, Guardians
Priya Kambli, Color Falls Down
Peter van Agtmael, 2nd Tour Hope I Don't Die - no longer available!
Joni Sternbach, SurfLand - no longer available!
Amy Stein, Domesticated
Camille Seaman, The Last Iceberg - no longer available!
