© Graciela Iturbide

"The unconscious obsession that we photographers have is that wherever we go we want to find the theme that we carry inside ourselves."—Graciela Iturbide

The work of the great Mexican photographer, Graciela Iturbide, is very special. I find most fascinating the ethnic portraits reflecting her own people and culture of Mexico. These images are not only beautiful, but they hold the essence of great photography: the power to amaze. From the influence of perhaps the most celebrated Latin American photographer, Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Graciela has become on its own a very influential artist. Her work was recognized recently as the winner of the Hasselblad Foundation International Award in Photography for 2008.

"I think you can see Graciela Iturbide in all of my photographs. I feel that photography is a regard within a regard—between the gaze of the photographer and the gaze of the subject the image becomes a reflection of the person taking the picture." - Graciela Iturbide

A good way to experience her work is to look at this book. This book combines together Iturbide's most expressive work, including select self-portraits. On the web there are some galleries with a limited number of images like in art-net and the Hasselblad gallery. Unfortunately the online galleries are just just a brief sample of the vast work of Gabriella.

© Graciela Iturbide

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Posted in Photographers, Photography No Comments »

Doug Stockdale at "Singular Images" is linking to a very interesting booklet [pdf] from PhotoLucida:

The Photography Review Festival How-to Guidebook: a guidebook for presenting work at photography festivals (pdf)

If you ever think about presenting your work at portfolio reviews or photofestivals, this is a must read. Of course, most of the advise applies to anyone creating portfolios, even if you don't go to portfolio critiques. The most important concepts apply -of course- to online galleries [you website]: edit very tight and be highly cohesive in concept and aesthetics.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Posted in Photography 2 Comments »

© Hee Jin Kang

Sometimes photography that depicts the objects that define our "regular life", the things that are with us and so become part of our ignored existence, is the photography that best defines who we are. No portraits are needed then, we can see the person emerging from the "stuff". An example of this is "Sandy's Deli" by Korean photographer, residing in New York City, Hee Jin Kang.

“For two years, I photographed at my parents' corner store, Sandy's Deli, located in a New York City borough. Through this photographic investigation of a place, I created a portrait of my parents without pointing the camera directly at them. Working with a 4x5 camera, I saw layers of accumulation, and objects that, in their disarray, made rhythmic juxtapositions. This accrual of stuff can be peeled away to reveal something simple, poetic and intensely personal, even within a public space like a Korean deli." - Hee Jin Kang.

© Hee Jin Kang

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Posted in Photographers, Photography No Comments »

© Emiliano Granado

Beautiful images showcased in a beautiful website. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication, as Leonardo da Vinci said.

A lot of artists will use bios/ or /statements/ to ramble on and on trying to give their work additional power or legitimacy. Not here. My photographs are what they are. Straight up reality. I'm just using my camera as an excuse to peer into peoples' lives and observe them.- Emiliano Granado

© Emiliano Granado

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Posted in Photographers, Photography No Comments »

© Christopher LaMarca

A good idea for a photojournalism project should have relevance, should have immediacy, should cause controversy, should touch a topic outside of the mainstream media and should affect the emotions of the viewer. Pair that with beautiful photography, images that drive the narrative with beautiful aesthetics, and the result is work with significance and impact.

I am describing "Forest Defenders" by Christopher LaMarca, a great project that exemplifies all these qualities and has served to launch further Christopher's career, with numerous awards and publications. In this project, Christopher LaMarca has been photographing environmental activists who protest logging in the once protected areas of pristine national forests.

These days I am particularly sensitive to logging and the destruction of trees. Few weeks ago I went to "my" canyon for a run in the afternoon to find it fenced, access totally restricted, the trees destroyed and cut in pieces, and all the signs of new multi-million dollar houses coming in. It happened in few days, just few days to destroy it. Anger is not enough to describe what I felt. A sense of loss that I will not forget.

Remember the "qualities" when you search for ideas of your next project: relevance, immediacy, controversy, unconventional, emotional. This will be a good start for the project.

I have been photographing these activists and loggers since the summer of 2003. My connection to this project revolves around the passion and endless work that consumes these people who live in the back-country for months at a time; and who are willing to sacrifice their comforts' to stand up for their beliefs. Although these activists are often seen as radicals or eco-terrorists, little has been documented about their activities outside of these stereotypes. These stunning landscapes will continue to be decimated due to political pressure and lack of education, these are some of last truly wild places left in America.- Christopher LaMarca

© Christopher LaMarca

This project garnered him numerous awards, including PDN's 30 New and Emerging Photographers To Watch and NPPA's Best of Photojournalism. His Forest Defenders project was featured in the 2006-2007 ICP triennial, Ecotopia, along with being published in Aperture and Art Review.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Posted in Books, Photographers, Photography No Comments »

© Wayne Lawrence

Wayne Lawrence is a documentary/portrait photographer based in Brooklyn, New York. I find his portraits really excellent. Most images appear to be shots of regular people taken in the street, or maybe, not so regular people after all.

I find particularly compelling the intensity of the subjects in his images. They convey a sense of meaningful presence, energizing the moment, and at the same time convey a sense of timelessness. Time has no value, past and present remain the same in their life.

© Wayne Lawrence

© Wayne Lawrence

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Posted in Photographers, Photography 1 Comment »

Noel Rodo, editor of the great blog "We can't Paint" is expanding his efforts and will create soon two additional online ventures related with contemporary photography: an online magazine and an online gallery. He is now requesting work from contributors and it is my great pleasure to pass his message to you.It is very interesting to see how the internet and the efforts from a number of great bloggers [you can find many of them at the links on the side bar] is creating new ways for emerging artists to share both their work and express their opinions. More exciting, it is refreshing to see many people, with diverse backgrounds, sharing their intense appreciation for photography.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Posted in Blogs Speaking Photography, Photography 1 Comment »

© William Greiner

There are some photographers that master the use of color to the extend of becoming the most important subject of the photograph. It is not about the elements depicted in the frame, it is not about the light, it is about the color. William Greiner, uses color as the main excuse to arrange the other elements in a picture. It is simple, and delicate, no need to saturate the image full of colors, juts to arrange some color elements in subtle ways. I love it. It is no surprise that one of his influences was William Eggleston.

Making Room magazine published a very interesting interview with William Greiner on his work in new Orleans after Katrina.

"At the age of twelve, I bought my first camera by mail order. It was a cheap 35mm model with no light meter. I would spend hours in front of my house photographing automobiles as they passed. The process was an experiment in exposing film in different ways and achieving different results. This experience hooked me on the magic of the medium." --William Greiner

© William Greiner

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Posted in Photographers, Photography No Comments »

© Jock Sturges

Lines of Beauty and Grace, the photography of Jock Sturges. You can see an interesting interview with the artist here. This interview is associated with a documentary released on DVD about the photographer and entitled "Lines of Beauty and Grace".

I love this title because it is associated with the theory of aesthetics by the painter William Hogarth, as he wrote in a book called "The Analysis of Beauty" [full text online here]. The concept of Lines of Beauty and Grace is just a perfect description of the sense of beauty that the work of Jock Sturges conveys. Smoothness and curved lines, with gradients leading to smooth transitions. Lines of Beauty and Grace.

William Hogarth proposed that the core of "Beauty of Line" in art or nature is not the simple geometry of a straight line or circle, or more elaborated but still simple shapes like the oval, but of curves that progress smoothly from one gradient to another. An example of line of beauty would be a S-shaped line, a geometric figure that excites the attention of the viewer as opposed to simple straight lines, or crossed lines that convey a negative impression to the viewer. Hogarth defined the s-curve as the basis for all great art.

The following excerpt is from the book, Mental Science: A Compendium of Psychology and the History of Philosophy (Classics in Psychology Series) [Ayer Publishing]

"Waving lines are more beautiful that straight lines, because they are more varied; and among the waving lines, there is but one entitled to be called The Line of Beauty, the others bulging too much, and so being gross and clumsy, or straightening too much, and thereby becoming lean and poor. But the most beautiful line is the serpentine line called by Hogarth, the Line of Grace. This is the line drawn once round, from the base to the apex, of a long, slender cone. As contrasted with straight lines, the Lines of Beauty and Grace posses an intrinsic power of pleasing"

The power of pleasing, the power of beauty, this is the intent of the photographic work of Jock Sturges, as he explains in the interview.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Posted in Photography 1 Comment »

If you want to lose passion for your hobby, just make it your business!

When photography becomes a business ... often times it looses its most appealing attraction, uniqueness and artistic essence.

For most photographers that go into the business of making money with their photography, the initial driver is a personal passion for art, an internal need to express themselves with their photography. Soon after, they face the reality that a business is about the product, and it is about the client and market needs.

Commercial, and editorial photography target "average tastes", and it has become a commodity. Event photography is a commodity as well. Yes, exceptions occur, and some advertisement and magazines take advantage of the artistic aspects of photography. Even some event photographers do great artistic images, although it seems that most use the same "cheesy" photoshop filters and actions. Some great editorial photographers are now exhibiting in fine art galleries, an interesting trend that keeps growing in importance. But, in general, photography has become a commodity.

Anyway, why is this important?

Well, because selling commodities is a hard pill to swallow for people with artistic passion, people that want to be themselves, unique. Many photographers can't handle the idea of creating average pictures to satisfy average tastes just because of the money. They much prefer to sell their "unique" product, no matter if there is only a tiny market for it. Like in any other business, selling to a tiny market is a hard path to follow.

One has the option to explore the fine art market, and sell personal art for money. In fine art, no commodities are allowed, originality is what pays. This is a genuine adventure that I very much appreciate and admire, but often times it becomes a recipe for frustration. After all, what is the proportion of fine art photographers that can make a living selling their work?

So, what are the options for most of the photographers that just want to make the pictures they are passionated about?

One path is quite simple, and actually can be very satisfactory. Keep photography as your hobby, and do it just for pure passion and interest, not for money. This will allow you to keep your artistic essence intact, and you will follow a given path because your emotions drive you there. It will not be about the money, no need to compromise your work because of the money. Your images will just be limited by your own skills, talent, dedication and passion. You, nothing else, nobody else, will set the limit. Perhaps you will even have more time to photograph your personal projects than if you work as a full time professional photographer. Ironic, isn't it.

Photographers are passionated people, and passionated people are passionated not only about one thing, but many. Perhaps an option to consider is to choose to make a living with a passion that offers better opportunities to bring money home, and keep your second passion, photography, alive as a hobby ... to live a passionated life, at full intensity. Your job and your photography. I took this path myself. Circumstances and realities set the trajectory for me. Now I live with passion my job as a scientist and thoroughly enjoy my love for photography.

But, of course, if you are one of the few ones that truly have courage, genuine and unique talent as an artist, I wish you the best to try make your art your daily job. I admire you for trying, and respect you for succeeding.

This post was inspired after reading recently some posts from great emerging photographers that I very much admire and respect, who expressed at their blogs the frustration of the difficult path to make a living and get recognition. It is also inspired after reading an article about stock photography and seeing, "again", the commodities that are being produced by top micro stock earners.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Posted in Photography 17 Comments »