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THINGS I READ
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This is a selection of articles from several blogs and on-line magazines I read regularly. Hope you find them interesting too. Please note that this page changes constantly so check it out regularly if you don't want to miss updates, also you can subscribe to the RSS feed by clicking in the icon below.
» THEORY: "Standing on the Corner - Reflections Upon Garry Winogrand's Photographic Gaze - Mirror of Self or World? Part II" (1991)Read on 9 February 2010 | 2:09 amVia Doug Rickard Part II(This is the second of a two-part essay on the work of Garry Winogrand.)By Carl ChiarenzaOriginally Published in IMAGE Magazine: Journal of Photography and Motion Pictures of the International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House, Volume 35,Number 1–2, Spring-Summer, 1992About looking and watching. That is what so many of Winogrand's pictures are about—about his looking and » Jo Broughton, LondonRead on 9 February 2010 | 12:51 amVia Alison Zavos
 » Francisco ReinaRead on 8 February 2010 | 10:49 pmVia Joerg Colberg
» Greta PrattRead on 8 February 2010 | 3:02 pmVia Geoffrey Hiller
Greta Pratt (b.1975, United States) is the author of two monographs, Using History, and In Search of the Corn Queen. Pratt’s works are represented in major public and private collections, including The Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Museum of Contemporary Photography and The Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Pratt was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, served as photography bureau chief of Reuters International in New York City, and her photographs have been featured in The New York Times Magazine and The New Yorker. She is a recipient of a New Jersey State Council on the Arts Artist Fellowship. Pratt is currently an Assistant Professor of Photography at Old Dominion University. About the Photograph: “This is a photo of Lincoln presenter Gerald Bestrom. Mr. Bestrom drives this camper around the Midwest performing for school groups and senior citizen gatherings as the 16th president. He likes to entertain so he plays a comb and a saw, dances a jig and recites from Lincoln’s speeches. The men that I photographed for this series belong to The Association of Lincoln Presenters. They are passionate about Lincoln and spend time studying, reading and performing for school groups, community celebrations, and senior citizen centers. Each one started this unusual occupation for a different reason, but all became completely immersed in the ideals of Abraham Lincoln.”
      » There is a moving interview with Don McCullinRead on 7 February 2010 | 11:13 pmVia Jim Johnson  Don McCullin, 2008. Photograph © Felix Clay.. . . here at The Guardian. McCullin seems like a remarkable man. He makes clear the the alleged glamor of being a photographer of war and mayhem is an illusion: "Some times it felt like I was carrying pieces of human flesh back home with me, not negatives. It's as if you are carrying the suffering of the people you have photographed."  » Best Shots (99) ~ Michael RuetzRead on 7 February 2010 | 12:28 amVia Jim Johnson  (126) Michael Ruetz ~ Joseph Bueys Boxing, Kassel, 1972 (3 February 2010). » Malwine Rafalski: HolonRead on 6 February 2010 | 10:12 amVia Shane Lavalette
Malwine Rafalski’s series Holon explores the lives of communities and individuals who have given up modern living to return to nature. Reminds me a few projects by other artists: Lucas Foglia, Taj Forer as well as Alec Soth’s recent body of work Black Line of Woods. I want to turn off my computer and go build a cabin in the woods. » Samuel ZuderRead on 5 February 2010 | 3:07 pmVia Geoffrey Hiller
Samuel Zuder (b. 1965, Germany) studied photojournalism at the technical college for visual communication in Dortmund, Germany. His documentary thesis about India was published in Geo and other international magazines. In 1996 Samuel was nominated for the World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass while working on a project about Christian and Muslim neighbors in the Bosnian city of Mostar. His work has appeared in numerous international magazines and publications and has been exhibited widely in Europe. He currently lives in Hamburg About the Photograph: “I took the photo during a reportage on Romania for Stern Magazine shortly before the country joined the European Union. The scene was shot at the Black Sea in Mamaia. The picture expresses the positive and optimistic spirit of Romania before entering a new era. The Ferrari boat- not real, just a toy- is a symbol for upcoming prosperity. A kind of symbol for the actual situation at that time, the starting point to an unknown future. Now, some years later the progress of the country has experienced a deterioration, a political disharmony. Corruption has prevented the positive development – the Ferrari boat is shipping through stormy water. Romania still hasn’t reached the level it was dreaming of at the start of the trip.”
      » Disaster, Photojournalism, and Group-thinkRead on 5 February 2010 | 7:29 amVia Jim Johnson I have been pondering the relationships between photography and disaster lately. The problem is not, I think, that photographers somehow exploit the stricken, although the squeamishness of those safely reading reading the paper at a distance (and especially their too readily expressed resentment at being confronted with disturbing images) is pretty telling. What is troubling is how little the images actually show us. There are conventions and stereotypes galore. This comes out very nicely in this post over at The New York Times photo blog. We are shown eight variations on the same image (including one by photo-deity James Nachtwey). And I am certain the post's author could've done the same with other images (say of desperate earthquake victims, arms outstretched amide the crush of others, reaching for food or water at an aid distribution center). If the photographers are not traveling in packs, their editors back home surely are thinking in packs. This is not a problem just with photographers and photo-editors (follow the first link above to Rebecca Solnit's reflections on how, in the wake of disaster*, news reports invoke the spectre of "looting" in knee-jerk ways). But it is a problem for them - or at least the visual coverage of the Haitian earthquake and its aftermath suggests it is. __________ * I want to call Chris Anderson on the notion that disasters like an earthquake or Tsunami are 'natural' and so call forth the need for inquiry. He cannot be that naive. He claims (in The Times post) that in such cases: "There is no need for explanation or contemplation." There are no 'natural' disasters. In each case the extent and impact of the damage and resulting misery is closely tied to political-economic factors. On that point follow the links in the first post above to this post by economist Ed Glaeser.  » James Reynolds, LondonRead on 5 February 2010 | 2:04 amVia Alison Zavos
 » Ben HuffRead on 5 February 2010 | 1:17 amVia Joerg Colberg
» Verena HanschkeRead on 4 February 2010 | 10:31 pmVia Joerg Colberg
» Trine Søndergaard: Monochrome PortraitsRead on 4 February 2010 | 4:32 amVia Shane Lavalette
Lay Flat 01: Remain in Light contributor Trine Søndergaard recently updated her site with a new body of work entitled Monochrome Portraits. The series has has also been published as a book by Hatje Cantz. See more from Monochrome Portraits on her website. » THEORY: "Standing on the Corner - Reflections Upon Garry Winogrand's Photographic Gaze - Mirror of Self or World?" (1991)Read on 3 February 2010 | 10:45 pmVia Doug Rickard New Mexico, 1957 (Figure 13)Part I (This is the first of a two-part essay on the work of Garry Winogrand. Part II will appear in the coming days.)By Carl ChiarenzaOriginally Published in IMAGE Magazine: Journal of Photography and Motion Pictures of the International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House, Volume 34,Number 3–4, Fall–Winter, 1991Sometimes an idea gets the better of us as » Laurie Sermos, BerlinRead on 3 February 2010 | 9:55 pmVia Alison Zavos
 » Reinis HofmanisRead on 3 February 2010 | 9:34 pmVia Joerg Colberg
» Lluis ArtusRead on 2 February 2010 | 11:57 pmVia Miguel Garcia-Guzman
Strong flash to overcome daylight or the night, bold colors and in your face compositions. The work of Lluis Artus blends the aesthetics of commercial work with the creative interest of personal projects, projects that intend to tell stories of people and culture. In his website you can find excellent series, including La Platja, Urban Culture, and Instinto.
» Matthew Robert HughesRead on 2 February 2010 | 11:02 pmVia Joerg Colberg
» Restrepo Wins Sundance Grand Jury Prize for DocumentaryRead on 1 February 2010 | 10:51 pmVia A Photo Editor Interesting to see that several films at Sundance were centered around photography. Restrepo In 2008 Sebastian Junger (The Perfect Storm) and Tim Hetherington dug in with the men of Second Platoon for a year. Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley, a stronghold of al Qaeda and the Taliban, has proven to be one of the U.S. Army’s deadliest challenges. It is here that the platoon lost their comrade, PFC Juan Restrepo, and erected an outpost in his honor. Up close and personal, Junger and Hetherington gain extraordinary insight into the surreal combination of backbreaking labor and deadly firefights that are a way of life at Outpost Restrepo. Ever wonder what it’s really like to be in the trenches of war? Look no further. Restrepo may be one of the most experiential and visceral war films you’ll ever see. With unprecedented access, the filmmakers reveal the humor and camaraderie of men who come under daily fire, never knowing which of them won’t make it home.
Paparazzi might be the norm in our celebrity-infested times, haphazardly snapping every movement of the rich and famous. Ron Galella, though, is the original paparazzo. He elevated the celebrity snapshot into art and, at 78, remains a stalwart in the business. Dogged in his quest to photograph celebrities in unguarded moments, he defines his passion for his work by the ups and downs of his career—documenting the parade of stars at a thriving Studio 54 and having the dubious honor of being sued by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (his favorite subject) and having his jaw broken by Marlon Brando. Leon Gast (When We Were Kings) masterfully profiles Galella and places him at the center of the debate about the First Amendment right to privacy. Galella’s work and tactics have their critics, but his influence is undeniable. In a career defined by perseverance, he has created some of the most lasting, iconic photographs of our times. Teenage Paparazzo When precocious 13-year-old paparazzo Austin Visschedyk snapped a photo of celebrity Adrian Grenier (HBO’s Entourage), little did he know his life was about to change. Turning the tables on the juvenile paparazzo, Grenier stepped on the other side of the lens in an attempt to mentor a teenager obsessed with the lure of the Hollywood lifestyle. Grenier develops a meaningful relationship with his camera-clicking young friend as he attempts to reconcile their mutual exploitation. Indeed, Grenier puts himself on the line here, trying to make sense of his own recently acquired fame. Given the success of Entourage and its place in the Zeitgeist, Adrian Grenier is the perfect person to explore our preoccupation with celebrity and the adolescent desire for fame. Exquisitely layered, Teenage Paparazzo moves beyond personal documentary, charting a cultural revolution of celebrity obsession that may have been born in the United States but stretches across the globe. Catfish Nev, a 24-year-old New York–based photographer, has no idea what he’s in for when Abby, an eight-year-old girl from rural Michigan, contacts him on MySpace, seeking permission to paint one of his photographs. When he receives her remarkable painting, Nev begins a friendship and correspondence with Abby’s family. But things really get interesting when he develops a cyber-romance with Abby’s attractive older sister, Megan, a musician and model. Prompted by some startling revelations about Megan, Nev and his buddies embark on a road trip in search of the truth. Catfish centers on a riveting mystery that is completely a product of our times, where social networking, mobile devices, and electronic communication so often replace face-to-face personal contact. Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman’s grounded documentary is a remarkable and powerful story of grace within a labyrinth of online intrigue. More at Sundance (here). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Looking to buy a new website? » Emerging Photographer’s Fund grant 2010Read on 1 February 2010 | 5:08 amVia david alan harvey
8×10 moonlight photograph by Alejandro Chaskielburg, 2009 EPF recipient, from his essay The High Tide we now announce on Burn our third annual Emerging Photographer Fund grant …for 2010 we are offering a $15,000. stipend for an emerging photographer to finish an ongoing personal project…the deadline for entries will be April 15, 2010….funding for the EPF comes from generous anonymous donations from our audience here on Burn to the non-profit Magnum Cultural Foundation…these are very specific donations to the MCF and are apart from the general subscriptions and donations to Burn…. this year we must set up things a bit different from the last two years…we have no choice but to have a $25. entry fee per submission….last year almost killed Anton Kusters and yours truly with the almost 1200 submissions….we cannot do that again…this year the $25. will be well spent…we will be using a program called Slideroom to facilitate you entering and us having the grant juried in a first class manner…..with Slideroom you open a free account and you will literally have a “room” where you can work on your edit for the next two months…i.e. put in one picture today, four next week, change your edit, play with the pictures, do whatever you want, then hit the submit button on or before deadline..if you decide not to enter after all the editing etc., then simply do not hit submit and you are not charged…the system is way easier to use for all than anything before and makes it possible for us to have a wide prestigious jury (to be named soon) who can view your work at their leisure online and yet be communicating with each other all along… so the financial breakdown is: $8. will go for this Slideroom program which is of great benefit to all of us (this is their fee to us per entrant)…$5. will go to a Haitian relief agency…and $12. will go to cover our admin costs for the EPF at Burn,and the costs associated with creating a sophisticated slide show and presentation of finalists and winner at this summer’s one time special Burn/Look3 event for emerging photographers in June…we realize this fee may keep some from entering….we considered this and came up with the lowest price we possibly could and still be able to continue this grant program at all …we do not feel this fee will discourage any serious entrants… all details for the correct entering of project essay submissions will be seen under EPF 2010 in the right hand column of Burn… i look forward to seeing all the new work…. -david alan harvey The EPF grant 2010 submission link: Deadline for submission: April 15, 2010 The winner will be announced in June, 2010 |
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