Photos of the Month, May 2007: Weddings and Gatherings

Together Forever at Last
Originally uploaded by cameraartsblog

Together Forever at Last
by Sarah Budziszyn
#20 of 20

Photos of the Month, May 2007: Weddings and Gatherings

The Wind at Our Back
Originally uploaded by cameraartsblog

The Wind at Our Back
by Kelly Sharon
#19 of 20

Photos of the Month, May 2007: Weddings and Gatherings

An American Family 2005
Originally uploaded by cameraartsblog

An American Family 2005
by Wilda Gerideau-Squires
#17 of 20
On Thanksgiving 2005, the maternal side of my family gathered for the first time in 20+ years and I seized the opportunity to take a quick photograph of four generations together. When I looked at the prints, I was struck by the diversity which exists within my family and the beauty inherent in both our similarities and differences. 35mm C-Print//Digitally Enhanced.
Visit the photographer's website

Photos of the Month, May 2007: Weddings and Gatherings

Maple Shade, New Jersey 2007
Originally uploaded by cameraartsblog

Maple Shade, New Jersey 2007
by Jim Klukkert
#16 of 20
I so love the act of photographing, and I shoot a lot of film. Every once in a while, I make an image that seems to describe some aspect of my experience of life. These images are often fairly distant from the actual, presumably shared reality from which the image is drawn. Such a mystery, such a blessing.
Epson Archival Inkjet Print
Visit the photographer's website

Voting on this series will begin Friday, June 1, 2007 at 12 noon PST. You will be able to vote for exactly one week. To submit to Photos of the Month, click here to be taken to our rules and guidelines at CameraArts.com.

Success, finally

Our web exclusives section has gone through another metamorphosis: we have implemented Simpleviewer, an open-source flash application for the display of image galleries. First and foremost, we are using this for our CameraArts Preview Portfolios, which were introduced at the start of May 2007. From now on, they will be updated every two weeks with the galleries of three new photographers.

This process came about when we decided that, as much as we try to pack as much photography as possible into every new issue of the print edition, many photographers would end up waiting for quite a while to see their work in our pages. These Preview Portfolios are a new way for us to publish photographers more quickly, and to weigh public response in terms of which galleries are made into features in the print edition.

This is how you can help us: the first three galleries are online in our web exclusives section. These include "Paper Scapes," digital photographs by David Makowiecki; "Reflected Realities," photographs by Melody Mason (those are single exposures of naturally superimposed window reflections, not doubles); and the gelatin silver prints of Thomas Tollefsen. If you have any comments or suggestions about any of these galleries, please leave them here. Cheers!

On the Road to Provence and Beyond...

Our own Tim Anderson has sent a portfolio of images from the first part of his trip to Southern France. Entitled Travels with Tim: On the Road to Provence and Beyond, these photographs were taken from the first stage of his journey to Provence: Paris, a city that is the gateway for so many to this beautiful country. The portfolio can be viewed here.

Happy Memorial Day!

Everyone's assignment for this weekend is to enjoy time with family and friends, and to—gasp!—take it easy a little! The CameraArts Blog will be on hiatus until Tuesday, May 29, 2007. Get outside and shoot!

Kodak discontinues production of sensors, photo-sensitive material

Kodak, a longtime player in the imaging industry, has just announced that, in the light of dropping sales and profitability, that they will no longer be producing photo-sensitive sensors or materials of any kind. On the other hand, they have been tapped by Nikon and Canon to provide three million touch screen photo kiosks each for distribution in drugstores and Wal-Marts all over the US.

...just kidding. But I had you going for a while, didn't I? With news like this becoming more and more frequent, it's a surprise that Kodak hasn't dried up and blown away. First film goes, and now they're scaling back attempts to compete in the digital market. I don't mean to be cruel, but it seems that Kodak is doing everything it can to hasten its own shrinking into the night.

The Maine Photographic Workshops 2007

The Summer/Fall 2007 season at The Maine Photographic Workshops has been announced. Despite the recent purchase of Workshops from founder David Lyman, and its shift to non-profit, the staff is essentially unchanged, and classes are still being offered on a regular basis. How regular? Try ten to twenty to choose from every week. And that's just for their photography section!

In addition to photography, other categories are included in the course catalog: The International Film & Video Workshops, The Digital Media Workshops, The Travel & Adventure Workshops, and the High School Artists Workshops. Altogether, they are known as Maine Media Workshops. Different name, same renowned pillar of the Northeastern art community.

Photos of the Month, May 2007: Weddings and Gatherings

The REAL Hilary
Originally uploaded by cameraartsblog.

The REAL Hilary
by Joan Shyers
#15 of 15
Taking a break from the festivities, the REAL Hilary returns to her roots.

Photos of the Month, May 2007: Weddings and Gatherings

Wedding Games
Originally uploaded by cameraartsblog.

Wedding Games
by Rick Rembisz
#14 of 15
I attended a traditional Chinese wedding. The first part of the evening was very formal, however it abruptly changed course when the games began. This picture, in context, makes sense. The bride tries to maneuver a raw egg up one pant leg of the groom and down the other. It never works.

Photos of the Month, May 2007: Weddings and Gatherings

Bridal Paparazzi
Originally uploaded by cameraartsblog.

Bridal Paparazzi
by Laura Tolchinski
#13 of 15
I have been photographing weddings since 1990 and this photo was taken after the couple had cut their cake. Of course, guests in attendance with their point & shoots love to take photos of their own. So I had the couple face the people, I stood behind them, and added my own touches using Paint Shop Pro XI.
Visit the photographer's website

Photos of the Month, May 2007: Weddings and Gatherings

Veil Kiss
Originally uploaded by cameraartsblog.

Veil Kiss
by Gina Genis
#12 of 15
This photo was taken during an intimate moment when the bride and groom stole a few moments alone after the ceremony. The wind pushed the veil over their heads as if on cue. Canon 20D.
Visit the photographer's website

Photos of the Month, May 2007: Weddings and Gatherings

We Begin
Originally uploaded by cameraartsblog.

We Begin
by Debbie Hartmann
#11 of 15

Voting on this series will begin Friday, June 1, 2007 at 12 noon PST. You will be able to vote for exactly one week. To submit to Photos of the Month, click here to be taken to our rules and guidelines at CameraArts.com.

NEW in the web exclusives section: Krappy Kamera Competition 2007

Every new issue is always cause for celebration at CameraArts, so we've decided to include a special treat in our web exclusives section: an extended portfolio from Soho Photo's Krappy Kamera Competition 2007! We encountered so many interesting images, methods and stories about shooting for this competition, that we regretted not being able to include them all in the print edition. Now you can view even more images and commentary here. Enjoy!

Panoramic Photographs—as big as they come?

Remember when a megapixel-sized photograph was big? Nowadays, the term "gigapixel" has infiltrated the digital lexicon, even though the handful of detemined, technically-oriented photographers that used it first were assumed to be joking. Now the benchmark of a billion pixels is within the reach of many, but still thought of as more of a challenge than a viable medium.

This might be changing, with the help of online programs like this. French software maker Kolor has enlisted the help of photographer Gerard Maynard to create what could be the world's largest panoramic photograph. 2045 individual images of Harlem were stitched together to create a 279,689 x 46,901 pixel photograph. Don't worry—the website won't crash your computer.

Photos of the Month, May 2007: Weddings and Gatherings

Spanish Dancers
Originally uploaded by cameraartsblog.

Spanish Dancers
by Rebecca Golding
#10 of 10
Taken at the New Mexico State Fair grounds in 2006 in digital format.

Photos of the Month, May 2007: Weddings and Gatherings

What is Black, white and green all over?
Originally uploaded by cameraartsblog.

What is Black, white and green all over?
by Sarah Tolson
#9 of 10
Well, the bride and groom both got the flu and they were getting sick everywhere. I am proud of this photo because it is one of the only ones I got of them looking normal! I love the back lighting as well. Poor things. They had to cancel the reception and had to wait to go on their honeymoon. They were that sick!
Visit the artist's website

Photos of the Month, May 2007: Weddings and Gatherings

First Dance
Originally uploaded by cameraartsblog.

First Dance
by Tim Dailey
#8 of 10
Visit the photographer's website

Photos of the Month, May 2007: Weddings and Gatherings

Exit #2
Originally uploaded by cameraartsblog.

Exit #2
by Max Tzinman
#7 of 10
Taken at the Metropolitan Museum, at the end of a concert.

Photos of the Month, May 2007: Weddings and Gatherings

Canada
Originally uploaded by cameraartsblog.

Canada
by Elise Stanley
#6 of 10
This is a reduced DPI image of an 2700X3700 pixel original that captures the grooms expression with his new bride in a dramatic setting. It was taken at the Toronto Distillery District using a canon powershot G7 10 MP camera. I was not a part of the wedding but was drinking a coffee when the party walked in.

Voting on this series will begin Friday, June 1, 2007 at 12 noon PST. You will be able to vote for exactly one week. To submit to Photos of the Month, click here to be taken to our rules and guidelines at CameraArts.com.

Digital Camera Shutter Lag Table

Cameras.co.uk has a useful tool for prospective point-and-shoot camera buyers: a Digital Camera Shutter Lag Comparison Table. This seems to be a topic that's gaining more steam as so many varieties of digital cameras proliferate in the market. My own Panasonic FZ7 is listed here, and at a .32 second delay is one of the faster cameras, but still a cause for frustration.

As we become more familiar with new-fangled wonders of digital technology, the more we begin to ask questions that matter about what really sets them apart. Is a camera capable of grabbing another megapixel of data really worth it if it takes more than a second to capture? I'm not kidding. The table indicates that the bottom of the heap, The Nikon Coolpix L3, has an epic 1.8 second (!!!) shutter delay. In case you think that's a fluke, second-worst goes to the Olympus FE-210, at a 1.72 second delay, followed by other cameras in the Coolpix series.

All of these cameras are labeled "Entry Level Digital Cameras," and taking one look at the Coolpix series (or reading the name, for that matter) should hit it home that these models are for casual users. That still doesn't explain "more than a second." Just one second would be enough to ruin a picture. Should these cameras even be on the market?

25-year Retrospective at the Midtown Y

In 1972, The Midtown Y Photography Gallery was opened, raising quite a few eyebrows in the process (photography was not yet a bona fide art medium, at least not in the eyes of art dealers). For the next 25 years, the gallery would become a stronghold for traditional fine art photography, and be assailed (but never invaded) by the trends of post-modernism. The Midtown Y held true to realism until its closing.

Now the New York Public Library has unveiled an exhibition of images, entitled "Making the Scene: The Midtown Y Photography Gallery, 1972-1996." The New York Times has an article here.

Call for Entries: The CameraArts ShowCase Edition!

In partnership with The Center for Fine Art Photography, CameraArts Magazine is proud to announce its upcoming ShowCase Edition, to premiere in November/December 2007! Submissions are now being accepted for this special issue of CameraArts. The winning entries of the competition will be published in the ShowCase Edition, with the Grand Prize being an eight-page portfolio and the issue's front cover.

The name of this special issue comes from Artists Showcase, published by The Center for Fine Art Photography on a bi-monthly basis. We liked their style enough to include it as an insert in CameraArts Magazine. Artists Showcase is also available as an online feature. It just so happens that Tim Anderson is their current Artist of the Month!

Categories for The CameraArts ShowCase Edition include Abstract/Conceptual, Documentary, Portrait/Figure, and Other. Four-page portfolios will be given to each of the Category Award winners. Ten pages of the ShowCase Edition will be devoted to works selected from the four categories. All exhibitors will be featured in The Center for Fine Art Photography online gallery, and in a special section of www.CameraArts.com.

Entry deadline is September 4, 2007. Winners will be notified by September 11, 2007. Images previously accepted by The Center for Fine Art Photography or CameraArts Magazine in the last 12 months are not eligible. Click here for complete competition information.

Rest in Peace, Dmitry Chebotayev

The Iraq War has just claimed another member of the press. Dmitry Chebotayev, a Russian photojournalist and representative for World Press News, was only in his late 20's when the vehicle carrying him and accompanying US Soldiers was hit with an IED in Diyala Province. PDN has more here.

UPDATE, 5/15/2007: Friends of Dmitry Chebotayev have started a fund for establishing a memorial website. You can pay your respects and donate here.

CameraArts Web Exclusives: March/April 2007

We're a little bit late in presenting some exclusive features from the March/April 2007 issue of CameraArts. Our next issue, for May/June 2007, is nearly out, so we've decided to post not one, but two new portfolios! First, there is Imperfect Moments, a portfolio by Carlos Tarrats, who made the cover of March/April 2007. Second, we posted a sampling of images from Hal Gould: A Retrospective. You can read the full articles in the print edition of March/April 2007, now available in our back issues section.

Also, I'll be curious to know what you think of our new presentation of online galleries. Not all of the kinks have been worked out yet, but we are trying to present something unique and different with more detailed images. Ever wish you could get in closer when viewing images online? Wish no longer!

A Photography workshop for teens

More like this, please. Santa Fe Workshops is offering a program in July for the younger set. Black-and-White Photography for Young Photographers Photo Camp seems to be pretty unique, in that they are providing the full workshop experience of not only shooting and developing, but also of fine dining.

From Santa Fe Workshops' website:

Participants, ranging in age from 13 to 17 years old, work daily in the field, exploring New Mexico ranch life and small villages rooted in the Old West. Swimming, hiking, and sampling the local cuisine add relaxing interludes to daily darkroom sessions, critiques, demonstrations, and image presentations.

Of course, this extra creative and cultural exposure comes with a price tag attached. Doubtless there are many parents out there whose teenagers are in need of a dose of "real culture." I don't know about anyone else, but as a teenager I needed quite a bit of motivation to seek out new experiences like this. Even getting outdoors was a struggle...

Flak Photo's "Regarding Intimacy"

Flak Photo is an online magazine that is updated daily and features contributions from photographers all over the world. It puts special focus on exhibiting fine art photography on the web, something that we'll likely see more of. Blog editor Andy Adams dubs the website a "blogzine," which sounds a bit reminiscent of this recent post about ArtKrush. Taking terminology into your own hands can be dangerous, and sometimes wildly successful...

The latest exhibition at Flak Photo, titled "Regarding Intimacy," is a collection of photography and video works assembled by curator Saul Robbins. The exhibition originally opened March 29 at Hunter College Galleries in New York City. Flak Photo is publishing a photo a day, Monday through Friday, from nine photographers featured in the exhibit. The online exhibition will run through May 12, 2007.

From Flak Photo's website:

The show is called "Regarding Intimacy" a collection of photography and video that explores the dynamics between families, couples, friends, neighbors and the environment to investigate relationships in traditional intimate interactions.

In recent years, increasingly risqué depictions of physical and sexual intimacy have pervaded visual media. However, many other photographic portrayals of intimacy exist, as contemporary photographers continue to explore the influential relationships in their day-to-day lives. The artists in this exhibition reveal a dynamic and multifaceted reading of interpersonal intimacy, proposing that it is our own experience of intimate relationships, rather than that depicted in the media, which is the most enduring and satisfying...

Flak Photo's presentation is indeed enviable, and their strategy of publishing an image a day is an intriguing one: all of us bloggers are trying to get people coming back, after all. An image a day, however, might not be enough for such a well-presented online magazine...err, blogzine.

CameraArts Museum Exhibition Listings and Calls for Entry

We have just updated the Museum Exhibitions and Calls for Entry sections of the CameraArts website to include information through May and June 2007. We have been running these features in every issue for a long while, and the upcoming May/June 2007 edition is no exception. Come take a look!

Photos of the Month, May 2007: Weddings and Gatherings

Untitled
Originally uploaded by cameraartsblog.

Untitled
by Russ Osterweil
#5 of 5
Visit the photographer's website

Photos of the Month, May 2007: Weddings and Gatherings

Renaissance Bride
Originally uploaded by cameraartsblog.

Renaissance Bride
by Ron Germundson
#4 of 5
I wanted this image to reflect the characteristics of another time.
Visit the photographer's website

Photos of the Month, May 2007: Weddings and Gatherings

In Expectation of Good Fortune
Originally uploaded by cameraartsblog.

In Expectation of Good Fortune
by Georgiy Londarenko
#3 of 5
It was in Brooklyn Heights, in the place that has a beautiful view to Manhattan. There were several married couples as they usually are in that time. Suddenly, I saw two girls snuggled up together for warmth. I found it out very symbolic. It seems they just stay in expectation of good fortune.
Visit the photographer's website

Photos of the Month, May 2007: Weddings and Gatherings

Joseph at the Wedding
Originally uploaded by cameraartsblog.

Joseph at the Wedding
by Erin Wolfe
#1 of 5

Photos of the Month, May 2007: Weddings and Gatherings

Untitled
Originally uploaded by cameraartsblog.

Untitled
by Amy Allen
#2 of 5

Photos of the Month: Voting Now Open!

Now that the 20 finalists have been chosen for the month of March, all of our readers are invited to participate in the vote by clicking HERE. Voting has already started today, and will continue for a week until 12 noon PST on May 11, 2007. Thumbnails of all entries will be displayed, as well as links to Flickr, where all contest finalists have been displayed during the month of April 2007.

The subject for April, "Travel,” led to a wide range of submissions from all types of photographers and every experience level. Everyone who participated and wasn't selected as part of the final 20 should be assured that the CameraArts staff had some TOUGH decisions to make when it came to selecting entries!

We invite everyone to enter our next contest, which is already underway. The subject is "Weddings and Gatherings." Everyone is allowed to enter (except for those who have already won—heavy is the crown). Send all entries (low-res jpegs only, please) or any questions you might have to tgibbons@cameraarts.com, along with your full name, image title, and medium used. Every Monday of May 2007, five entries will be selected for the final vote. All selected images will be posted here and on Flickr. One image per person, per category, please.

Thanks to everyone for submitting, and best of luck to our finalists! Click here to vote!

Alec Soth interview at Artkrush, the e-mail magazine

OK, now I'm scared. Artkrush, an online blog that also identifies itself as an "email magazine," seems poised to take the art publishing world by storm. A part of the Flavorpill network, which offers a total of eleven email magazines (it has grown from a community of a few hundred friends, which originated in October 2000), Artkrush has a dizzying proliferation of sheer information. They boast hundreds of staffers, and no preferred content or paid placements. The site is an example of a phenomenon that seems to be occurring all over the internet: old terms are taking on new meanings, and organizations are experimenting with familiar online formats, working in new variations.

The whole thing is offered as a free service, like our own e-newsletter FRAMES, and all of their articles are also available on their home page. We at CameraArts prefer to keep the information on our main page, our blog, and our newsletter separate. This gives more incentive for our loyal readers to experience what we have to offer to the fullest. We try to avoid "repeating" information as much as we can.

The Artkrush interview with prominent photographer and blogger Alec Soth is online, one of many articles offered gratis on the site. Alec Soth talks with Editor Paul Laster about the beginnings of his own blog, how it augments with his photography career, and his general philosophy about the blogosphere. It's a good read, just like Alec's blog.

From the Alec Soth Interview on Artkrush:

My own website is handy as a central gathering place for information about projects, exhibitions, lectures, etc. The blog is something altogether different. It's not a promotional tool. If anything, I think it probably works against me. The art world is about exclusivity, and blogs are about availability.

If you just said aloud, "This was in an art magazine???" I don't blame you. If blogs (and, supposedly, the internet at large) are all about an open experience, where readers can turn into publishers simply by hitting a button or pasting a swatch of html code, what does it mean for the art industry? Will the two keep melding together, or is such a fusion simply not possible? I keep thinking of two animals that have never met before running into each other in the wild. One result comes to mind, and it doesn't involve a hug and a handshake...

Preview Portfolios at CameraArts Exclusives

Ever want to take a step into our submissions-screening process? You actually don't—the whole process is unruly and disrespectful of the many spreadsheets and tables that we conjure week to week. Before now, we've only been featuring photographers that are already published in the pages of CameraArts. Now, we present sneak peeks at contributing artists.

UPDATE: We have reposted the portfolios as image galleries created with Simpleviewer. Click here to be taken to the web exclusives section.

Now accepting entries for Photos of the Month: Weddings and Gatherings

All of the finalists are in for Photos of the Month, April 2007: Travel. Voting will begin 12 noon PST on May 4, and close May 11. Winners will be announced soon afterward. We are always accepting entries, however, and the first day of May is no exception!

Photos of the Month, May 2007 will have Weddings and Gatherings as its theme. Photographers can still get juicy assignments through wedding photography, and in today's changing world of mainstream media, tastes are growing more varied. It's not just all about diffused light and pearly white smiles—show us your own version of matrimonial bliss! We will accept images from any other kind of gathering or celebration as well.

You will be able to read about our rules and guidelines for Photos of the Month here. Give us your best...

Turkey Photographs on Display at SoHo Photo

From May 3 to June 2, 2007, five photographers will exhibit their work at SoHo Photo gallery in New York, home of the Krappy Kamera and National Photography competitions. The history, culture, and people of Turkey—all three of which can become intertwined in the photograph—will be a shared subject.

Atila Durak's series "Ebru: Reflections of Cultural Diversity in Turkey" takes a multi-tiered approach to its subject with portraits of the Turkish people in their everyday environments, and draws a metaphorical comparison to the traditional art form of Ebru. Atila Durak has exhibited at venues including the Imperial Mint of the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, his city of main operations. You can view the artist's website here.

From the artist's statement on SoHo Photo's website:

“Ebru,” which means “marbled paper” in Turkish, refers to the effects of an artistic process marked by the fluidity of paint and water on paper. An “ebru” metaphorically offers a promising alternative to such terms as “mosaic” or “quilt” for contemplating the dilemmas of cultural politics, past and present.

Four SoHo Photo members will also be exhibiting, and three have also chosen Turkey as material and inspiration. These include "Sic Transit Gloria," a photographic exhibit of Greek and Roman ruins by John Lebold Cohen. The name of the exhibit means "glory is fleeting," and reminds us that while classical legacies endure in their places of origin, places like Turkey tend to move on. Gisa Indenbaum's exhibit "Kula, Turkey" is a series of 16 photographs documenting the photographer's encounters with the people of this old town. In "Glimpses of Istanbul," Robert Lobe examines with long shots and detailed close-ups the many faces and eras of Turkey, from the Byzantines, to the Ottomans, to modern life.

John Custodio will also exhibit his images, not of Turkey, but of Las Vegas, Nevada, the modern-day Babylon. The difficulty in capturing exciting landscapes of Sin City isn't helped by its sheer amount of activity (and excess), or its familiar postcard images. Custodio has found a solution in the infrared image, in which everything has a static, almost eery glow. The contrast of subject and style of photography makes quite a statement, one that SoHo Photo has no qualms about.