CALL FOR ENTRIES: The Art League of Northern California

Having held its grand opening September 1, 2007, the patio gallery at The Art League of Northern California has qualified as a museum and renamed the Marin Museum of Contemporary Art. Located in Marin County, California, the organization has had a national juried photography show every year since it changed its name from Indian Valley Artists. Titled "It's Photography III: National Juried Exhibition," the competition is open to all artists, 18 and over, nationwide. Up to six images will be accepted, with a non-members' fee of $35 for for the first three entries, and an additional $5 for each additional entry. Members will have their rates reduced by $5. Mediums include traditional, digital and mixed media. Video and film will not be accepted.

A total of $1,200 in awards will be given, and the deadline is November 1, 2007.

From the Art League of Northern California's website:

"(Juror) Will Mosgrove is the Director of Graduate Photography at the Academy of
Art University in San Francisco and has been involved in the photographic
community for over thirty years. Mr. Mosgrove has run and maintained his
own successful photography business for the past twenty-six years and has
won numerous national awards, including recognition from Communication Arts,
Print and AIGA. He has also volunteered his time with the Advertising
Photographers of America (APA) where he held the office of National President
for three terms. He most recently served as Senior Vice-President for APA where

he oversaw Operations and Brand for the organization. His work may be seen at www.willmosgrove.com."

For prospectus and entry form, click here.

Exhibition of photographs by an unsung hero of color

Starting October 27, 2007, M+B Fine Arts in Los Angeles (corrected 09/28/07) will present a special exhibition of color photographs by Saul Leiter, in the exhibition Early Color. Taken from 1948 to 1960, these images represent an ahead-of-its-time mastery of color that has largely gone unnoticed for four decades. Based on the photographic book of the same name, released early 2006, the exhibition has been traveling the country for the past couple of years.

From M+B's press release:

“(Leiter) met the Abstract Expressionist painter Richard Pousette-Dart, who was experimenting with photography. Leiter's friendship with Pousette-Dart, and soon after with W. Eugene Smith, and the photography exhibitions he saw in New York, particularly Henri Cartier-Bresson at the Museum of Modern Art in 1947, inspired his growing involvement with photography.”

Leiter's first exhibition of photography came as part of Edward Steichen's 1953 survey of black-and-white photography at New York's Museum of Modern Art, Always the Young Stranger. His first exhibition of color photography took place later that decade at the Artist's Club, which would come to be associated with the society of expressionist artists that formed in the early twentieth century and would cede its territory, often bitterly and unwillingly, to the rising consumerist notions of contemporary art in New York.

The confluence of styles and perspectives coming from artists working in so many mediums, from painting to photography, may have led to Leiter's revolutionary interpretation of color in his images. In a time when black and white was still moving past its status as curious invention into the realm of fine art, Leiter was doing more than hand coloring, in which the composition of the original image remains the basis: his images were about color.

Click here to find out more about this exhibition.

National Geographic announces shortlist for 2007 Photographic Prize

Four top photographers have been selected for National Geographic’s fifth annual major international photography award, The Photographic Portrait Prize. 60 portraits were selcted from a pool of 6,900 entries from 2,700 photographers. This record-setting number of submissions comes from photographers all over the world. The exhibition will run from November 8, 2007 to February 24, 2008 at the National Portrait Gallery in London.

England-based photographer Michelle Sank was selected for her single portrait Janine; Argentinian photographer Julieta Sans for Lucila a.m.; English photographer David Stewart for Alice & Fish; and Israeli photographer jonathan Torgovnik, for Joseline Ingabire with her daughter Leah Batamuliza, Rwanda. The winning portraits can be viewed here.

From the National Portrait Gallery’s press announcement:

“The prize-winners for the National Portrait Gallery’s Photographic Portrait Prize will be announced at a ceremony on Tuesday 6th November 2007 at 7pm. The Godfrey Argent Award for the best portrait taken by a photographer aged between 18 and 25 will also be presented that evening. The Press View for the exhibition will be Wednesday 7 November 11am-1pm. The exhibition opens to the public on Thursday 8 November. The exhibition will tour in 2008.”

Click here to read more about the exhibition.

IPA and The Lucie Awards unveil two new categories

Produced by the International Photography Awards (IPA), the 5th annual Lucie Awards will take place October 15, 2007. Two new categories have been announced: The $5000 Deeper Perspective award, sponsored by Pilsner Urquell and intended for photography that tells a bigger story through a few powerful images; and the Spotlight Award, presented by Hasselblad, will honor an individual, organization, or corporation that has contributed significantly to change in the world of photography. The recipient for this year’s Spotlight Award has already been announced: Magnum Photos.

From the Lucies’ press announcement:

"(Magnum Photos,) initially based in Paris and New York and today also in London and Tokyo, departed from conventional practice in two fairly radical ways. It was founded as a co-operative in which the staff, including co-founders Maria Eisner and Rita Vandivert, would support rather than direct the photographers. It introduced the revolutionary concept that copyright would be held by the authors of the imagery, not by the magazines that published the work.”

The Awards will take place at Avery Hall in Lincoln Center, NYC, and CameraArts Publisher Tim Anderson will be in attendance, as will Larry Padgett of The Center for Fine Art Photography. Last year, CameraArts Magazine was nominated for Photography Magazine of the Year, so needless to say we are excited to see who will be selected in 2007! You still have a chance to vote on your favorites for nomination here. We hope you’ll give us your vote!

Tickets to the event are available through The Lincoln Center’s website.

CALL FOR ENTRIES: PX3's The Human Condition

This one-time only event aims to document the wide spectrum of peoples' ways of life around the world. Entries may showcase daily experiences and encounters involving people from any walk of life. Rich to poor, from the West to the Third World, from joyful celebration to global expressions of sorrow. $6,000 in awards. 25 chosen photographers will be exhibited at an as-yet unannounced gallery in Paris, and published in a high quality catalogue. Entry fees are $20 for each photograph, and $30 for each series of 2-5 images. Entries from certain countries will enjoy fee discounts.

The Deadline is October 1, 2007.

From the Px3 website:

"The purpose of this exhibition is to broadcast the bold contrasts of human conditions around the globe. The top 25 winning photographs selected by the esteemed jury of magazine and newspaper photography editors will be exhibited in Los Angeles and New York."

Click here to register or login.

The International Weekend of Fine Art Photography

From October 31 to November 4, 2007, The Center for Fine Art Photography will present a weekend of celebrating photography. The historic Armstrong Hotel in Old Town, Fort Collins has generously offered discounted lodging rates to participants. The price of registration is $695.00, but a ten percent discount is being offered for applications made before October 1. The deadline for registration is October 8. A workshop will run through much of the weekend, and opportunities to interact with fellow photographers abound at concurrent events.

Zen and the Art of Photography, a workshop hosted by Doug Beasley, will run throughout. A seasoned photographer and educator, Beasley's work represents incredible light work, as seen in his nudes and portraiture, and an amazing eye for telling moments that suggest unseen truths, and make them felt to the viewer. Beasley's "Earth Meets Spirit" images are fine examples of this kind of evocation, and can be found on his superb website. Workshop participants will learn to deepen their visual awareness through field trips and visual exercises, while contemplating internal and external elements as they relate to the individual photographer.

A new documentary, "The Eloquent Nude," is to be screened at O'Dells Brewery. The film will examine the lives and legacies of Edward Weston and Charis Wilson, who together formed a fruitful (not to mention renowned) creative marriage. Wilson, who has supplied much of the material for this film, was more than Weston's model and love: she supported and inspired her husband for the 11 years they were together, even helped Weston to apply and be selected for for the Guggenheim Grant. Weston would be the first photographer to receive this honor.

The weekend will culminate in the 2007 International Exhibition of Fine Art Photography, with VIP and public receptions taking place November 2. The exhibition will feature 48 artists from six countries, selected by Roger Reynolds, immediate past president of The Royal Photographic Society, and Raymond Spence of the Warwickshire College School of Art. The next morning will offer the opportunity to have breakfast with the artists, followed by an evening talk by Beasley. An online version of the exhibition will be available on October 12. Click here for details about the selected photographers.

The Center for Fine Art Photography is always accepting entries for their current competition. Click here to find out more about their newest offering, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles...

Yahoo Photos to shut down September 20, Smugmug moves in

Yahoo Photos users will find themselves adrift when the company will discard its photo-sharing feature in favor of Flickr, which was bought by Yahoo in March 2005. Yahoo has acknowledged the differences between the two programs, and has offered the alternatives of Shutterfly and Kodak Gallery services. Smugmug, the “anti-establishment” photo site, has weighed in with a unique offer for Yahoo Photos customers.

A discount of 50% will be applied to new Smugmug subscriptions made by Yahoo customers. Emphasizing a low number of pop-ups or banner ads, Smugmug offers many features to the professional photographer, such as a user rating system that makes images increasingly visible on Smugmug’s site-wide search engine, shopping cart options for prints, and options for customization.

Having worked with both Flickr and Smugmug, I have to give the gold star to the latter. Smugmug is also pushing the envelope in uploading options, and functionality with Adobe programs.

From Smugmug’s press release:

“While sites like Flickr and Shutterfly have design limitations due to built-in editing applications, SmugMug unleashes a file uploader for Adobe PhotoShop Elements 6. Adobe Photoshop files can now be manipulated/edited and uploaded for display on a SmugMug user’s site, with the best and brightest picture clarity.”

Senior Vice President of Yahoo Brad Garlinghouse has expressed a wish to focus on clear-set goals, rather than trying to be everything to everyone. This is outlined in his memo, “The Peanut Butter Manifesto,” in which worries are expressed that Yahoo is being spread too thin.

On the other hand, Smugmug’s customer service is truly enviable. With the profusion of websites and online services, customer service is usually the first thing that is left by the wayside by companies struggling to keep ahead and adapt. It’s good to see that a well-specified service can keep going, and meet success in doing so.

Lexar and Kodak to explore a deeper relationship

A five-year extended agreement has been signed between Eastman Kodak and Lexar, makers of flash memory products for digital cameras and other peripherals, including the Kodak line of SD memory cards. The agreement has performance-based exclusivity, so the sales will determine the ongoing health (and existence) of the contract. To this end, the two companies will expand both distribution and variety of products under the Kodak name. Since the beginning of the partnership in 2004, Lexar has, with its acquisition of Micron Technology, Inc. in 2006, expanded into USB memory.

From Lexar’s Press Release:

"Today, the consumer market for digital photography has evolved to encompass advanced flash products that not only allow the capturing of still and video images with cameras and cell phones, but also serve a growing network of other products and services, including home printers, on-line services and in-store kiosks for printing and sharing photos, as well as new devices such as digital frames that let people display and share their digital photos and videos."

Kodak's selection of memory products have, up to now, included basic and "high perfomance" SD cards, xD-Picture cards, and 4-gigabyte SDHC cards. By affixing the little yellow sticker with that ubiquitous Kodak logo, Lexar clearly intends to push the famous photographic name with faster transfer speeds and longer lifetimes for memory cards. It has yet to be seen how many other products will receive the Kodak treatment.

Fujifilm announces worldwide price increase for color film

To take place in October, all of Fujifilm’s color film products will see an increase in price, as a result of climbing prices for materials. Costs of silver, oil, and other raw products are expected to go up by five percent. The company has attempted intensive reforms and infrastructure changes to accommodate these changes, but cannot avoid raising their prices.

From CBS Marketwatch, “Silver may shine brightest among metals,” published March 2007:

“Due to current supply/demand trends, the amount of silver above ground is projected to shrink to a critically low level in 2010. As supply shrinks, prices will keep rising steadily to new highs. Many in the investment world are unaware of this part of silver's story. Industrial demand has been outstripping mining supply for the past 15 years, driving above ground supply to historically low levels.”

From 1900 to 1990, the amount of above-ground silver in the world dropped by nearly ten billion ounces. Photography was only on culprit: silver, like gold, is a wonder-metal for any number of electronic devices.

Material has always been one of the main incentives of digital photography—why waste half a roll of film (if you’re a haphazard shooter like me) when you can clear space off a memory drive instead—even when (with the help of LCDs) you can review what you’ve taken while still in the field? For every photographer that applauds the reduction of wasted material, however, there will be one that argues the value of the material lends the final photograph a more precious quality.

Fujifilm should be congratulated for persevering in the color film market, especially considering that nearly all other suppliers have abandoned their own products in favor of digital alternatives. As anyone who has traveled abroad knows, these little green rolls can be lifesavers as a universal fall-back for photographers of all walks of life. Hopefully they won’t be forced out of mainstream retailers because of market forces.

WORKSHOP: Photography Workshops in Guatemala

As part of the Art Workshops in Guatemala program, a photography workshop series will be running 2007-2008. The first, “Portraiture / Exploring the Soul of Guatemala,” will run October 26 to November 4, 2007 in the city of Antigua. The workshop, taught by acclaimed Canadian photojournalist Nance Ackerman, will take place during Todos Santos, which encompasses All Saints’ Day on November 1. Special topics include shooting in natural light, editing in-camera, and advice on shooting people in a respectful manner.

From Art Workshops in Guatemala’s website:

"The workshops are held in Antigua, Guatemala, where colorful bougainvillea spill over tumbling rocks of centuries-old ruins. Indigenous women's 'traje' and cobblestone streets inspire unique images. It's a delightful small town with an international ambiance featuring spectacular visuals, fabulous restaurants, funky outdoor cafés but most importantly, warm-hearted, welcoming people.”

The later two workshops are “Photography / Capturing Guatemala’s Light and Contrasts (with a focus on digital photography)” by David H. Wells, photo-essayist for Philadelphia Enquirer Sunday Magazine, running March 6 to 15, 2008; and “Spirit of Place,” with advertising and editorial photographer Doug Beasly, October 26 to November 4, 2008.

The photography workshops are offered alongside other Art Workshops, including those for Creative Writing, Drawing/Painting/Watercolor, Fiber Arts/Beading/Textiles/Weaving, and others. Click here for complete information and registration rates.

September 5, 2007 CameraArts Preview Portfolios

The CameraArts Preview Portfolios have another three additions! Many of the photographers featured in this section will be published in future issues of CameraArts Magazine. Tell us your thoughts by leaving a comment below the fold. Your comments might make it into the print edition, along with some of these great photographers.

Margaret Kauffmann has assembled a series, "Prayer Images," that is truly unique. Created for her brother, who was recently diagnosed with cancer, Kauffmann has interposed black marks, or "tumors," of liquid emulsion, alongside landscapes of meditative healing. Jon Kolkin presents a series of natural "Tide Pool" images, and explores the details and subtleties of light and form to be found in any setting, no matter how inconspicuous. In "Caribbean Dreaming," Stuart McCallum captures white and blue abstractions in an unlikely place: a cruise ship in the East Caribbean.

CALL FOR ENTRIES: BJP International Photography Award

The British Journal of Photography has announced the fourth annual BJP International Photography Award. Submissions should represent a single, cohesive body of work, and consist of 20 to 30 images. The winning photographer will have an exhibition of his or her images at The Association Gallery in Shoreditch, London. All printing from digital files or negatives will be done by Spectrum Photographic, one of Europe's leading fine art photography specialists. A Linhof Master Technika Classic 4x5 large format camera will also be provided, along with accessories valued at more than £5600 ($11,400), presented by Linhof Studio. Entry fee is £20 ($40 US).

The Deadline is September 24, 2007.

UK photographer Charlie Crane was the winner of last year's competition, and the resulting book, Welcome to Pyongyang, is now available from book publisher Chris Boot. An inside look at North Korea's tourism industry, the series presents its subjects, from architectural landmarks to classroom interiors, with a formality that makes the shoots seem like regal events. These images represent the pride of the North Korean people, meant to be shown to the rest of the world. Anything less would be far more difficult, and perhaps dangerous, to capture on film.

There is no fixed theme. The judges will be looking for an original perspective combined with high-quality images—a series that will carry a two-story exhibition. The winner will have to make his or her own travel arrangements to the exhibition. Click here to find out more about entering this year's competition.

WORKSHOP: Foto Asia's 10 days and nights in Ho Chi Minh City

Foto Asia, a cultural organization dedicated to developing and encouraging interaction between European and Asian photographers, is offering a workshop November 22 to December 2, 2007 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Participants can work in any format, be it digital or film. Workshop leader Nicolas Pascarel will instruct ten participants as they assemble photojournalistic essays of about 20 images. He will be assisted by Tinnakorn Nugul, a Thai photographer, and photo expeditions can and will take place at any time of day, depending on when circumstances (and inspiration) demand. There will be a strong focus on a close-knit group collaborating to find subjects.

From Foto Asia's website:

"A common vibe shared by myself and all participants is necessary for the sake of the work we will do together, as well as for the sake of positive personal relationships. This is how I have always succeeded during my previous workshops in Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. Participants are living together in order to maintain the group, and to be united and productive, no matter the different backgrounds nor the styles of the photography, a common goal and passion."

This workshop is unusual in that it is being offered in multiple languages: both Pascarel and Nugul speak English, French, Spanish, Italian, and Thai. Pascarel has had an ongoing passion for Southeast Asia, having lived and taught there since the year 2000. A follower of styles favored by Henri Cartier-Bresson, and later, James Nachtwey, Pascarel's images show the same gift for capturing that special moment, as well as the pursuit of the full realization of these moments.

A gallery of Pascarel's images can be found here and here. The workshop is limited to ten participants, and is priced at 1,000 Euro (about $1,200 USD).

Deadline for entries is on November 1, 2007. Click here for inquiries.

Photo Festival: PhotoVentura 2007

From October 20 to November 3, 2007, dozens of photographic events will be hosted in Ventura, California. During PhotoVenura 2007, photographers, artists, and galleries in the area will act in tandem to fill the festival with slide shows, contests, workshops, and exhibits. Special events include an inaugural PhotoVentura Gallery Crawl. This year's event has drawn over 100 participating artists at more than 20 venues. Foremost among these is the Buenaventura Gallery, the city's oldest showing space, which will host both "17mm and 180°: Altered Views, New Visions" with Kim and Peter Binfield, and will also co-sponsor Kidz Snap, a photo safari for children with a presentation at Bell Arts Factory.

From the PhotoVentura website, quoting photographer and festival founder Stephen "Schaf" Schafer:

"After the success of PhotoVentura 2005, people just kept asking me, when's the next Photoventura?" With the City of Ventura promoting itself as California's New Art City, art programming has been multiplying in the Downtown Cultural District. The city has managed to use art as a catalyst in the downtown area, exciting locals, tourists, merchants and artists with the New Art City Concept."

This seems more than just a local art festival, one deserving of national notice. Ventura appears to have a passion for photography built into its arts scene, with so many galleries participating. Schafer and Co. have needed only to announce a date for all of these organizations to come together—such strong bonds in the community have clearly led to a strong sense of organization and cooperation. The event will be all-inclusive to the various forms of photography, from black and white to color, from traditional landscapes and portraits to cutting edge, abstract works.

For a full list of participating galleries and events, visit www.photoventura.com.

Pentax puts medium format DSLR on hold

Insiders are doubting whether Pentax's medium format DSLR, the 645 Digital, will ever be released. The model has been declared "no longer a priority for Pentax" by Hiroshi Onoda, European general manager for Imaging Systems. Only a dummy version of the camera has been shown to the public. Since its unveiling at the Photo Imaging Expo Show in 2005, Pentax has boasted features such as a Kodak 31 megapixel sensor and compatibility with Pentax 645 SMC lenses. Now it seems highly unlikely that this SLR will ever be released, perhaps because of a strategic realignment at the company.

From The Amateur Photographer:

"Speculation over Pentax's camera policy has been rife after Tokyo-based newspaper Nikkei reported yesterday that Pentax plans to 'abandon the development of medium format single-lens reflex cameras designed for professional photographers and specialise in digital offerings for new and intermediate users.' It is not clear whether this implies the cancellation of the 645 Digital..."

Pentax's planned merger with Hoya, first announced December 2006, has also been stalled, the terms of which were rejected by Pentax shareholders in May of this year. The board ended up removing both the President and Chief Financial Officer of Pentax.

As part of a new agreement, both companies will continue to use their existing brands, and Pentax will retain the makeup of its three major branches: optical components, medical equipment, and digital cameras. And the board will resign: a complete turnaround from the company's prior position. It makes one wonder if the recession of SLR emphasis, in favor of entry-level products, is another result of this turbulent merger.

Roger Mayne exhibition at Gitterman Gallery

Gitterman Gallery, located in New York, has dedicated itself to the art of photography. The photographs of Roger Mayne will be displayed September 21 to November 30, 2007. Images are taken from the breadth of the photographer's career, from his most celebrated to more obscure images from the 1960s. Born in 1929, Roger Mayne became known for shooting working-class neighborhoods in his native England. His nature photography of rural England and other places will also be on view.

As a boy, Mayne turned to photography to escape a rigid, controlled living environment and relate to people. This is reflected in the pathos contained in these images of everyday people in 1950s England. The sympathetic feel of Mayne's camera reveals more than just the way people looked, dressed, and gathered.

From the Gitterman Gallery's press release:

"These spare cityscapes express the anxiety that though the coming modernization of London would provide better housing and cleaner streets, it would also mark the end of community life in the street. During his travels abroad in the Mediterranean and later the East, Mayne photographed wherever he found vibrant street life continuing to exist. His choice to make some large scale prints was uncommon for the time and emphasized the immediacy of his expression."

Click here to view a gallery of images.

Image ©Roger Mayne

Canon and Nikon release new top-of-the-line DSLRs

Canon has announced their newest addition to the E0S Series. The E0S-1Ds Mark III's number of effective megapixels more than doubles its predecessor, the
E0S-1D, at 21.1 megapixels. The camera also introduces a full frame matching the size of 35mm film. Not to be outdone, Nikon announced shortly afterward its own contender for the cutting edge of medium-format cameras, the 12.1 megapixel D3. This is Nikon's first SLR to have a full frame sensor.

From CNET:

"A full-frame sensor is a feature that some Nikon fans jealously eyed in Canon 35mm models. But adding it poses complications, especially for higher-end enthusiasts who've invested in Nikon lenses that support only the smaller DX size or who are considering new lens purchases. DX lenses will work only in a limited 5.1-megapixel mode on FX cameras, and the two formats can pose <>confusing compatibility and performance issues for consumers."

The price tag of Nikon's new FX system comes to about $5,000, and with the neccessary lens upgrades on top of it, this may be out of reach for even the truest, bluest Nikon enthusaists. Canon's E0S-1Ds is priced at $7,999.

Nikon has also opened a free training center on Flickr, the photo sharing website, designed to help everyday people get more out of their digital cameras. Check it out here.