CameraArts Preview Portfolios: October 30, 2007

The CameraArts Preview Portfolios have returned once again! We love getting new submissions to our magazine, and if you would like to know how to apply for the portfolios, or to be featured in our print edition, click here to be taken to our rules and guidelines. Our featured photographers this week include Blue Mitchell, creator of abstract black-and-white photography, Lara Weschler, Brooklyn-based street photographer, and Jene Youtt, who has a unique view of fashion and beauty photography. Don't forget to tell us what you think by leaving comments below the fold!

Paris Photo 2007 presents the Magnum Photos Program

In celebration of its 60th year, Magnum Photo Agency has announced the upcoming inauguration of its first Paris gallery on November 17. The opening will take place during Paris Photo 2007, organized at the Carrousel du Louvre. The gallery will have regular exhibitions of vintage photography from Magnum's archives, as well as contemporary works of fine art photography. This dichotomy is represented in the inaugural exhibiton, a Tribute to Leonard Freed/Fashion Magazine by Alec Soth.

Having passed away last year at age 77, photographer Leonard Freed captured many lost periods and places in the American landscape: New York's Jewish community in the 1950s, the series "Black in America," which captures Harlem in the 60s, and "Police Work," a 70s portfolio of true crime photographs in the tradition of Weegee and other photographic greats.

Freed is a respectable addition to Magnum's collection of vintage work, and Soth, another American, may someday be right alongside.

For more information on Paris Photo, which takes place November 15 to 18, 2007, visit their website here.

December is A Month of Photography in New Orleans

In December 2007, New Orleans Photo Alliance will present, in collaboration with city museums, galleries, and local photographers, the Second Annual PhotoNOLA: A Month of Photography in New Orleans. For thirty days, the City will be host to fine art photography exhibitions, gallery lectures, portfolio reviews, panel discussions and workshops, and a street fair. The festivities begin November 30, 2007, with a Gala and Print Auction at the Annex of the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. The works of Maggie Taylor, Hiroshi Watanabe, Keith Carter, and others will be up for sale. Carter, along with Chris Jordan, will be hosting workshops and public slide presentations on the first and second weekends of the month.

Coordinated gallery openings on the first and second Saturdays will showcase some great contemporary photography, including work by Debbie Fleming Caffery, Robert Polidori, Josephine Sacabo and Louviere+Vanessa. Another anticipated event is PhotoNOMA on December 5 at the New Orleans Museum of Art, where 100 photographers will display their portfolios as part of a community art walk. The Photo Alliance Street Fair will take place December 15.

If anyone without experience of these kinds of events imagines a staid, dull, and confusing affair for non-photographers, rest assured this cannot be further from the truth. When enough photographers are gathered together, with the incentives of portfolio reviews and meetings among industry professionals encouraging a turnout of their best work, the images and artwork on display rivals that of any national or international art festival. Participants bring not only their work, but their curiosity and passion as well.

For a full list of lectures, exhibitions, and events, click here.

Aperture West Lecture Series comes to Seattle

On Saturday, November 3, 2007, South African photographer Pieter Hugo will participate in an Aperture West Collaborative Lecture Series at the Henry Art Gallery. This lecture follows performances at Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, November 1, and PhotoAlliance in San Francisco, November 2. Located in the center of the University of Washington campus in Seattle, there are few venues that are as ideal for hosting photographic exhibitions and lectures by the artist. Even when the subjects are African tribesmen who keep hyenas as pets. The Henry Art Gallery has hosted all kinds of exhibitions, from installation to sculpture to erotic Japanese illustration.

Pieter Hugo was named the Standard Bank Young Artist for 2007, and won first prize in the Portraits section of the 2006 World Press Photo competition. His photographs of African albino children received a great deal of acclaim, and one image, Wonderful Nokukhanya, was used on all promotional materials for photo l.a. 2007.

From the artist's website:

"The first series of pictures had caused varying reactions from people - inquisitiveness, disbelief and repulsion. People were fascinated by them, just as I had been by that first cellphone photograph. A director of a large security company in the USA contacted me, asking how to get in touch with the 'hyena group'. He saw marketing potential: surely these men must use some type of herb to protect themselves against hyenas, baboons, dogs and snakes? He thought that security guards, soldiers and his own pocket could benefit from this medicine."

The Seattle and Los Angeles lectures are free and open to the public. The San Francisco installment, with introductory presentation by Leon Borenzstein, will cost $10 for admission.

Click here to read more about Apertures West Collaborative Series.

Daniel Cooney Fine Art teams up with iGavel.com

Located in the Chelsea District of Manhattan, NYC, Daniel Cooney Fine Art is a gallery committed to making fine art photographs of exceptional quality available to the collecting community. Now the gallery is expanding its range online with its auctions of fine photographic prints, held three times a year on iGavel.com. A preview exhibition takes place at the gallery, but bids may be made online.

Available works include those by Alexander Calder, David Halliday, Lewis Hine, Dorothea Lange, Sally Mann, Ralph Morse, Herb Ritts, Edward Steichen, Arthur Tress, Joel Peter Witkin and many more. Prospective material for auction should be submitted only by consignment. Daniel Cooney Fine Art does not accept material directly from artists. If you are interested, contact the gallery at its website with a list of what you want to offer.

Click here to view a list of all items being auctioned by Daniel Cooney (username: dcooney) at this time.

Auction to benefit the Photo Review

Every year, The Photo Review, the journal of fine art photography, holds a benefit auction featuring an international collection of 270 photographs in vintage and contemporary categories. Items on auction are expected to go for anywhere from $50 to $8,000. A silent auction will coincide with the live event, offering photography and computer equipment, as well as books, musem tickets, and restaurant meals. Online bids are available through November 9, 2007.

Photographers include Eugène Atget, Maxime Du Camp,Gordon Parks, Herb Ritts, Edward Steichen, and many more, including a considerable selection of 19th century works. The auction will take place 7pm, November 10, 2007 at the Dorrance-Hamilton Building at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. A reception at 6 p.m. will honor Ricardo Viera and the Lehigh University Art Galleries in Bethlehem, PA, with The Photo Review Award for 2007.
You may make online bids at photo review's website by clicking here.

Image: Bruce Springsteen(profile). © Herb Ritts

CALL FOR ENTRIES: Where in the World is Smuggy?

SmugMug, the photo-sharing site with support options for everyone from the casual digital photographer to the hard-core shutterbug with a name to promote and prints to sell, is hosting an online competition for its members. An all-expenses-paid trip to Napa Valley, CA, awaits the photographer who captures the SmugMug logo in the most outlandish, eclectic, and exotic location possible. Free SmugMug subscriptions will also be offered.

Deadline for entries is December 5, 2007.

Also, SmugMug has partnered with Blurb, online publishers of creative books. As a result, SmugMug users will have the tools to create, publish, market, and sell professional quality books of photography. If you haven't tried SmugMug yet, you will be surprised at just how many professional features are being offered to the career photographer.

You may submit to "Where in the World is Smuggy?" online at this site. Two-week free trials are available to non-members. Winners will be announced one week after the contest ends.

PMA 2008: Special offer to attendees in Las Vegas, NV

From January 31 to February 2, 2008, PMA 2008 will light up the Las Vegas strip with a celebration of all things relating to "memory making"—or the art, business, and technology of the photograph. Over 200 educational sessions are being offered, and 600 exhibitors representing camera-makers and imaging technology companies will be in attendance. During the event, 23 participating hotels will offer special accomodation rates to PMA attendees. Booking must be made by December 2, 2007.

From the PMA's website:

"PMA represents 20,000 members in 100-plus countries who actively contribute to the expanding $83 billion imaging industry. As photo imaging continues to evolve, this association has grown to represent the diversity in imaging: photo retailers and processors, manufacturers, commercial imaging labs, sports and event photography, custom picture frame shops, and scrapbook retailers. PMA is committed to helping these segments increase their profitability and expand their consumer, commercial and industrial markets."

For 83 years, PMA (formerly known as the Photo Finishers Association of America) has helped in connecting photographic imaging businesses with one another via a network of knowledge and professional support. PMA is now comprised of a varied mix of businesses, both national and international, including school photographers, commercial studios, custom frame shops, scrapbook retailers, and photographers of all kinds. PMA 2008 is being boasted as the world's largest annual international photography event.

Registration for the event opened September 28, 2007, and will remain so until January 2, 2008. Registration for the full show is $49 for PMA members and $99 for non-members. Membership sign-up is available as part of the registration process for newcomers. Click here for more information.

Permanent Exhibit of photographer Dan Eldon launched in New York City

In New York City's Soho district, the Candela /Decker Gallery has provided a permanent home to the work of Dan Eldon. The late photographer was killed 15 years ago at age 22 while working in Somalia, and many of his photographs, writings, collages, and journals will be on display. Titled "The Journey Is The Destination," the exhibition will open October 27, 2007, coinciding with the release of Eldon's photo journal of the same name. Though his first photo credits appeared when he was 13, Eldon had always considered himself a "creative activist," rather than a photojournalist.

As a young man growing up as part of a family of journalists in Africa, Eldon soon began using images and public events to promote peoples' awareness—such as selling his own T-shirts and boxer shorts at fund raising dances. In 1993, Reuters took note of Eldon's reporting on the initial crises in Somalia.

From Creative Visions' website:

"The violence and horror of the situation began to take an increasing toll on Dan. Although he had decided to leave by late June of 1993, he agreed to stay on to cover the unfolding events. On July, 12, 1993, Dan and three of his colleagues raced across Mogadishu to cover the bombing of what was thought to be General Aideed’s headquarters. In the ensuing confusion, all four young men were beaten, clubbed and stoned to death by an angry mob, enraged into frenzy over the deaths of over 50 of their friends, fathers, and brothers at the hands of U.S. and U.N. soldiers."

The Creative Visions Foundation was started by Eldon's family and friends to provide support to other creative activists. This comes in the form of grants, fiscal sponsorships, and mentorship programs. You can visit their website here.

Four masters of photography are the pride of Philly

Gallery 339, one of Philadelphia's finest photography-focused galleries, will present an exhibition from four local photographers who have achieved worldwide reknown: Philadelphia Masters. Running November 2, 2007 to January 28, 2008, the exhibition intends to recognize the contributions these photographers have made to Philadelphia's contemporary art scene and photography community. In honoring four distinst photographers, Gallery 339 intends to emphasize the diversity and long-term progressive nature of Philadelphia' photography scene.

George Krause, William Larson, Ray K. Metzker, and Ruth Thorne-Thomsen share a common passion for experimentation in their work: perhaps the only thread, aside from the city that they call home, that they can claim in common.

From Gallery 339's press announcement:

"Like a magician, Krause is able to take the average stuff of the world around him to conjure suspense and wonder. Since beginning his career in Philadelphia in the late 1950s, Krause has explored basic human concerns of sensuality, mortality, and spirituality to create his ambiguous, symbolically rich images...

"Since completing his studies at the Institute of Design in Chicago in the late 1960s, Larson has pursued a number of influential conceptual projects that reconsider the ways that the still and the moving image are rendered in art. Experimenting with a range of technologies, including early fax machines and slit-scan cameras, Larson disassembled and reconstructed traditional ways of recording time and movement...

"While experimenting with multiple exposures, unusual juxtapositions, and the unexpected use of light and darkness, Metzker has imbued his images with an emotional resonance. By bisecting a streetscape with an intense ribbon of sunlight or a dense wall of shadow, he is able to evoke a feeling of hope or an aura of menace...

"Thorne-Thomsen combines elements from myth, 19th century travel photography, folklore, allegory and other influences to compose landscapes that appear both familiar and impossible. While surreal, these constructed scenes have a seamlessness and an internal logic that makes them seem real, yet it is a reality that is remembered from a dream.

The reception will take place 6 pm, November 2, 2007. Gallery 339's website can be found here.

Image: Fountan Head, 1970 © George Krause.

CameraArts November/December 2007 coming soon!

The judging is over and the winners have been announced. Having been expanded to 96 pages, The CameraArts ShowCase Edition, in cooperation with The Center for Fine Art Photography is sure to be a genuine collector’s issue. With the breadth and depth of entries from all over the world (29 countries represented) there was no photographic “stone” left unturned. There were more than 3,400 pictures from an excess of 860 photographers.

It was an extremely daunting task to pare the entries down to the five portfolio winners: Agnieszka Skrzypek, Ireland, Conceptual; Phillip Nesmith, USA, Documentary; Beth Lehman, USA, Abstract; William Monet, USA, Figure; Eric Baral, USA, Open. We also chose 54 Single Image winners to be displayed in special sections of this issue.

All winners are listed in the Table of Contents, available here. Again, thanks to all of you who participated and we look forward to viewing your images in our next CameraArts ShowCase Edition!

photo l.a. 2008 and Review Los Angeles

The 17th annual photo l.a. Exposition will take place January 10 to 13, 2008. This immensely popular event will be moving to a new venue this year: The 35,000 square foot Barker Hangar at the Santa Monica Airport will house more than 10,000 people, a necessary consideration for the event, which has been growing in popularity (and size!) steadily since it was first started by local gallery curator Stephen Cohen. The new space will also offer a better lighting system, and more space for photo and video presentations. The event will be open to the public starting January 11 and continuing every day of the event.

Special guests will include the new LACMA Department Head and Curator of Photography, Charlotte Cotton, and the recipient of photo l.a.'s first lifetime achievement award, architectural photographer Julius Shulman. Center, hosts of the annual Review Santa Fe photography festival, are co-sponsoring the lifetime achievement award. They will be hosting a concurrent event, Review Los Angeles, which emulates the successful model of the Santa Fe event: participating photographers, chosen by jury, will have an opportunity to hold twenty minute one-on-one meetings with industry experts.

Admission fees for photo l.a. are $15.00 for a one-day pass and $25 for a three-day pass. To find out more, click here. To read more about getting onto Review Los Angeles' wait list, click here.

WORKSHOP: Spots still open for final three in the D65 series

"Digital Workflow, Not Workslow" is the succint, but corny-sounding subtitle for the 2007 season of D65 workshops. It is a workflow-intensive workshop, so analog photographers looking for nature expeditions will likely be disappointed. However, whether one works in traditional or digital nowadays, nearly all photographers have to put their images on disk at some point. The program, consisting of lectures and hands-on training by instructors Seth Resnick and Jamie Spritzer, will center around Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop.

From D65's website:

"Do you want to process your files quickly and have them look awesome? Do you want to be able to find an image you shot in the past decade in a blink? Do you want to preserve your files for a lifetime? Are your files properly keyworded? Are using metadata the right way? Do your prints look the way you want them to? Can you convert to CMYK? Wondering how to set up a real archive? Are you working in 16-bit and using ProPhoto? Can you extend the dynamic range of an image? Is your computer optimized for workflow, or is it running slow? Would you like to blow your clients away with quality they have never seen? Are your digital files better than your film files?"

Workshops for 2007 that remain open are October 16 to 19 in Boston, November 30 to December 3 in Chicago, and December 14 to 17 in New York. For $999, one can enroll for any of these, or a 2008 course before December 31, 2007 (standard fees for 2008 are $1099).

Despite one's perceived prowess (or lack thereof) with a PC or Mac, we all have those moments of exaperation: "I thought computers were supposed to make things easier!" The D65 workshops promise a universal working comprehension of all the software and technology a photographer might come across.

For a complete list of D65 workshops, and their locations, go here.

CALL FOR ENTRIES: The Society for Photographic Education's Competitions for students

The Society for Photographic Education (SPE) will be hosting its 2008 National Conference in Denver, CO, March 13-16, 2008. The organization is also offering scholarships to its student members and encouranging young photographers to be a part of next year's annual event. Eleven SPE Student Awards will include a one-year membership to SPE, admission to the conference and a $500 travel stipend. Students may include application fees with their entry—$50 for SPE membership—to join and thus be eligible for an award. These include the SPE Student Awards, the Jeannie Pearce Award (focus is on digital technology), and The Freestyle Crystal Apple Award for Outstanding Achievement in Black and White Photography.

The deadline for these awards is November 1, 2007. If you haven't yet heard of SPE, they are a non-profit organization dedicated to the discussion of photogaphy as a form of fine art, its potential for cultural illumination, and its role in the world of politics, journalism, and beyond. Through services, workshops, seminars, classes, and other programs, SPE seeks not only to spread understanding and awareness of fine art photography, but to foster the development of education, commentary on the craft, and criticism. Registration for the Conference is $220 for members, $345 or non-members.

Click here to visit their site.

2nd Annual Photography Masters Cup honors conservation photographer

This international competition, presented by The National Color Awards, aims for the world's best photography. In 2007, the Photography Masters Cup saw over 15,000 entries from 69 countries in 2007. Conservation and Environmental Photographer Joe Zammit-Lucia was selected for third place in the Professional Nature Photography category. His winning image, "Defiance," captures a Cotton-Top Tamarin in superb clarity and detail. Winning photographers in the competition receive the Masters Cup, exhibition at the Masters of Photography Biennale, international press and exposure, and endorsement from the biggest names in imaging.

From the press release:

"The winning images were selected by a who's who Jury of the most celebrated professionals in art and photography from National Geographic, Musee de E'Lysee, Financial Times to The Art Newspaper and Fine Art Society in London. Awards were presented in 21 categories to photographers of twenty five nationalities. Joe Zammit-Lucia's image "Defiance", an exceptional image entered in the Nature category received a high percentage of votes to win third place overall."

Pre-orders of the book FIRST STEPS: Conserving Our Environment will be available for preorder November/December 2007. The book's release is planned for April 22, 2008, on Earth Day. Zammit-Lucia is currently working with environmental organizations on multiple projects around the world. Proceeds from the Masters of Photography Biennale Charity Auction will benefit Art for Disabled Children for the second year in a row. At the first International Color Awards in 2006,the Exhibition was held in Brazil and benefited APADEH School. No artform seems to have quite the ability of photography to show what in the world needs protecting.

Go to Zammit-Lucia's website to find out more about his work, or here for all of the Photography Masters Cup winners.

A Million Little Pictures

No, this isn't the latest chapter in the James Frey controversy (thankfully). It's a new open competition in which the proprietors of Art House in Decatur, GA, Steve Peterman and Shane Zucker, will exhibit photographs taken by participants all over the country. Disposable cameras will be mailed out to those who enter, and the theme for entries will be "Adventures." Participants are encouraged to go out and do something out of the ordinary, and take pictures while doing it.

This is the third A Million Little Pictures exhibition to take place this year. In a unique, first-time twist, the city with the most sign ups will be selected as the location for the exhibition. Up to the entry deadline, the number of applications will be counted in a running tally, viewable at their website.

Cameras will be sent out November 1st. You have until then to sign up for the competition. Cameras are due to be mailed back December 1, 2007. Sign up by filling out the form on their website, and you will receive a disposal camera in the mail, along with a postage-paid, pre-addressed envelope for easy return. This emphasis on word-of-mouth and encouraging photographers to get their friends, family, and anyone else to sign up has occurred before, just never on a national level. The exhibition is all-inclusive, so the $16 entry fee guarantees that your work will be exhibited.

Also, $1.25 of each entry fee will be donated to charity. Entrants will be able to choose which of the four different charities to support. Click here to go to their superb website and sign up. The competition is open to entries from the US only.

CameraArts Preview Portfolios: October 3, 2007

We at CameraArts Magazine are pleased to present our latest three preview portfolios, after a two-week hiatus. Perhaps that isn't much, but it's felt much longer to us! We love reading your comments on every new installment, and look forward to printing them in future issues of CameraArts! The new batch of portfolios includes the black-and-white portraiture and street scenes of Polish photographer Taduesz Dabrowski, the urban night images of Lynn Saville, and the series "Flora" by Randy Turoff.

Feel free to leave your comments below the fold!

Auction: The Center for Photography at Woodstock turns 30

The 29th Benefit Auction at The Center for Photography at Woodstock (NY) is set to take place October 6, 2007 at the Woodstock Community Center. To celebrate its 30th year, The Center will reshape its photography auction, which is perhaps the longest-running in North America, as an invitational with 62 select slots offered to well-known artists. Online bidding will also be offered for the first time, so you have a chance to participate in this landmark event even if you are far, far away from New York State.

From the Center for Photography at Woodstock's website:

"All 62 images will be on view at a preview party hosted by Chelsea's Ricco Maresca Gallery for one night. Tomorrow, from 6:00 - 9:00 pm, collectors can view work by 60 contemporary and 20th century photographers, including Robert Mapplethorpe, Aaron Siskind, Elinor Carucci, Eikoh Hosoe, Mary Ellen Mark, and Larry Fink, to name just a few. The party is free and open to the public."

A preview exhibition of the prints on sale will be open at noon on the day of the auction. Catalogs are available for $35 USD, and are provided to all auction participants. The online catalog can be viewed here.

Photography Festival: Contact 2008!

Registration is now open for Contact 2008, Toronto's Photography Festival, which will celebrate its 12th year for all of May 2008. The theme will Registration will be open until December 21, 2007, with the early registration period (and registration for non-profit organizations) ending on December 3, 2007. Participants may arrange their own exhibitions in the greater Toronto Area, which must take place during the month of May 2008. Exhibitions may be hosted in both traditional venues and other spaces in community centers, restaurants, personal studios, and stores. A venue is required to exhibit: spaces will not be provided. The festival also accepts volunteers in staying true to its ongoing non-profit status.

Contact 2008 is, in fact, North America's largest annual photography event. Over 500 artists will come from all over the world to exhibit in 200 venues. The festival has become a cultural destination in Toronto, attracting a collective audience that has grown to nearly 1,000,000 people. An even greater level of interest and participation is expected in 2008. By allowing anyone to participate with exhibitions, the Contact Festival has increased their turnout numbers dramatically with a simple variation on the tried-and-true photography festival format. Anyone who signs up will make it into the Festival Magazine, submissions for which are due January 14, 2008.

The theme, "Between Memory and History," will be carried throughout the festival's selection of public installations, lectures, films, and events. Exhibitions may be on any subject, taken in any medium, but a connection to the theme is encouraged. Inclusion in the Festival Magazine and other press materials are part and parcel of registration, which is now available at an early rate of $450.50.

You can view a list of past festival exhibitors here.

Click here to register.

Image: Kitka-River 2004, from the series "Museum of Nature," ©Ilkka Halso

Special Offer: Free quotes from usedcamerabuyer.com

With all of the new offerings from Nikon, Canon, and Sony for this year, the newest DSLR might be a bit beyond arm's reach for many price-conscious photographers. Fortunately, UsedCameraBuyer.com (UCB) is here to help. Since 2001, UCB has been reselling used cameras and equipment, and every once in a while they offer free quotes online. Millions of dollars worth of gear has been purchased by UCB. Free quotes are being offered via instant price calculator for film or digital cameras that need a new home. All quotes come with a pre-paid UPS shipping label. Upon receipt of your item(s), payment will be provided within 48 hours.

Used Camera Buyer is a fixture at many photography shows and fairs, and they also have cross-promotions with organizations like istockphoto.com, the members of which enjoy "preferred pricing" at UCB, in which selling values see a 5 percent increase with UsedCameraBuyer. That's a pretty good deal for a free membership.

Go to www.usedcamerabuyer.com or call 1-866-735-5444 x 9. You may email them here.

WORKSHOP: Sundance Photographic Workshop students aiming for great shots at famous fair in Heber City, Utah

From November 8 to 12, 2007, students at Sundance Photographic Workshop will get a chance to photograph performers backstage at the 2007 Cowboy Poetry Gathering and Buckaroo Fair in Heber City, Utah. Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist Martha Rial will lead a session titled “Storytelling with Images.” It will be her only workshop appearance of the year. Photographers will enjoy a better-than-front-row view at the Heber City Event, which draws performers and musicians from all over the country to celebrate Old West culture and Cowboy folklore among incredible natural backdrops.

From the Sundance Workshops' website:

"Participating photographers will learn how to go beyond the snapshot and look for moments that combine information with visual impact while documenting daily life in rural America. Other topics will include discussions on idea development, research techniques and cultivating sources. I will also emphasize the importance of the relationship between photojournalist and subject for more effective storytelling. Students will also be encouraged to ask questions about the role of ethics in photojournalism."

In 1998, Rial won the Pulitzer Prize for her photographic series on refugees in Burundi and Rwanda. She has also won a National Headliners Award, the Scripps Howard Foundation Award for Photojournalism and has been named Pennsylvania Newspaper Photographer of the Year. At the fair, Rial will offer instruction on developing ideas through images, as well as guidance on researching journalistic projects. An opportunity to work with such a wealth of material, with this kind of guidance, will surely make for an irreplaceable experience.

For more information, click here.

Kids With Cameras at Soho Photo

Soho Photo Gallery, known for its annual Krappy Kamera competition and varied offerings of fine art photography exhibitions, will present "Kids With Cameras: The Calcutta and Haiti Projects" as the special exhibit for October. Kids With Cameras (KWC) is the non-profit organization devoted to expanding the creative horizons of underprivileged children around the world. KWC has established workshops first in Calcutta, then in Haiti, Jerusalem's Old City, and Cairo. This exhibition runs October 2 to November 3, 2007, at Soho Photo's exhibition space in New York. The 20 color photographs from Calcutta, and their young creators, were the subject of the extraordinary film "Born Into Brothels."

From Soho Photo's press announcement:

"Zana Briski, (the founder of KWC) became involved in these children’s lives in 1998 when she began photographing Calcutta’s prostitutes. After developing a relationship with many of their kids, Briski had the idea of teaching photography to them in order to see the world through their eyes. The kids’ images include self-portraits, family pictures, and stunning tableaus of Bengali life."

It's wonderful to see this project expanding its reach. KWC project director Gigi Cohen worked with 12 young domestic-workers-in-training in Carrefour, Haiti. These kids' situations mirror the tragedy that is so often associated with their country: domestic workers enjoy conditions no better than that of indentured servants, and the system is not in any way designed to educate children in a way that prepares them for coexisting in adult society.

In a country with a staggering illiteracy rate (50 percent of adults), and great civil unrest and poverty, the glimmers of culture revealed in these black-and-white photographs of parade dancers and street scenes serve to remind the viewer, and the young photographers tentativley grasping their cameras, that there is hope.

The goals of all KWC workshops are encouraging artistic excellence, positive transformation and ongoing support for the participants. The children are not merely given cameras and taught the basics of composition, though these first steps toward artistic self-expression are rare and important gifts to give.

Children are also empowered by being encouraged to educate their peers. Additionally, instructors aid the children in finding better conditions in their lives, whether by transfer to better schools and living conditions or through community outreach expedited by the organization's voice on the international stage. To this end, proceeds from the sale of any artwork in KWC exhibitions always goes back to the children.

Kids With Cameras sponsors one workshop a year. To learn more about current projects, click here.