Quote 07: Alex Webb

"I only know how to approach a place by walking. For what does a street photographer do but walk and watch and wait and talk, and then watch and wait some more, trying to remain confident that the unexpected, the unknown, or the secret heart of the known awaits just around the corner."

Wandering 86

High Line Park. New York, NY.

Wandering is a collection of photographs from my occasional observations of everyday life. It is a means for me to reconnect to what drew me to the medium in the first place. And that's really all it is: my repeated attempts at recapturing that feeling which energizes me to continue taking pictures.

©Stella Kalaw

Wandering 85

Central Park. New York, NY.

Wandering is a collection of photographs from my occasional observations of everyday life. It is a means for me to reconnect to what drew me to the medium in the first place. And that's really all it is: my repeated attempts at recapturing that feeling which energizes me to continue taking pictures.

©Stella Kalaw

Wandering 84

Central Park. New York, NY.

Wandering is a collection of photographs from my occasional observations of everyday life. It is a means for me to reconnect to what drew me to the medium in the first place. And that's really all it is: my repeated attempts at recapturing that feeling which energizes me to continue taking pictures.

©Stella Kalaw

Wandering 83

Morimoto on 10th Avenue. New York, NY.

Wandering is a collection of photographs from my occasional observations of everyday life. It is a means for me to reconnect to what drew me to the medium in the first place. And that's really all it is: my repeated attempts at recapturing that feeling which energizes me to continue taking pictures.

©Stella Kalaw

Wandering 82

Stand on East 24th Street. New York, NY.

Wandering is a collection of photographs from my occasional observations of everyday life. It is a means for me to reconnect to what drew me to the medium in the first place. And that's really all it is: my repeated attempts at recapturing that feeling which energizes me to continue taking pictures.

©Stella Kalaw

Violet Isle by Alex Webb & Rebecca Norris Webb

At Ricco Maresca Gallery in New York, there will be two events this week:

Book Launch Party and Reception
Thursday, November 5. 6-8pm

Gallery Talk and Book Signing
Saturday, November 7. 4-6pm

Essay by Pico Iyer.

Publisher: Radius Books, 2009.
144 pp., 70 color ilustrations, 102/4x11¼"

Publisher's Description

This multi-layered portrait of “the violet isle”—a little-known name for Cuba inspired by the rich color of the soil there—presents an engaging, at times unsettling document of a vibrant and vulnerable land. It combines two separate photographic visions: Alex Webb’s exploration of street life, with his attuned and complex attention to detail, and Rebecca Norris Webb’s fascination with the unique, quixotic collections of animals she discovered there, from tiny zoos and pigeon societies to hand-painted natural history displays and quirky personal menageries. The result is an insightful and intriguing blend of two different aesthetics inspired by Cuba’s existence over the last fifty years in an economic, political, cultural and ecological bubble virtually untouched by the rest of the world, and unlikely to remain that way for much longer.

source: Photoeye

Wandering 81

Schnippers on 8th Avenue. New York, NY.

Wandering is a collection of photographs from my occasional observations of everyday life. It is a means for me to reconnect to what drew me to the medium in the first place. And that's really all it is: my repeated attempts at recapturing that feeling which energizes me to continue taking pictures.

©Stella Kalaw

Connections

From the series, Born Among Mirrors: Lebanon 50 years After.
©Najim Joe Hakim

Altar. Manila, Philippines
From the series, Family Spaces
©Stella Kalaw

I met photographer Najib Joe Hakim over a decade ago when he worked at the San Francisco Business Times. I came in for an interview and we exchanged our information. We didn't see each other after that one meeting. Then two weeks ago, he was at Rayko Gallery and he happen to see the Family Spaces exhibit catalogue from the show at Silverlens Gallery, Manila.

It was wonderful to hear from him after all these years. In an email, he wrote:

One of your images resonated with a foto I made in Beirut after the last war at my Aunt’s apartment building. Funny how similar some cultural phenomena are even half way around the world!

I look forward to catching up and having coffee with him after the craziness at work subsides in a week.

Stay tuned for more information on the upcoming group show with John Mann, Anthony Marchietti and myself at Rayko Gallery in December.

Sunday morning fog

San Francisco Bay.

©Stella Kalaw

Wandering 80

The Great Hall at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, NY.

Wandering is a collection of photographs from my occasional observations of everyday life. It is a means for me to reconnect to what drew me to the medium in the first place. And that's really all it is: my repeated attempts at recapturing that feeling which energizes me to continue taking pictures.

©Stella Kalaw

Wandering 79

Outside the Guggenheim Museum. New York, NY.

Wandering is a collection of photographs from my occasional observations of everyday life. It is a means for me to reconnect to what drew me to the medium in the first place. And that's really all it is: my repeated attempts at recapturing that feeling which energizes me to continue taking pictures.

©Stella Kalaw

Wandering 78

San Francisco International Airport

Wandering is a collection of photographs from my occasional observations of everyday life. It is a means for me to reconnect to what drew me to the medium in the first place. And that's really all it is: my repeated attempts at recapturing that feeling which energizes me to continue taking pictures.

©Stella Kalaw

Long Day

At work, I spent the entire morning sifting through past emails and reconciling information from an "official" list downloaded through the website. Technology is supposed to make work easier and more efficient but in this case, the people providing the information are quite disorganized. MP is saying one thing on email while the list is saying another. I am caught in the middle.

In the afternoon, I had to attend a mandatory meeting for two hours. The day was almost over by the time I returned to my desk. On top of everything else, I am supposed to check for daily changes from their website but the IT person I dealt with could not even give me the correct password to export the report. Emails went flying back and forth all day. It was close to 6:00pm by the time she responded with a partially correct information. I ended up guessing the user name by playing with the caps in case the letters were case sensitive. When I pointed this out to her, she was unapologetic. I had to finish the report before I went home this evening.

I am exhausted. Two more weeks of this craziness and it will soon be over.

Unseen: A Photographer's Salon

Earth, 2008. Photography by Elizabeth Fleming

Unseen
Curated by Ruben Natal San -Miguel
Ruben Scott Gallery
111 Front Street
Suite #204
Brooklyn (DUMBO), New York
October 22-November 21, 2009
Opening Reception: October 22, 6:30 -9:30 PM

Curatorial Statement

UNSEEN is an introduction to some of New York’s most promising, hard working, and creative minds in the photography field whose bold ideas, themes, and techniques work to transcend the history of photographic art.

Adam Krause, a third generation Holocaust survivor, creates portraits of Neo Nazis. Nicola Kast, a German, explores and deconstructs German History. Cara Phillips' Singular Beauty is a haunting social critique on modern surgical rooms, while Phil Toledano’s portraits of plastic surgery patients is a classic aftermath of the surreal. Portrait work by Chad States, Natasha Gornik, Eric McNatt, Richard Renaldi, Bon Duke, and Ryan Pfluger examine the notions of self and the other. Leah Oates and Megan Cump visit serene, painterly landscapes while Nadine Rovner sends us back to retro the seventies through feel and color. Elizabeth Fleming examines the simplicity of the moment in a child’s world, Clayton Cotterell documents his brother now serving in the US military, and Alex Leme searches random urban settings.

As an Art Collector, I address the challenge that most art lovers constantly face… the search of new art and the issues of acquiring work for small spaces. By using the salon style for this show I demonstrate different themes and techniques, presented in a very traditional manner, that work within a confined space. Space should not limit your desire for collecting…the sky is the limit!

-- Ruben Natal-San Miguel

Source: Artmostfierce , Tethered and Nymphoto

Mitch Epstein talks about two photographs from the Family Business project

Source: brooklynmuseum.org

I wanted to share this clip because it was such a delight listening to Mitch Epstein speak last night at PhotoAlliance. Not only do I admire his work, Mr. Epstein was articulate when he spoke about his creative process. I especially noticed how confident he was with silence. He made several pauses during his presentation for the audience to take in his images as he spoke. There was this cadence to his presentation that left me wanting to hear more. He was quite inspiring-- someone I would like to listen to on a long afternoon over a cup of coffee.

Wandering 77

Yerba Buena Gardens. San Francisco, CA.

Wandering is a collection of photographs from my occasional observations of everyday life. It is a means for me to reconnect to what drew me to the medium in the first place. And that's really all it is: my repeated attempts at recapturing that feeling which energizes me to continue taking pictures.

©Stella Kalaw

The Inspiring Story of Herb & Dorothy Vogel

Source: PBS.org/Independent Lens

Fading light

Oakland, CA.

Thick gray clouds were forming in the sky and the wind was slowly picking up when I got on the bus this afternoon. The first storm of the fall season is expected to land in the Bay Area tonight. As the bus paused before making a turn on Market Street, I noticed the fading warm afternoon light on the window's reflection. I had only a few seconds to grab one shot. Luckily, I had my camera on hand and I quickly scrambled to compose this image.

Wandering 76

MacArthur BART Station. Oakland, CA.

Wandering is a collection of photographs from my occasional observations of everyday life. It is a means for me to reconnect to what drew me to the medium in the first place. And that's really all it is: my repeated attempts at recapturing that feeling which energizes me to continue taking pictures.

©Stella Kalaw

Wandering 75

4th floor of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Wandering is a collection of photographs from my occasional observations of everyday life. It is a means for me to reconnect to what drew me to the medium in the first place. And that's really all it is: my repeated attempts at recapturing that feeling which energizes me to continue taking pictures.

©Stella Kalaw

Irving Penn: 1917-2009

A diary entry dated April 2, 1998, 6:05pm, New York City:

“Too much technical talk back here. Remember, the spirit is still the essence. Let’s not forget that. Have a good night.”

Irving Penn
(as told to two assistants and an intern as he left his studio.)

Thank you, Mr. Penn.

Wandering 74

Viewing Mark Rothko's No. 14, 1960
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Wandering is a collection of photographs from my occasional observations of everyday life. It is a means for me to reconnect to what drew me to the medium in the first place. And that's really all it is: my repeated attempts at recapturing that feeling which energizes me to continue taking pictures.

©Stella Kalaw

Wandering 73

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Wandering is a collection of photographs from my occasional observations of everyday life. It is a means for me to reconnect to what drew me to the medium in the first place. And that's really all it is: my repeated attempts at recapturing that feeling which energizes me to continue taking pictures.

©Stella Kalaw

Photo Alliance presents Mitch Epstein

Gavin Coal Power Plant, Cheshire, Ohio. 2003
from the series, American Power

Mitch Epstein
Introductory Presentation by Paul Schieck

October 16, 2009, 7:30 pm

San Francisco Art Institute Lecture Hall
800 Chestnut Street San Francisco, CA (at Jones Street)

$10.00 general admission
$5.00 students with ID--- tickets available at the door.

Source: Photo Alliance

Before thumbnails, there was...

The Contact Sheet
Photographs by Steve Christ.
Ammo Books, Los Angeles, 2009. 224 pp., Numerous illustrations,

Publisher's Description

When a famous photographer creates a noteworthy photograph, many images are taken before and after the moment are left unseen to anyone but the photographer himself. When the photographer creates an extraordinary or famous photograph, these unseen images take on even more importance. Examining the contact sheets from these original photographic sessions allows in depth insight into the subject matter, the photographic process, and often reveals a deeper story that has never been told. Over forty iconic photographs by world famous photographers are examined in detail in The Contact Sheet - complete with short interviews and background details on the sessions themselves. The Contact Sheet is a must have for any serious lover of fine photography.

Sources: NPR's The Picture Show and Photoeye.com

The Flood

Typhoon Ondoy ravaged across Metro Manila yesterday leaving 80% of the city underwater. According to the Philippine Inquirer:

The 15th weather disturbance that hit the Philippines in 2009 dumped a total of 455 millimeters of rain in Quezon City alone in 24 hours, compared to the 250 millimeters of rain that Hurricane Katrina brought to New Orleans in Louisiana in the United States in 2005.

I spoke to mom yesterday and she said the water levels rose very quickly. "You can't even see our gate." she said. Phone lines were down, electricity was shut, appliances and furniture floated in the first floor of our home. By 2:00 am the following day, electricity was restored and by the time they woke up, the water had completely receded. "As if nothing happened! the sun is out right now." my mom said. I was not able to talk to my dad. He was at the auto shop trying to get one of our cars running. The clean up will be a daunting task. Thankfully, everyone is fine.

Friends shared several videos on Facebook as the typhoon progressed. Here's one that was really scary. The footage was taken at a university hospital (UERM) in Manila:

Day Off 03

It was refreshing to encounter some wonderful black and white images at the galleries I visited last Friday. Before transitioning to color, I photographed exclusively in black and white for many years so I certainly have an affinity and fondness for the medium.

At Haines Gallery, Adou Samalada's Man & Sheep portrait was stunning. Deep blacks and the blotchy textures from the characteristics of expired film complemented his subject matter. The series depicts the disappearing Yi ethnic minority in his native Sichuan province in China. The silver gelatin print was enlarged to 50 inches high which I thought contributed to the image's arresting quality. Unfortunately, seeing in on screen does not give justice to the original piece.

Adou Samalada
Haines Gallery
September 10- October 17

Man and Sheep
Adou Samalada

______

At Fraenkel Gallery, Hiroshi Sugimoto continues to push the boundaries by using electricity as his subject matter and capturing it on film. One of the common threads to his work is his adherence to using only the traditional materials of the medium: time, light, film and camera and masterfully altering them to produce stunning images. I stood there in awe looking at the details: the hair-thin light streaks and the naked tree shaped patterns scattered arbitrarily against the largely dark, unexposed backdrop. Beautiful.

From the gallery's press release:

Sugimoto’s “Lightning Fields” depict electricity, an element that — especially for photographers working with large-format negatives — has historically been problematic and uncontrollable. Static electricity is well known to scar photographers’ negatives, and consequently to destroy their images. (This is one reason why carpets are not installed in darkrooms.) Viewing the challenge as an opportunity rather than a problem, Sugimoto has inverted the process and made nature’s static scars the focus of his attention.

To create each image, Hiroshi Sugimoto uses a Van De Graaff 400,000-volt generator to apply an electrical charge directly onto film. The result in each case is a unique, instantaneous image of an electrical current, sometimes resembling a meteor shower, or a “treeing effect” on the film. Sugimoto’s recent body of photographs continue to evidence the primordial and metaphysical qualities that define his oeuvre.

Hiroshi Sugimoto: Lightning Fields
Fraenkel Gallery
September 10- October 31

Lightning Fields, 119.
Hiroshi Sugimoto

_____

Finally at Gallery 291, Mary Frey forms an analogy between photography and taxidermy. On her website, she writes:

Photography invites us to pay attention. It describes with economy, precision and detail. It enables us to stare, scrutinize, and become voyeurs. Taxidermy allows us to do the same. Its complete replication of an animal’s stance, gesture and look provides us a way to study and comprehend its existence. Yet I find that these animals, often portrayed in suspended animation, seem simultaneously strange, ghostly and beautiful. Their gaze is both familiar and unknown. I intend this work to move beyond what is merely seen to the territory of the imagination, where what is remembered and known is transformed into something new.

For this body of work, the original images are ambrotypes- a photographic image on blackened glass. It is created using the wet plate collodion process, which was popular in the mid nineteenth century. The use of archaic chemistry and materials usually depict a decayed, haunting and mysterious feel to the images which I am always drawn to. I viewed her work with much appreciation to the photographic process.

On the other side of the gallery were Michael Garlington's unconventional portraits. I read this review that described his work as "Joel Peter Witkin meets Diane Arbus." He uses the now extinct Type 55 Polaroid film creating a raw and unfinished quality to his final images. Clowns, animals, naked bodies. umbrellas and bowler hats-- nothing is too odd for Michael to tackle when it comes to his portraiture.

Mary Frey: Imagining Fauna
Michael Garlington: Garlington's Travels
Gallery 291
September 10- October 31

Varying Hare
Mary Frey

From the Album Series

Michael Garlington

Adam Magyar: Squares

From Hungarian photographer, Adam Magyar's website:

The squares you see are non-existent. Each square is assembled from dozens of photos I took of people from a height of 3 to 4 meters. The distance, or rather, closeness allows me to create extremely high-resolution images, thus allowing the viewer to survey each person close-up. Yet, observing the image at close range makes it impossible for us to see it as a whole, while looking at it from a distance results in losing all the details.

Source: The Black Snapper

Brian Dettmer

I was at Toomey Tourell Fine Art Gallery yesterday and saw Brian Dettmer's stunning and intricate book sculptures. Absolutely beautiful!