William Karl Valentine: The Eaton Fire - LENSCRATCH
I am pleased to announce that Aline Smithson is showcasing my Eaton Fire Portfolio today, which is the one-year anniversary of the fire.
CA DSC 8334 12-16-25
The First Christmas after the Eaton Fire - Altadena & Pasadena
When I began photographing the aftermath of the Eaton Fire last January 2025, I came across numerous homes that still had Christmas decorations up when they were destroyed. Wreaths were still hung on fences, burnt strands of lights, and melted decorations. Every time I saw that it magnified the fact that each mound of rubble had been a family's home. Everything I saw obviously was a reminder but with Christmas you think of joy and hope, children, and home. When I saw homes in April and May that hadn’t burned but still had Christmas decorations up, I knew those people were still displaced waiting to get their homes cleaned. I reminded me that the impact went beyond just the homes that were lost.
This year I have returned to some areas multiple times to photograph. There is one lot that the homeowner decorated for every holiday. The Werewolf of Altadena also changed attire for holidays, and this past month I saw lots of people making a point to recognize the hope of Christmas by still decorating in some way. In Upper Hastings Ranch the community there has a long tradition of decorating each street as a different theme. I remember going there as a child and my parents driving me around to see the lights. Dozens of homes were lost in Upper Hastings Ranch and the association there has placed a lighted star in front of each house that was lost. One owner set up a Nativity Scene where their home once stood. I have seen lots of signs of hope and resilience throughout the burn zone. This past month I have met people effected by the fire and with each conversation I have been impressed with their resolve.
As we approach the 1st anniversary of the fire on January 7th, I wanted to showcase my recent images from Altadena and Pasadena to show how far people have come and how much further the area has to go to recover.
Christmas Tree Lane - Altadena
Deodar Pine trees line Santa Rosa Avenue in Altadena and for 105 years the residents have hung Christmas lights on the trees. Miraculously none of the trees were lost in the Eaton Fire (the trees have properties that protect them from fires) but unfortunately several homes on the street were lost. At least one of the homes has already started reconstruction. It is a tradition I remember from my Childhood and I am so grateful that it wasn’t lost in the fire.
Adrian Molina - Owner of Sidecca
CA DSC 5920 11-30-25 Adrian Molina
Sidecca is a boutique shop in Altadena on Lake Avenue which survived the fire with just smoke damage. They have long carried Altadena themed products and really represents the community well. I was able to get Adriana to pose for a photo shortly after she reopened in November. She had to shut down again a couple weeks ago when heavy rains caused massive leaks in her shop. She is amazingly resilient, and I am sure she will be back because I know her customers will continue to rally around her. www.sidecca.com
A Couple Images from my Phone:
Finally, two images from my phone. One from Christmas Eve when I found a house that is in the process of being framed where the owner had hung a wreath on the plywood. The other is something my phone created when I apparently moved during a long exposure in Hastings Ranch. Happy New Year and may the recovery from the Eaton Fire pick up speed in 2026. Lots of people still hurting up there.
Harold Jones’s print that he sent me this past Fall.
Harold Jones & My Coolest Gift of 2025
In 2020 I went to the Legacy of LIGHT symposium at the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona, in Tucson. It was held in January and commemorated the 50th Anniversary of the LIGHT gallery in New York City. LIGHT was the first gallery dedicated solely to exhibiting and marketing Photographs. The Gallery had a huge impact on the establishment of the medium as an artform and its impact on the medium was incredible.
Harold Jones was the first Director of the LIGHT gallery. In 1975 Harold was recruited to be the first Director of the Center of Creative Photography. He taught at the University of Arizona while leading CCP for 30 years and has maintained his ties to CCP and the U of A since he retired. Harold is an icon in the history of the medium of Photography as an artist, educator, curator, and director.
I was fortunate to have one of my prints included in the exhibition that was held in conjunction with the symposium. I went out for the exhibition opening as well as for the symposium. The opening was good, and the symposium was incredible. As soon as I saw the exhibition, which was amazing, I knew how important the exhibition and symposium were going to be. I photographed the opening, and when I returned for the symposium, I had already decided to photograph as much as I could to document that event. I authored a number of blog posts about LIGHT, and I also mailed out prints to people who I met or saw at the symposium. I sent a group of prints for people at CCP in a single package but unfortunately it shipped in March 2020 just as the Covid lockdown was starting. The package was misplaced and not found until this past summer. The folks at CCP then distributed the photos to everyone including forwarding the photos for Harold, who moved to Oregon when he retired. I didn’t know all this until I got an email from Harold in September thanking me for the prints and asking for my mailing address.
I sent a reply with my address, and we had a couple emails back and forth. Harold’s emails are fun; he attached a vintage photo of a Canon Camera production line on one then a very appropriate cartoon for me personally on another. Our exchanges were validating, and I especially loved when he thanked me for being a photographer before the age of the cell phone. He absolutely sees the dangers of the cell phone photography culture for the medium of photography.
A couple weeks after our exchanges I received the above print from Harold. I am so honored that a person of Harold’s stature would take the time to thank me in such a way. Without a doubt this is the coolest gift I received this year. As a photographer I get this on every level, especially the process. It is an incredible thank you gift. It is also a great example of what photographers are. You can’t shut off seeing images. This also isn’t an image you can appreciate in an Instagram post. You can’t appreciate the layers of meaning in a 2 second view and swipe.
I know it was a private gift, but I felt the need to showcase it because Harold is an amazing person and was so influential for the medium of Photography on so many levels/
(ASU-103 #29 - 11-13-86) My first solo exhibition, Northlight Gallery - Arizona State University
Feature on ASU Alumni Website - Bill Valentine
I responded to a call this year for Alumni to share their stories on Arizona State University’s website. Below is a link to the page they published on me.
CA DSC_7379 11-22-2025 - Jun Li Lujan, First to rebuild and move back into a home lost in the Eaton Fire. Pasadena
Thanksgiving 2025 - The Eaton Fire Portfolio
The Eaton Fire this year really reminded me to be thankful. First that my mom, who lives in Pasadena, was fine and our family came through it pretty well. But then every day I photographed in burn zone and saw the incredible loss it reminded me to always be grateful for what I have.
Most the time when I photograph in Altadena it is in solitude since so few homes have been rebuilt. I have been lucky though to have had some incredible conversations with people this year. A lot of people just wanted to tell me how they felt, or what they witnessed, or what special item they lost. A lot of these conversations have been really powerful, especially when they talk about their resolve to rebuild. It is also so random how I have come in contact with some people, like I was guided to that spot.
I saw Jun Li Lujan being interviewed on TV last week about being the first resident to be back living in a home that was rebuilt. I figured out what street she lived on and went over to photograph the house. As luck would have, I caught her at home and was able to photograph her. Her house is in Hastings Ranch, in Pasadena. Jun is a dynamic human, and she took the loss like it was a challenge to rebuild. She is a contractor and home designer, and she had built the home that was lost. Her positive outlook was admirable. In May I talked with Rob Moreland for half an hour about his Eaton Fire experiences. I learned a lot about the progression of the fire and timeline from him. He was another person with a positive outlook as was John who I met in September. There were a lot of great neighborhoods with good people who were impacted in the Eaton Fire. A lot of people up there are still hurting.
I believe my Eaton Fire Portfolio was assigned to me. Too many times, I have been at the right place at the right time to get amazing images or meet people. Although this process has been hard on me, I am grateful the task was given to me, and I will continue to do my best to complete the mission.
One final thing, I am also still thankful for the photographic talent I was born with and for everyone who has helped developed me as a photographer since then.
CA DSC 9701 1-14-25 - Del Reay Avenue, Pasadena, California - probably less than ½ a mile from my mom’s home.
CA DSC 7092 10-31-25
Grandma Bernice - Balboa Island - Halloween 2010
Grandma Bernice - Photographs that preserve of our memories.
I saw a post on Facebook today by a friend who lost her forty-year-old son a couple months ago after a lifelong debilitating illness. She shared a series of Halloween photographs when her son was still a very mobile child dressed up and obviously having so much fun. She posted more photos through the years and wrote how much they loved Halloween and how hard this first Halloween without him is. She was showing to her friends how thankful she was for all the years with him and also showing her grief in those images. Her son was wheelchair bound for over half his life, but it didn’t stop the adventures they had together. He had a Make-A-Wish trip to visit the President at the White House, and he got out to Kings game here in LA. Everywhere they went my friend photographed the adventure. I assume knowing her son would have a short time on earth she wanted to capture and preserve every moment so she could cherish them forever. She also documented the simple moments too like dogs curled up with him on the bed. Obviously, you can see the grief with the loss, she openly owns it, but in every image, I can see how much she loves her son and that she cherished every moment with him.
Her post today hit home for me. Her snapshots captured so much about life it motivated me to reflect and eventually write this post. I have always loved Halloween especially when my kids were in the innocent years of Trick or Treating. Probably the pinnacle year was the one where my daughter and her friend couldn’t decide on a costume. Late in the afternoon we came up with the idea they would dress up as old ladies. They grabbed a bunch of her grandmother’s clothing, reading glasses, walkers, and way too much lipstick and my daughter created the character Grandma Bernice. We took them down to Balboa Island, one of the prime candy spots in Newport Beach. It is always packed and fun. As my daughter and her friend went from house to house they stayed in character and as I followed behind them at a distance, I could hear other people talking how great their costumes were. I had a camera of course and I am so happy I documented that night because it was amazing. As a parent you know you only get so many nights like that with your kids before they grow up.
I know I started this post with a sad subject, but I trust everyone sees the message is to cherish life, to live it, and that it is awesome we have the ability to document the images so easily now. BUT still make prints, have a camera other than your phone, and back up everything off site (I have talked to a few people who lost all their photographs in Altadena, and they were not backup someplace). Happy Halloween 2025
CHI DSC 03324 7-18-25 - ©2025 WILLIAM KARL VALENTINE
Chicago Photographs 2025 - William Karl Valentine
I have spent the majority of 2025 focused on my Eaton Fire Portfolio. I have said it in other posts how documenting the devastation in Altadena is unlike anything else I have experienced. The process is so different from what I am used to and it’s so methodical. Because everything was static after the fire you might think it was easier but since I am revisiting the area so often, I have a better understanding of the loss and the weight of the grief up there. It might seem static up there, but it is equally intense. So, it was very good to get to Chicago again in July and get back to photographing the street which is such a different process.
We stayed at The Gwen hotel and the first day I was in Chicago I saw the image above when we left the hotel and were walking across the street to eat at Joe’s. I had not walked more than 50 yards even when I saw this mom with the stroller and the cellphone. What was unique is I saw this image coming for a long way and had plenty of time to think about my framing. Usually, I see an image and react to it on the street, but I had so much time with this image I was actually thankful for it before I made the exposure. It felt like a sign of confirmation I was doing what I was supposed to be doing.
I have photographed in Chicago a lot since my first visit in 1987. The city is fantastic, and I think it has some of the best light in the world to photograph usually. The next four image are examples of that light. Since the city is somewhat spacious not only does light come in more but also allows you to move easier to frame images. I also have an interest in seeing people photograph with cellphones and that is here too.
Every visit I have spent some time on Michigan Avenue photographing. The images seem to document our society well and they are different that New York or San Francisco. There have always been a few people on Michigan Avenue panhandling, some I would see in the same spot year after year. I noticed the influx of South American migrants in March of 2024 near the civic center but not on Michigan Avenue, this year they were also up on Michigan Avenue.
It was awesome to get back to Wrigley Field. My last time there was opening day in 2017, before the Ivy had come back, so it was extra nice to see the Ivy. I took my first nighttime architecture cruise which was perfect in July since the sun was just setting. The architecture in Chicago is the best North America. My daughter went to grad school at Northwestern and stayed in Chicago after she graduated. She now lives in the West Loop so that is helping me explore even more areas of the city.
I have photographed in museums for years, and I actually have a solid portfolio of images which I intend to publish as a book one day. The Art Institute is an amazing space, I always get something there, it is rich with images of people photographing masterpiece paintings with cellphone cameras. The wedding photographer was something unique I had not seen before, but the highlight image was the one of my kids looking at a blank wall like it was an art piece. I don’t know if it was Alyssa or Brent’s idea because I just turned and saw them and knew exactly what they were doing. I am so thankful I got that image, says a lot about their relationship. What made it even better is a few people migrated over there to check out the artwork they were admiring. Art needs to be fun sometimes, so does life.
My daughter’s friend works at Salesforce and this year she took us up to their building’s observation decks and employee lounge. The building is at the “T” of the Chicago River so it allowed me a different view of the city, it was hazier than I would have liked but still a great experience.
A lot of people complain about O’Hare Airport, and I get it, I ended up in the “Penalty Box” for a half hour going in on this trip (stuck on the plane parked waiting for a gate to open) and have done that before, but I still like the airport for some reason. Probably because I have so many great memories of Chicago. I still think the walkway between the terminals is cool and I have my food spots. The open glass design of the terminals also makes photographing in there easier (Homage to Garry Winogrand).
CHI DSC 3588 7-21-25 ©2025 WILLIAM KARL VALENTINE
“Pontification” William Karl Valentine 2025
Art Institute of Chicago - July 2025 Visit
The highlight of the Art Institute visit in July was without a doubt the Gustave Caillebotte: Painting His World exhibition which I am covering in a separate blog post. There is always something to see at the Art Institute of Chicago because their permanent collections are so amazing, and the space itself is so beautiful, I always love going there. Some of my favorite spaces are The Photography, Film, and Media galleries in the Modern wing. They are the perfect size, next to a high traffic area, with some good light, they are perfect. I have a personal goal to exhibit work in that space one day. Unfortunately, on this trip that gallery was closed for a new installation, and I think it was also closed during my trip last year too. As luck would have it, most of the downstairs photography gallery, in the Lower Level of the original building, was also closed to install new work. Bad timing on my part but then that gave me more time to see other things. This post is also overdue so I will use the gallery below to showcase some of the things that I enjoyed this trip.
The Modern Wing:
Photography & Media:
Other Museum Highlights:
I always look for my own images when I am at the Art Institute:
The image below documents the joyful experience of spending time with a Photographer when they are looking at prints or are actively photographing (or doing both):
“Paris Street; Rainy Day” 1877 Artist: Gustave Caillebotte (French, 1848–1894)
Gustave Caillebotte: Painting His World - Art Institute of Chicago
Part of the reason I am a photographer is because I was never able to draw perfectly or at least as good as I wanted to. As a child my mom taught me how to paint with watercolor, and I enjoyed the process but didn’t always like how careful you had to be not to accidentally mix colors. In college I learned more about painting and really came to appreciate painting with acrylics (oils were amazing but the drying part didn’t work for me. The combination of colors, the undercoats, and the brush stroke techniques were amazing. I like a wide variety of painters, but photorealism is my favorite style (shocking I know). I especially like the work of painters Wayne Thiebaud and Maynard Dixon.
I visit Chicago a fair amount and go to the Art Institute most every trip, so I have maintained membership for a while. The reciprocal benefits are great, and it is extra incentive to stop in. Because of this I was very familiar with Gustave Caillebotte’s Paris Street Rainy Day 1877 since it is usually on display as part of their permanent collection. I knew the painting was important, but I didn’t know very much about Caillebotte until I saw the exhibition Gustave Caillebotte: Painting His World in July.
Gustave Caillebotte 1848 -1894
Best known for his association with Impressionism, a 19th Century art movement that sought to capture fleeting moments in modern life through experiments with light and color, Caillebotte painted people who were part of his everyday experiences. Because he was independently wealthy he could paint whatever he wanted to because he didn’t have to rely on sales to support himself.
I learned a long time ago to look at paintings from several different distances. Back a few feet to see the entire piece to understand the subject and over all design then up close to see the craftsmanship of the brush strokes. While studying at Arizona State University I had to take a Color Theory course which taught me to understand combination of colors to produce effects. When I started the class I didn’t think I needed it because I predominantly photographed with Black & White film and didn’t understand what I would get out of it. Luckily I had an open mind because by the time I finished the 3 unit course I understood how important the knowledge was. It really deepened my appreciation of painting and design and now that I photograph mostly with digital cameras, I consider color combinations often.
I have always liked Paris Street Rainy Day, and I had examined the brush strokes before, but I had never examined other works by Caillebotte. Seeing other paintings by Caillebotte helped me understand his style. I was in awe of how he worked with a seemingly dull or dark pallet that actually was subtly vibrant. There was so much information in the exhibition that I came away feeling I had a good understanding of Caillebotte as a painter and of his life.
The curation for this exhibition was outstanding. The design of the space, the wall colors, the accompanying text, the selected paintings, and the other artifacts like the photograph of Caillebotte and period specific hats. I am so thankful I saw this exhibition and grateful to the staff that curated and assembled it.
One amazing part of the exhibition was the map of Paris that marked the location of the paintings in relationship to Caillebotte’s residence. This was so well done and so interesting. Maybe it is my Detective past, I love the details and finding clues within images, in this case paintings. When I was looking at the map it hit me how similar Caillebotte was to a documentary photographer. He documented his neighborhood and made paintings of everyday things that could often be overlooked, and he made images that were outstanding. His approach, “the process” really shown through to me. The show was one of the best “non-photo” solo exhibitions I have ever seen, it really exceeded my expectations.
I have said this before that for a photographer to grow they need to see good work. They need to see what an excellent print looks like and they need to examine it up close. Seeing good craftsmanship, no matter the medium, always helps me sharp my photography saw. I am sorry I was delayed with this post but hopefully some of you who read this had a chance to see the exhibition. For everyone I have enclosed the gallery of images below to showcase it.
All About PHOTO.COM - The Eaton Fire by William Karl Valentine
This is just a quick blog post to let everyone know that All About Photo.com just featured me and my Eaton Fire Portfolio on the website. Sandrine Hermand-Grisel was fantastic to work with, and I am really happy with how the article looks.
I know I have said this a lot, but I know I was at the right place at the right time for a reason, so I am committed to telling the story of the Eaton Fire and the impact it had on so many people. I am always thankful when I can exhibit work in a gallery or get my images showcased online, especially on an outstanding photography site like All About Photo.com.
Museum of Photographic Art - Chicago - July 21, 2025
MoCP Chicago - July 2025
The Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago is an amazing space. Architecturally its beautiful and the way you wind through the space to see an exhibition is cool. It allows curators to be creative with the layout and content they exhibit. I have seen a few exhibitions there and I have never been disappointed. I wrote a blogpost about MoCP last year and you can compare how versatile the by checking out that blog post from 2024.
MoCP describes themselves as this on their website:
Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago (MoCP) is a premier college art museum dedicated to photography. As an accredited art museum with the American Alliance of Museums, MoCP is a renowned photography specific institution whose mission is to generate ideas and provoke dialogue through groundbreaking exhibitions, innovative programs, and experiential events to cultivate a deeper understanding of the artistic, cultural, and political roles of photography in our world today.
Founded in 1976 by Columbia College Chicago as the successor to the Chicago Center for Contemporary Photography, the Museum of Contemporary Photography began collecting in 1979 and has since grown its collection to include nearly 18,000 artworks by 2,000 artists.
I was only in Chicago for a long weekend this year and had planned on finally getting out to Filter Photo to see that space and of course to get back to the Art Institute like I always do (I keep a membership there even though I live in Southern California). I wanted to see if there was any other current exhibition I should get to, so I reached out Greg Harris if there were any must see exhibitions in Chicago at that time. Greg is the Curator of Photography at the High Museum in Atlanta, but he studied and worked in Chicago before taking a position at the High. Greg didn’t hesitate with his reply and said the current exhibition at MoCP was very good, and he was absolutely correct.
The exhibition was Collaboration: A Potential History of Photography in Dialogue with the MoCP Collection. It ran from May 30th through August 16th, 2025. The exhibition was guest curated by Wendy Ewald, Susan Meiselas, and Laura Wexler, along with Kristin Taylor, MoCP Curator of Academic Programs and Collections. A catalogue also accompanied the exhibition.
The exhibition really did encompass a lot of the medium’s history, and I loved how they designed the exhibition by utilizing color on the walls to highlight the grouping of images. I have never seen this approach before, nor have I ever thought about it, but it worked so well. It was especially nice when you got the interactive part of the exhibition, and it really helped tie the viewer into the exhibition. Any history project needs words to put items in context and good that they did that on the walls. There was a lot of text on the walls, but I don’t know how they could have cut that back and still told the story. Usually, the catalogue has most the information, but they also found a way to get those words on the walls. The curation was thoughtful and inclusive, and it speaks well to MoCP’s amazing collection.
I am not going to attempt to talk about everything in the exhibition because there was so much content. I encourage you to look at MoCP’s Instagram account for more details on the exhibition as well as my gallery below that documented my visit. Whenever you visit Chicago, I would suggest checking to see what MoCP has up in their gallery, it is usually worth the time to get to down there.
I love interactive exhibitions, and this part was perfect for what I have been photographing this year. Outstanding Idea!
Exhibition Announcement - Praxis Gallery - Minneapolis - October 2025
CA DSC1442 05-06-2025 - Eaton Fire Burn Zone - Altadena, CA
I am pleased to announce that another one of my Eaton Fire portfolio images was selected for Praxis Gallery’s International Photography Exhibition “Words, Words, Words” which opens on October 18th in Minneapolis, Minnesota and runs through November 8th, 2025. This is the time I have exhibited work in Minnesota and the sixth time an image from my Eaton Fire portfolio has been featured in an exhibition.
The old saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” seems to suggest that a photograph transcends language, but words have been a key part of many important photographers’ work—from the billboards and signs in many Walker Evans’ photos to Lee Friedlander’s 2019 book, Signs, for example. The interplay of language and image can create a vivid sense of tension, irony, or poignance. The size and shapes of a font are visual aspects that can carry as much weight as any other aspect in the frame.
Praxis Gallery presents photographic art that includes written language as a fundamental aspect of the composition, including text in the form of signs or fragments of signs, handwriting scrawled over the photo, graffiti and palimpsests, just to name a few iterations of the theme. Juror | Dallas Crow
PRAXIS GALLERY | PHOTO ARTS CENTER
Praxis Gallery and Photographic Arts Center (PPAC) is a community based, non-profit, artist-led organization in Minneapolis that aims to support the development of new and emerging artists through exhibition and education. Our mission is to bring diverse perspectives into focus through lens-based art, creating photographic exhibitions that engage, challenge, inspire, and surprise the public.
As the only non-profit dedicated photographic arts center in Minnesota, PPAC has produced group exhibitions featuring local, regional and international artists. PPAC has presented four local solo exhibitions yearly, and many local multi-artist pop-up exhibits since 2017 - bridging artists and audiences by creating platforms for discovery and discourse through visual art.
PRAXIS GALLERY | PHOTO ARTS CENTER
Ross Anderson | Program Director
Jonathan Pavlica | Gallery Director
Dan Fenner | Analog Director
Elizabeth Flinsch | Consulting Director of Development
Main Entrance: The main entrance is located in the parking lot at 2601 27TH Ave. S.
Praxis is located at the corner of 26TH S. E & 27TH Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55406, USA
Please click the Google maps link below for directions to Praxis from your location.
Directions to Praxis: Google Maps
Me, Eric, and a couple of Amazing Canon Printers at LACP on September 10th, 2025
Eric Joseph - Master Printer - Freestyle Photographic
So far, I have placed winning bids on three different “experiences” offered by The Los Angeles Center of Photography (LACP) during their annual fundraiser. In 2022 I purchased a private tour of a LACMA exhibition that Rebecca Morse curated. It was one of the best museum experiences I have ever had, Rebecca is amazing. In 2023 I purchased a private tour of the Huntington Library’s Photography Collection with Linde Lehtinen who is the Curator of Photographs at the Huntington. I saw unbelievable artifacts and photographs. The experience expanded my knowledge, and she was a fantastic host. In 2024 I was outbid for a private printing lesson with Eric Joseph, but I was not outbid in 2025.
Eric Joseph is the Co-President, Chief Products, Education, Sales & Support Officer at Freestyle Photographic Supplies here in Southern California. He is also one of the leading experts in digital image printing in all of North America, quite possibly the best. Not only does he teach all over North America he also consults with a number of well known photographers.
I was blessed to grow up in a Silver Gelatin world. I learned so much about the medium of photography by using a manual film camera and a dark room to make photographs. You cannot replicate that process with digital technology. You also can not have an understanding what a great photograph is without viewing great prints. I am confident in my darkroom skills and my image capture skills with digital cameras, but I knew I was only okay with digital printing. I have been using a lab in Georgia to print my work the last few years but I there was a quality issue this year and it amplified the fact I needed to be able to print my own digital images or at least be closer to oversee the printing. I knew I had lots of questions about digital printing and that someone like Eric could probably answer them.
On September 10th I drove up to Los Angeles and met Eric at LACP for my printing lesson. It was six hours of one-on-one printing theory. I comprehended most every concept, but I don’t know if I will be able to remember all the algorithm and dynamic range information. Luckily, he can set up presets for every printer - computer - paper combination to do all that. The biggest thing I wanted to learn was what were the optimal printer and paper combination for my images, and I think we found that. He led me through the maze of papers on the market, and I am at least headed in the right direction not. He also convinced me that Canon printers are amazing. I just need to reorganize an office to accommodate one of the beasts. Eric also taught me there are more papers out there with optical brighteners than I thought.
Eric gives classes all over North America and I would suggest that if you desire to increase your knowledge of digital printing you seek out one of his classes. He has a passion about printing, it isn’t just about selling units, he wants to help others improve their images.
There is no way for me to write out everything I learned but hopefully the photographs below give you an idea. Thank You LACP for another incredible Photography Experience. Also, the LACP digital print lab is awesome, great gallery space too, I impressed by their staff, they have a lot to offer the Los Angeles Photo Community.
William Karl Valentine and Frank Schlegel last Saturday at the opening of The BAG’s first all photography exhibition.
Baldwin Avenue Gallery - The BAG - Sierra Madre, California
The BAG (Baldwin Avenue Gallery) in Sierra Madre was started during the Pandemic by Mary Hoffman-Serr and her husband Michael Todd Serr. Both had real jobs in business and the entertainment industry, but both also had a passion for art as well. The timing apparently worked out well because they created a jip gallery space in the heart of Sierra Madre’s vibrant downtown area. I first heard about this gallery t last week when I saw my good friend post an exhibition announcement about this exhibition.
Here is a link to another great article about Michael Todd Serr.
This is the gallery’s first ever all photography exhibition and it is dedicated to renowned photographer Douglas Kirkland whose son Mark is a featured photographer in this exhibit of 11 photographers.
From his website: Mark Kirkland is a three-time Emmy award-winning director (The Simpsons), an award-winning filmmaker, writer/director. He studied drawing, animation, filmmaking and received a BFA degree from The California Institute of The Arts (CalArts). Kirkland is an associate member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) and a former Governor for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. He has a life long interest in fine art and illustration and is a avid sketchbook artist.
Mark Kirkland & Frank Schlegel
The gallery space and the exhibition both exceeded my expectations. It lots of linear wall space and the potential to be reconfigured as needed. Mary and Micharl did a great job developing this space. Sierra Madre is often overlooked because it is a sleepy little town between Pasadena and Arcadia but it is an amazing little town (Sierra Madre is so quiet it doesn’t have any traffic lights, except for those on the borders with other cities). This gallery is located in the heart of downtown where there is so much foot traffic. If you know Sierra Madre, you will know why I think this space is perfect for this location.
Photographs from the opening
Gallery Hours
Monday - Thursday By Appointment Only
Friday: 5pm - 9pm
Saturday: 12pm - 5pm
Sunday: 12pm - 5pm
Contact
12 N. Baldwin Avenue, Sierra Madre CA 91024 info@baldwinavenuegallery.com
1-626-921-0234
Kenn Cook Jr. - Filter Photo Fellow & William Karl Valentine
Filter Photo - Chicago - July 2025
On July 18th of this year, I was finally able to visit the Filter Photo gallery space in Chicago. I have submitted work to a call there before, but this was the first time I was in Chicago and able to get out there.
This gallery space opened in 2015 and is really nice. It is a hip building with other art spaces, the only downside is that it is West Town which is a little way from downtown.
When I got there, I met Kenn Cook Jr who is a Fellow at Filter and who was holding down the reception desk. Kenn was a great host showing me around the space and explaining their mission. We also talked some about our own work and cool making a Chicago photographer friend. I love the fact that Kenn is focused on documenting his community, that is so important.
“Shaping the Land” by José Ibarra Rizo.
Was the solo exhibition up when I visited. José Ibarra Rizo (American, born Mexico) is a lens-based artist living and working in Atlanta, GA. His work examines cultural memory, identity, and the migrant experience in the American South. José’s work is part of the permanent collections of the High Museum of Art, the Virginia Museum of Fine Art, and the Michael C. Carlos Museum. Rizo’s prints are wonderful and what he is documenting is so important, especially at this time. I also like the framed work without matting, it fits the space and the portfolio. What I didn’t get was the design of the exhibition, it seemed sparse on the walls. I don’t know if that was by design or if Rizo only supplied a small number of prints. Obviously you don’t want to overcrowd a space, and it is good to let images stand out, I wanted to see more of Rizo’s photographs and almost felt cheated.
FILTER PHOTO - Information from their website:
Filter Photo supports, elevates, and connects photo-based artists through social and educational programming. Through year-round initiatives, Filter provides a platform for artists, curators, publishers, and other arts professionals to collaborate and connect with opportunities that support their artistic and professional growth.
Our mission is to foster meaningful dialogue around contemporary photography and to cultivate a vibrant, inclusive community dedicated to advancing the medium while positioning Chicago as a leading hub for contemporary photo-based practice and critical discourse.
HISTORY
Filter Photo was founded by artists to meet the needs of emerging and mid-career photo-based artists working in the Midwest, with a particular focus on Chicago as a hub of artistic practice. Filter Photo aims to be a thought-leader in the field of photography—demonstrating the ever-evolving importance of the medium in contemporary art practice and discourse. Our organization aspires to support sustainable career pathways into the art world, while presenting exhibitions and educational programming that represents a strong creative vision. We work towards these goals through two primary programmatic outputs: our gallery and project space, Filter Space; and our annual Filter Photo Festival.
Since 2009, Filter Photo has been the driving force behind the annual Filter Photo Festival. The Festival hosts portfolio reviews, exhibitions, workshops, lectures, and other career-building initiatives to support photo-based artists nationwide. The portfolio review program has been instrumental in connecting artists with curators, galleries, editors, and arts professionals who can provide artistic feedback, professional guidance, and career opportunities.
In 2015, Filter Photo opened Filter Space, a gallery and project space located in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood. Through this space, Filter hosts a year-round program of exhibitions, critique groups, workshops, and an emerging arts administration fellowship, all aimed at fostering support for photo-based artists in Chicago and beyond.
Filter Photo Festival September 17 -20, 2025:
Filter Photo Festival is a celebration of photography that takes place every September in Chicago. The 2025 Festival will be held at the Columbia College Chicago Student Center, centrally located downtown in proximity to museums, galleries, and other cultural institutions. Renowned photographer Dawoud Bey is speaking on the opening night and many top photographers, curators, and educators will be taking part in the weekend lectures and portfolio reviews. I have not attended this festival yet, but I have heard it is an outstanding experience.
Programming includes portfolio reviews, workshops, lectures, and artist talks. Additionally, exhibitions will be hosted at Filter Space gallery
LOCATION
Filter Space is located in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood, at 1821 West Hubbard Street, Suite 207.
Photolucida - Critical Mass 2025 - Top 200 Finalist - William Karl Valentine
I am extremely happy to announce that a portfolio of my Eaton Fire photographs has been selected as a Top 200 Finalist in Photolucida’s Critical Mass 2025 competition. This is the fourth time I have been a Top 200 Finalist (previous years: 2023, 2016, & 2014).
Three of the ten images I submitted have already been exhibited this year in the following cities: New York City, Atlanta, Houston, and Middlebury, Vermont. I am thankful that so many people have recognized the value of this portfolio and have showcased my images. I also want to thank Polly Gaillard, Photolucida’s program director, who oversees Critical Mass for all the work she puts in making this competition happen every year.
My Submitted images are below.
How Photolucidia describes Critical Mass:
Critical Mass is an annual online program designed to foster meaningful connections within the photography world. Open to photographers at all levels and from anywhere across the globe, participants submit a portfolio of 10 images. After an initial pre-screening process, 200 finalists are selected to have their work reviewed and voted on by more than 150 distinguished international photography professionals. From this group, the TOP 50 are chosen, and a range of prestigious awards is presented.
Critical Mass offers an unparalleled opportunity to get your work in front of influential museum curators, gallerists, publishers, editors, educators, artists, and media producers.
On September 29th the Final Photolucida Final 50 was announced. I did not make it but I am happy to see that Aline Smithson’s work was selected, it is solid.
Me, Gizmo, and Ave - Santa Monica
Ave Pildas - Studio Visit - August 16th 2025
On August 16th I drove up to Santa Monica to meet up with Alex Turner who was giving a talk at Marshall Gallery about his current exhibition there. I had called one of my favorite LA photographer friends, Ave Pildas , on the way up to see if he wanted to join me. Ave, who lives in Santa Monica, couldn’t make the lecture, but said he would be home later if I could stop by after, which I did.
We were catching up in his studio space and during the conversation I told Ave that I really wanted to add one of his prints to my collection and I specifically asked about his photograph of three Long Beach PD color guard officers. He was happy that I wanted a print and agreed to make this print below for me.
I first learned about Ave’s work seven years during a visit to Arcana Books. I saw his self-published book Street / People on a feature rack, and I immediately related to his photographs. I especially liked the image above of the color guard officers. I bought the books and finally met Ave when Arcana held a book signing for his book Star Struck which was published by Deadbeat Club. Since then, we have become good friends, so it became a priority for me to get at least one of his prints.
While Ave was getting ready to make my print, I got to go through his working prints for his Liemert Park Portfolio. It was exciting getting to see so many different images from this portfolio because I remember him telling be in October of 2023 he was thinking about starting to photograph there. At the time we were together photographing in the Eagle Rock area, and we were talking about other areas of Los Angeles that would be good to document. He checked it out the following week and he has been photographing there regularly since and has really come to know that community. The work is solid and important because it documents an important neighborhood in Los Angeles’s history. I hope the right people discover this portfolio and find it several good homes; it has value.
Ave Pildas’s Leimert Park Portfolio
Ave has been documenting Los Angeles for a long time, so it was of little surprise when he proudly told me that the Los Angeles Times was publishing a feature Sunday article the next day built on his 1980 Venice Beach photoshoot of seven of LA’s prominent young architects (Frederick Fisher, Robert Mangurian, Eric Owen Moss, Coy Howard, Craig Hodgetts, Thom Mayne, and Frank Gehry).
Here is a link to the article and photographs of it are below. I am so jealous of how much energy Ave has; he is really focused now on preserving his archive as well as still getting out there to keep photographing.
Finally just a few more photos from Gizmo’s photoshoot that we got in while Ave was printing my photograph.
Lost and Found - The Green Bus Art Space - Santa Monica
When I went up to see Alex Turner last weekend, I wasn’t sure where Marshall Gallery was in Bergamont Station, and I wandered into The Green Bus Artspace to ask for directions. It was absolutely appropriate since their current exhibition is Lost and Found. I noticed what was on the walls as I was getting directions and I promised to come back after Alex’s talk, which I did.
I really like Vernacular photography; those types of photographs can be wonderful documents of the past and I respect the power of images to help preserving our memories. With vernacular photographs we often don’t have any more information about the photograph than the image itself, so the viewer has to interpret the photograph for themselves. Most of these photographs can always tell us something about the period and the place but that might be it. People photograph to document their world and preserve things that are important to them, in a photobooth the strip of images might only matter to the people behind the curtain.
When I see vernacular images, I often think back to a lecture Bill Jay gave at Arizona State University when I was there and it highlighted how the value of an image is determined by the viewer. I have mentioned the lesson several times before on this blog and it always has value to revisit it. The last time I shared it was a year ago when my daughter’s best friend died unexpectedly shortly after arriving in Paris to watch her sister-in-law compete in the Olympics. With that mention I wrote about how photographs of her friend were a way for us to hold on to her memory. It is an obvious connection. When I see vernacular photographs the prints are outlasting the memory of the people in the images. These prints were most likely unwanted and were discarded, maybe they were lost in either case the prints could be very much like the people in the photographs.
This exhibition might seem lighthearted and fun at first, I chuckled at some images, but I think there are lots of layers here. I think they absolutely crushed it, if you are near Santa Monica, it is absolutely worth the stop. The presentation and curation of the images is perfect, it absolutely fits their space, and the creative way the images were enlarged and displayed is outstanding. Without the scale and display techniques this exhibition would not have been as good.
Bill Jay Lesson from previous posts:
I know I have told this story more than once, but it’s worth repeating and still is one of the greatest things Bill Jay taught us while I was at Arizona State University. We were in class one day, in Matthews Hall, when Bill put two slides up the screen next to one another (yes back then you looked at prints or slides in class and there were real blackboards). One image was Ansel Adams’s Moonrise Over Hernandez, New Mexico which had just set the record for the most expensive print ever sold (I think it sold for around $40K). In the other projector Bill put up a good snapshot quality photo of a child in an inflatable wading pool. I can’t recall but it may have even been a photograph of one of his daughters, doesn’t matter. So, with both images side by side he asked the class which photograph was more valuable. Lots of my classmates spoke up with reason why it was Adams’s photograph; because of composition, because of the author, and many noted how important the sale was for the medium in general because of the price it sold for. After everyone willing to take the bait had their say, then Bill gave us more information. He said what if this print is the only photograph that this mother has which documents her child at that time in their lives. Maybe all the family albums had been lost in a fire, maybe she had even lost the child, and that simple snapshot was the only visual reminder she had of her child. He then asked us which print would the mother say is more valuable? Would she even consider selling the simple photograph of the child for any price? That simple example was almost forty years ago, and it is still so vivid to me. The viewer sets the value based on their own experiences and tastes.
Location
Bergamot Station Arts Center
2525 Michigan Ave, E2
Santa Monica, CA 90404
Hours
Tuesday and Wednesday, 10:30am — 2:30pm
Saturday, 10am — 6pm
And by appointment.
Alex Turner and me at Marshall Gallery.
Alex Turner - Marshall Gallery - Santa Monica
On August 16th I was able to get up to the Marshall Gallery at Bergamont Station, in Santa Monica, to hear Alex Turner talk about his current exhibition Blind Forest which closes today. Heidi Volpe (Director of Photography, Patagonia) hosted the discussion whoch also included Kaya & Blank, video artists who also have a video installation up at Marshall. This is Alex’s second solo exhibition at Marshall, having previously exhibited his Blind River portfolio there in 2023.
Alex Turner (born 1984 in Chicago) is currently a Los Angeles based photographer who received his MFA from the University of Arizona in 2020. I met him in January of 2020 at the Center for Creative Photography’s Legacy of LIGHT Symposium and have followed his career since then.
With Blind Forest, Alex used a hunting scope with a built in infrared camera to capture thermal images of the forest around him. Most every photograph in this was a montage of 150 small image files stitched together digitally to create one larger image file. Those image files are sent to his printer who uses a special digital enlarger that projects a negative image of the file on to Silver Gelatin paper that is then processed in a traditional manner. When he explained the process I had to admit to him that I had never heard of it before. Alex explained how he had been dissatisfied with his early prints on digital paper so he found this other alternative. The prints are beautiful, his decision was correct. With a Google search I found several different companies who provide this service including this one that stood out to me. The Blind Forest images are impressive, and I especially like how the thermal imaging captured artifacts in the trees that Alex could not see with his naked eye; like the carvings in a tree which had apparently healed but the scarred area gave off different heat signatures.
I loved some of Alex’s Bling River photographs when I discovered his work, but I also remember wondering where he would be able to go from there, he has definitely answered that question. I love our medium of photography and how inclusive it can be to so many different lens-based artists. I encourage you to also follow Alex Turner’s career. I have linked several outstanding articles below the gallery of images in this post.
Marshall Gallery is located in Bergamont Station at 2525 Michigan Avenure, #A6, Santa Monica, California and is open from 12pm to 7pm Tuesday - Saturday. It is a great space and Bergamont Station is my favorite gallery community in Southern California, I can always find an interesting exhibition there.
Alex Turner’s Exhibition Statement:
BLIND FOREST My work navigates the intersections of ecology, technology, and human experience, and Blind Forest embodies this approach through an extended study of trees as both ecological keystones and mirrors of human intent. Set across the diverse landscapes of California, the project uses thermal imaging—a tool of surveillance, fire detection, and tree health assessment—to reveal what lies beyond the visible: the conservation, transmission, and dispersion of heat through living systems. Created in collaboration with ecologists, natural historians, and cultural anthropologists, Blind Forest reflects a cross-disciplinary inquiry into how natural systems absorb, reflect, and archive cultural and natural histories. Using a thermal hunting scope mounted on a panoramic tripod head, I construct largescale images from hundreds of exposures, mapping thermodynamic activity in precise detail. In doing so, I treat heat not just as data, but as narrative—a record of vitality, decay, stress, and transition. Trees are long-living witnesses to environmental and human histories, and they carry evidence of shifting climates, displaced communities, and evolving systems of power in their bark, roots, and canopies,. From junipers and pinyon pines valued by Indigenous communities, to redwoods logged for empire and citrus groves that once symbolized prosperity, the species featured in Blind Forest trace overlapping tensions—extraction and preservation, survival and erasure, change and continuity. Blind Forest questions what it means to see—and what is made visible or concealed through the tools we use to understand the world. Thermal imaging extends human perception but also implicates us in systems of control. By turning this apparatus toward the forest, I aim to collapse the distance between scientific observation and poetic witnessing, rendering the unseen visible and inviting viewers to reconsider their relationship to place, memory, and environmental urgency. Ultimately, Blind Forest asks how we document and understand the slow, often invisible forces that shape our surroundings. It positions trees not as passive scenery, but as active participants—living archives that conserve, transmit, and disperse meaning across generations. In a moment of ecological precarity, Blind Forest prompts reflection on the fragile systems we inherit, inhabit, and either sustain or destroy.
Additional information about Alex Turner :
Musee Magazine 2025 article on Blind Forest - This is an outstanding interview!
CA DSC 4767 4-14-25 Eaton Fire devastation - Altadena, California
42nd Annual Houston Center for Photography - Installation Photographs
Houston Center for Photography
I was honored earlier this year when Dr. Rebecca Senf, the Chief Curator at the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona, selected the above photograph for the Houston Center for Photography’s 42nd Center annual exhibition. The exhibition closed this week and just before it did Areli Navarro Magallón, the Houston Center for Photography’s exhibition coordinator, sent me these installation view photographs. I always appreciate seeing exhibition views. This space is amazing, and the design of this exhibition was outstanding. Interacting with Ariel was also easy; I was impressed with every aspect of this exhibition process. I wanted to do a quick blog post to make more people are aware of how special the Houston Center for Photography is.
