Winogrand Color & Friedlander's The People's Pictures

March 9, 2024

This blog post is a review of several new photography books I recently added to my library.

The release of Winogrand Color was my motivation to go book shopping online. I have mentioned this time and again I love Winogrand’s photographs, and I am always interested books about his work. While ordering the Winogrand book I also came across The People’s Pictures by Lee Friedlander and two other books which were on sale and looked interesting, so I added them to the cart as well.

Twin Palms publishers describes Winogrand Color as follows

Winogrand Color presents 150 photographs selected from the archives at the Center for Creative Photography by the American film director, Michael Almereyda and former Museum of Modern Art curator, Susan Kismaric. It is the first monograph dedicated to the artist's rarely seen color work.

Images were selected from the 45,000 color slides that Winogrand photographed in the 1950’s and 1960’s.

Published November 2023, 12” x 12”, 176 pages, 150 four color plates.

The retail price is $85. Twin Palms produced two slipcase editions of 50 which are already sold out at ($300 ea) and they produced a limited edition of 750 books with an alternative cover image ($85) which is still available. The first edition printing is 7,000 books.

My first impression of Winogrand Color was good. I like the page layouts; I think the image sizes and book size are appropriate and the design is clean and simple, which I really like. The printing is very good, many images have deep shadow areas, and the printer was able to keep shadow details while still achieving solid blacks where appropriate. In reading the book detail I saw it was printed in Turkey and that several people were involved in the image restoration process, this suggested the Winogrand’s transparencies may not have been properly processed or stored.

As a document the book is good. First it documents an era in color well that most of us remember primarily in black and white. Second, and most importantly, the book allows us to see more Winogrand photographs, most of these images we have not seen before, and that allows the viewer to gain deeper knowledge about one of the greatest documentary photographers of all time. The photographs in this book also reaffirm that Winogrand was not wedded solely to Black and White photography. I remember in the 2018 documentary film on him, “All things are Photographable”, where Winogrand spoke about photographing with color film but had reservations about it because, at the time, he could not produce archival prints of color images. It showed the choice was at least partially a business decision not just an artistic one. So, as a photographer myself, the photographs in this book gave me a lot of clues about how Garry Winogrand photographed.

Many of Winogrand’s most famous images were made with a 28mm lens on a Leica M4. A number of the color images in the book seem to be made with longer legnth lenses. Winogrand is at his best when there are layers of information in his image. Winogrand was quoted numerous times talking about how he liked his photographs to be more interesting than the subject matter and how he photographed to see what something looked like photographed. With a wide-angle lens, you tend to have more content in the frame which lends itself to what Winogrand was after. You can still achieve images with deep meaning using longer focal lengths, Max Yavno is someone who photographed that way, but it did not seem to be Winogran’s typical approach. Thinking of Winogrand’s Women are Beautiful, when I saw the entire portfolio displayed at Pier 24’s exhibition “The Grain of the Present” in 2017, I really became aware of how rarely he used a longer lens.

This book begins with a number of longer focal length images at Coney Island I assume. They seemed more voyeuristic than insightful and I questioned if these were images that Winogrand really would have included in a portfolio or if he was just exploring with his camera. Was the color film and the focal lengths a careful creative decision or was it more spontaneous. I don’t know how Garry set up his cameras related to film type or if he carried similar focal length lenses. I have seen video of Winogrand photographing in the 1980’s and he had a single camera in hand and camera bag, but he didn’t seem to be transitioning to a second camera body. I wonder if Winogrand had his primary Lieca M4 with the 28mm lens loaded with black and white film and then had a telephoto lens on another Leica loaded with color slide film? Having photographed in the pre-digital era I remember having to carry two camera bodies if I wanted to photograph in color and black and white. It would also make sense logistically if he had a telephoto lens on the camera with color film too, because if he wanted to use a telephoto lens for a black and white image, he could just trade the lenses between bodies. (It is unfortunate that so many photographers today have never worked with analog cameras because it would give them a greater appreciation of what photographers in the past accomplished.)

Several images in the book looked to me as if Winogrand saw something that interested him, and he used the color film camera to just see the difference of how the image would be in color. One example is his famous image of a couple in Central Park Zoo with the baby monkeys. The famous black and white image is framed so much better than the color image in this book. Interestingly when examining and comparing the color and the black and white imagers of the couple it is obvious the color image was photographed with a wide angel lens and that the black and white image may have been photographed with a slightly longer length lens but still not a telephoto lens. The black and white image is the better composed and the lack of color helps the viewer focus on the details within the frame. There are a few images in the book that seem just okay like he was making an exposure to see the difference but not with the intent to ever exhibit the image. The photo in the book of a boxing match where you basically just see the ceiling looks like an absolute mistake, like it was an accidental exposure (Like most photographers I have captured many mistakes in my time). There are a number of images in this book that seem to fall short. This book is not an example of Winogrand’s best work, and I question the curator’s selections and wonder if Winogrand would have showcased the same images; I also can’t imagine if the editors had 45,000 color images that this collection was the best of that lot. I have not been able to find a concise statement about this book from either Tod Papageorge or Joel Meyerowitz who photographed with Winogrand during this time and know his process better than most people; I would love to hear their review of it. I think Arthur Lubow from the New York Times wrote a solid article reviewing the book and comparing Winogrand’s color work with other noted photographers working with color film at the time. The only thing in Lubow’s article I would question is when he said this about the couple in the Central Park Zoo: “It is a biting and unsettling comment on the era’s prevailing slurs about interracial marriage.”. I completely understand interpreting this image this way with today’s viewpoints, and I am sure some viewers now, and through the years, share Lubbow’’s opinion. But I specifically remember Tod Papageorge discussing this image in the documentary film on Winogrand “All Things Are Photographable” and dispelling that intent. Papageorge was there with Winogrand when he photographed the couple and in fact Papageorge photographed Winogrand with the couple. In 2014 Tod Papageorge wrote an article about the image for Transatlantica that explains everything about it. I have authored a separate blog with more detail on this subject.

So, to wrap up my opinion of the book, it does have value for me since I get to see more examples of Winogrand’s work and continue to better understand him. This book is not a priority add for a photography library and it isn’t something everyone should buy. 1964 and Figments from the Real World are much better books that showcase Winogrand at his best. This book is for people wanting to learn more about Winogrand and how he photographed. I am happy I added it to my library, and I know other Winogrand fans will feel the same way.

Other Reviews of Winogrand Color:

The New Yorker What Garry Winogrand Saw in Color - by Vince Aletti January 29, 2024

The New York Times - When Master Photographers Spin the Color Wheel - by Arthur Lubow January 25, 2024

I had not taken notice of The People’s Pictures by Lee Friedlander until I saw it listed at a sale price. The book was produced in 2021 by Ekins Press Foundation and was printed in East Greenwich, Rhode Island.

I like this book a lot. The design and printing are good as is the edit and image sequencing. It is impressive that there are images from five different decades in this book, the combination of the images makes a great documentation of our world. I love the first section of the book where Friedlander photographs people with cameras, I like to take those kinds of photographs myself. The second section where he is taking pictures of things with actual photographs in the frame is stylistically different than the documentary street style of the first section, and I see how that could be slightly confusing to someone. But I understand the connection and I think it works well. The only frustration I have with the book is the lack of written information. There isn’t an artist statement or much guidance about the collection other than two vague quotes from books that aren’t specifically about the work. I always think less is more with artist statements and I think it is best for viewers to see photographs and experience them without being influenced by a complex artist statement. Good images stand on their own and people should have their own unbiased experience with a photograph. But after that the viewer should be able to compare their experience with the artist statement to see if their experience was similar to what the artist was projecting with the image. I think I understand well what this catalogue is saying but I still would like confirmation and in some cases more information. In reading reviews of the book on line I saw some images had more detailed titles than in the book. For example plate #31 is of a photographer in New York City in 1975 photographing with a Leica. You can’t see the photographer’s face well, but I think it might be Garry Winogrand. If it is I would like to know it. The opposite image in the book is of a pig roast in Cold Spring, NY in 2013, a great photograph. I want to know why this pairing was made, what deeper statement was being made here. There are several other images where I know more information about the image exits but its not included in the book because I expect they wanted to keep a simple clean design throughout the book. I am fine with it; I just wish there was a detailed description in the back of the book that I could reference to learn more. I paid under $40 for the book which was a great value. This is a book I would suggest for anyone who likes documentary and street photography. You will learn something just by looking at the images and even though I mentioned I wanted a little more text information with it, I am fine without it and I think I understand why this book was designed this way. A fun addition to the library.

Cape Cod 1965

Paris, France 1964

New York City 1972

Gallup, New Mexico 1983

New York City 2012

Kentucky 1965

Chicago 1966

Florida 1963

The two other books I had in this order were Los Angeles Portrait of a City (572 pages, 2009) and Dark City: The Real Los Angeles Noir (478 pages, 2018) both published by Taschen America. These are not fine art photography books but there are good photographs in both books and with my interest in documenting Los Angeles now, there was valuable information in both. Dark City also interested me because of the law enforcement and evidence photographs it had. If these books had not been on sale, I would have passed on them but their prices were reasonable, so I went for it. Jim Heimann authored both books and there is some overlap of content. These are not fine art photography books but both books contain some outstanding photographs and are interesting, especially since I have been documenting Los Angeles more.

Controversy over Garry Winogrand's Photograph of a couple at the Central Park Zoo

March 9, 2024

In authoring a blog post on the book Winogrand Color I came across a review of the book online by New York Times writer Arthur Lubow. I think it was a really accurate review about the images in the book. The only thing I didn’t agree with that Lubow wrote were part of his comments on the very famous Winogrand photograph on the left above. Lubow wrote “Even less successful is the color version of one of his most famous photographs, “Central Park Zoo, New York City” (1967), which shows a Black man and blonde woman, seemingly affluent, each carrying a fully clad chimpanzee. It is a biting and unsettling comment on the era’s prevailing slurs about interracial marriage. In the color image, probably taken an instant later, the man is looking at the camera, the woman’s expression has changed, and the impact is diffused by the photographer’s own obscuring shadow and a distracting crowd of passers-by.” As I stated in my other blog post I saw the Winogrand documentary film, “All Things are Photographable” where Papageorge discussed this image and shared his own photograph of Winogrand with the couple. Tod Papageorge explained he was with Garry Winogrand that day and he disputed the assumption that Winogrand was making a statement about interracial relationships with this photograph. Tod and Garry were close friends and I think Tod would have understanding of Garry’s beliefs and opinions. I researched this subject matter further and found an in-depth article, with photograph illustrations, that Papageorge had authored about the photograph for Transatlantica in 2014 on MoMA’s website.

I know I have shared this information in the body of another blog post, but I think the subject is important enough to highlight in a separate post specifically dealing with the perceived controversy with this image because it applies to other works by other people. It is wrong to apply current day feelings or cultural standards with things from the past. I am not saying we need to condone outdated beliefs or past behavior that would be wrong in our world today. I am saying things needs to be evaluated with perspective of the time of the event and without any attempt to cancel it because of the current values and opinions of a segment of society. Here is a good non-photo example of my point:

My son is a graduate of Choate Rosemary Hall, a well-known prep school in Connecticut. On one of my many visits back there I got to sit in on his English class during the events of a “parents’ weekend”. My son’s teacher was Ed McCatty who is an outstanding educator, now retired. McCatty, who is black, had the class reading Mark Twain’s 1884 classic book “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” at the time. In the classroom, with all these other parents visiting, McCatty called on a student to read the book out loud and the student became nervous because of the book uses the “N-word” a fair amount to describe Huck’s friend Jim who was a fugitive slave. Finally, McCatty took over reading and projected Twain’s words eloquently. Parents squirmed uncomfortably as McCatty read “that word” again and again. I had already met Ed on a previous visit, he was one of the faculty residents in my son’s dorm, I knew where he was going with the reading, so I sat back and enjoyed seeing a number of parents getting completely stressed over words written in the 19th century. McCatty eventually explained how it was important to interpret Twain’s writing based on the time it was written. He pointed out that even though Huck was using the term for Jim that it wasn’t being used in a derogatory manner for the time, and the fact that Twain wrote about a young white youth befriending a black fugitive slave it showed Twain had a progressive viewpoint. McCatty took the topic further, using examples in his own life, and ended up giving everyone a lesson that day which went far beyond literature.

Interpretations of images (and other things) can change quickly, we don’t need a hundred plus years to pass for feelings to change. The best example of this with my own work is this photograph below which is in the permanent collection at the Center for Creative Photography.

PPD-177 #23 March 1987 - William Karl Valentine

Officer Ware and Craddolph at search warrant related to a narcotics sales investigation.

When I displayed this photograph in the first couple decades after making the exposure most every viewer was compassionate for the child being raised in dangerous conditions and anger towards the parents for putting the child in the situation. Some people went on to acknowledge gratefulness for law enforcement for trying to protect the child and do something about the drug epidemic of the times. These are accurate opinions about what my image is about. But in the last decade plus a portion of our society has altered its perspective on law enforcement and I have been confronted about this image. I had an anonymous Instagram viewer question my ethics for taking the photograph when the woman was unable to defend herself. In 2020 the photograph was in a simple exhibition in Pasadena and several people demanded to have it taken down because they found it offensive, so that image was pulled from the wall by staff. I am fine with someone not liking my work or disagreeing with my interpretation of the world, but to censor me is outlandish. The First Amendment gives me as much right to express myself opinion as anyone else in this country. The fact that some people thing their feeling give them the authority to remove that right is infuriating. Most photographs are an accurate account of a fraction of a second of time, how we interpret them is another thing.

One final thing I want to get back to, the majority of Arthur Lubow’s opinion on Winogran’s color photograph of the couple at the Central Park Zoo is spot on. The image is not as good as the famous black and white image and for all the reasons Lubow points out in his description of the image. Lubow obviously knows how to look at photographs. The positioning of the subjects in the frame and Winogrand’s shadow make the color image way less impactful. If Winogrand had been using a digital camera, which obviously did not exist then, and decided to share this famous image in color I think it may have been impactful, but I can see how the bright colors could have been distracting from what was going on in the frame. I know in my own work sometimes bright colors in a color image distract the viewer from the shapes, forms, layers of meaning, and textures in the image which drew my eye. That was a big consideration I had with my Santa Anita book, I didn’t want the viewer to focus on the bright colors of the silks, the horses, and the grass, I wanted them to see the details and layers of information that came out in a black and white image. It is natural that our eyes are drawn to bright colors and when color is removed a photographer can direct the focus in an image. There are times that colors matter and for that I am thankful for the digital age where the decision can be made after the shutter was released. Knowing how many rolls of film that Winogrand exposed I can only imagine how many hard drives he would have filled and the thousands of more images he would have made.

Photographing with Ave Pildas - September 22, 2023

October 8, 2023

On Friday September 22nd I spent the afternoon photographing and hanging out with legendary Los Angeles street photographer Ave Pildas.

I discovered Ave’s work, when I found a copy of his book Street People at Arcana Books in Culver City five years ago. I liked his work so much I bought a copy of the book. I authored a blog post about Street People and how his photograph “Cop Salute” really stood out to me. I loved the fact Ave was apparently self-publishing small edition books, promoting his work, making his own opportunities. Los Angeles is a hard town to photograph in and it was obvious Ave has been out there documenting Los Angeles for a long time. I followed Ave on social media and when Deadbeat Club Press released Ave’s Star Struck book last year, I went back over to Arcana for the signing to meet him; I also authored a blog post about that. We had a great talk and I suggested going out photographing on the street together.

Ave and I had talked a few times this year trying coordinate our schedules to go out and photograph. When we figured out September would be good for both of us, Ave specifically told me he wanted to find new areas in LA to photograph. The light in September is also usually better than the summer months which I thought would be a plus, but of course the day we went out it was oddly overcast for September here. Ave lives in Santa Monica and is probably best-known for his Hollywood street photography. When we were planning the day Ave told me he was interested in exploring two Los Angeles neighborhoods: Liemert Park and York Boulevard in Highland Park. Because I knew I would be coming from a morning meeting with Photography Curator Linde Lehtinen at the Huntington Library I chose York Boulevard which was closer. I also liked how he described York Boulevard as a gentrified neighborhood with plenty of foot traffic and people out and about to photograph. I love an image rich environment.

We met at Avenue 50 and York which was perfect. There is also a bench there which allowed us to talk for half an hour before we started walking and photographing. I also got a good feel for the area watching the people pass us.

Ave and I are very different in a lot of ways, first and foremost I am 6’5”, Ave is not. I was born in the 1960’s, Ave was “living life” in the 1960’s and 70’s; and he still attacks life today. But I quickly discovered we are very similar when it comes to photography even though we work in different styles. We both constantly look for images in our travels, framing things in our mind when we don’t have a camera in hand, and we both have a strong desire to document our world. We also both feel the pressure of fleeting time and its impact on our efforts to preserve our work, so our images live on long after we are gone. We also have a similar geek side, like where we both got excited with the visit to Galco’s Soda Pop Stop. I bought some PEZ and Ave asked for a handful of eclectic bottle caps. I also loved listening to Ave and Ernestine at Leaf & Spine talk about succulents for ten minutes. We discovered her shop while adventuring around York Boulevard.

Street Photography Styles:

When it comes to photographing people on the street, Ave talks to people more, and likes to engage with his subjects. I like to move anonymously through crowds while photographing. I don’t want people to be aware that I am photographing them because I want to document the world as it is, without interfering with it; but I always do get incredibly powerful images when I get suspicious stares directly into my lens. We talked about our different approaches and during the conversation I referenced Bruce Gilden who photographs in a very confrontational style, on the street of NYC with a wide-angle lens and a flash. There is never a doubt when Bruce has taken your picture, he’s in your face. The confrontation Bruce creates is an important part of the image. Ave and I both like Bruce’s photographs but agreed we would never want to work in that style; we also agreed that style would not go over well in Los Angeles.

I think Ave photographs in a more methodical manner. Granted he is 84 years old, but he is in great shape still and could move along the street faster. He just really likes to examine everything around him and often photographs details from multiple angels to get exactly what he wants. I like to do that as well with static subjects but when I am photographing on the street I am usually moving and reacting to the people I see. I often “Shoot from the hip” literally, with a Sony RX100 vii with the rear screen tiled up so I can glance down and see it. I miss some things in the frame with this approach but with it I can move about better, and people are more natural. Missing an image is just part of the process, some things aren’t meant to be. When I see something that is amazing I will frame it regardless of whether people will notice. Often I have a Nikon D850 around my neck and will transition to that for those images. I also use the DSLR camera for all the static subjects. A DSLR camera body around the neck often helps me photograph surreptitiously with my Sony RX 100 vii. Suspicious people focus on the DSLR body, and they don’t even look at my hands. Good Life Lesson from my Law Enforcement days, always look to see what’s in people’s hands.

William Karl Valentine - York Boulevard Portfolio

The Experience of Photographing with Ave

The afternoon photographing with Ave was one of the coolest times I have had in a while. I almost always photograph alone or if I am with other people I am the only photographer. After leaving ASU I have never really had a mentor photographer. I have had outstanding advisors like Mary Virginia Swanson but no one I went out photographing with. Ave and I photographed well together, each discovering different things to photograph and moving at a pace that didn’t hinder either of us. The pace was also good because it gave us the opportunity to discuss so many different things. We meshed well, I did not set the day up looking for a mentor, I was looking to exchange ideas with an experienced peer, and I got that. I know we both got something out of the day and developed a good friendship. Ave even called me last week to tell me about photographing Liemert Park the weekend after we were on York Boulevard.

We discussed so many things there is no way to list everything here, and some things were just between us. Ave life has been an adventure. He was a successful designer in Cincinnati and when he wanted to get to the next level he followed the advice of his mentors and went to study design in Switzerland. He met his first wife in Switzerland and has two granddaughters who are Swiss. He taught in Philadelphia and ended up in Los Angeles because one of his former students worked at Capitol Records and introduced him to management when he had been in town on a road trip. He had to fly back to Philadelphia to get a portfolio to show them and was hired. We talked about some of the legendary photographers of our time, and it was interesting learning how Ave had met Danny Lyon in Milwaukee once and had seen Garry Winogrand photographing around Los Angeles on several occasions.

I look forward to getting back on the street again soon with Ave and could see somehow collaborating with him one day. His schedule is crazy, with pending trips to New York and Morocco coming up soon, but that also means I get to see more new images from him. I encourage everyone who reads this post to check out Ave’s website and follow him on Instagram, you won’t be disappointed. There is also a recently completed documentary film about Ave called Ave’s America that I am looking forward to watching once the release is complete.

William Kart Valentine on York Blvd – photograph © 2023 Ave Pildas

Ave’s Bio from his website:

Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Ave Pildas worked early in his career as a photo stringer for Downbeat Magazine in the Ohio Valley and Pennsylvania in the 1960's.

In 1971 Pildas began working as the Art Director at Capitol Records in Hollywood and designed and photographed album covers for the label's recording artists. He launched a career as a freelance photographer and designer soon after, specializing in architectural and corporate photography. His photographs have been exhibited in one man shows at the: Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, Photographers Gallery, London, Janus Gallery, Los Angeles, Gallerie Diaframma, Milan, Cannon Gallery, Amsterdam, Gallerie 38, Zurich and numerous group shows. His photographs are in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Bibliotheca National, Paris; the University of Arizona as well as numerous other public and private collections. He is a Professor Emeritus at Otis College of Design.

“Manos Arriba” CA DSC - 08450 9-22-23 Ave Pildas

William Karl Valentine and Mark Hilbert at the Hilbert Museum’s temporary gallery space in Orange, California. 9/23/23

Hilbert Museum - Catching up with Mark Hilbert

September 30, 2023

I had a chance last week to catch up with Mark Hilbert, who with his wife Janet, founded The Hilbert Museum of California Art at Chapman University in Orange, California. The Musem houses their collection of 1,000 20th century paintings documenting California and one of my first blog posts documented a private reception I went to when it opened in 2016. The original space, at 7,000 square feet, was beautiful and it is currently being expanded to 22,000 square feet due to open early next year. The Hilbert collection includes works by Maynard Dixon and many of my favorite California Painters. They opened the Hilbert Temporary gallery off The Circle in Orange to stay engaged with the public as they prepared for the unveiling of their beautiful new museum space.

Mark Hilbert explaining the expansion of his museum which will be completed early in 2024.

The temporary gallery space is obviously only a fraction of the size of the coming new museum, but the space is still decent and located right off the Circle in Orange. The area has great restaurants, eclectic shopping, and is a great place to spend a few hours on a weekend. I’m hopeful that someone maintains this space as a gallery after the new Hilbert Museum opens. I also encourage everyone to visit the Hilbert Temporary while it is up because the works on display are worth the trip to see them.

My Favorite Painting in the Exhibition

Dean Cornwell (1892-1960) “Mission San Antonio de Padua - 1949 Oil on Board

I have heard many photography scholars talk about how a viewer’s past experiences influence how they perceive a photograph. People will connect, or not connect, with a photograph often because of their past experiences, their understanding of the subject matter, or even their believes. Every viewer’s experience is unique, so their response is also unique and that is a good thing. Every person’s opinion has value, even if only just to that person. In talking with Mark he expressed frustration with political viewpoints impacting viewing experiences and an increasing lack of tolerance for differing opinions, I completely agree with him. As in the world, the art world also needs to be inclusive to differing points of view, including conservative ones. The First Amendment is important for all of us.

Dean Cornwell’s 1949 painting Mission San Antonio de Padua really stood out to me and I think may be of value to my blog post readers to explain why so I can expand upon what I wrote above about a viewer’s past experience influencing their reaction to an image.

I have written blog posts before about the Father Serra statue that was in downtown Los Angeles. For me it was an important monument because both Robert Frank and Garry Winogrand had photographed in the 1950’s. I searched for the statue and photographed it on May 29th, 1995, and returned again 25 years later to the day and rephotographed it. Two weeks after photographing the Father Serra statue a second time Indigenous activists invited Los Angeles Times reporters to the statue to witness them tear it down as part of the George Floyd protests. I don’t get how it was connected other than tolerance was being shown to civil unrest at the time.

I am respectful of the opinions that Indigenous Americans have towards colonization and the influence that Catholicism had upon their culture, they have a right to be upset with injustices of the past. But that shouldn’t give them the right to destroy public property or cancel things they don’t believe in. We need to remember history, not erase it. Cancel culture is a slippery slope and should never be tolerated. For me when they tore down the Father Serra statue for that minor LA Times article, they took away my connection to two of my favorite photographers, they destroyed an artifact of California history. They did it all for a soon forgotten moment of attention that was quickly overshadowed by so many other events with the pandemic. Having that experience impacted my thoughts when viewing this painting. I was drawn to the graphic shape of the cross and the stylization of the people in the painting. I took note how the priests were supervising (ordering) the indigenous people doing all the labor to accomplish their task. I also noticed how the indigenous people were colorful and bright and the priests were ashen and less dynamic. I saw elements in this painting supporting the outrage of the indigenous people who tore down my Father Serra statue. For someone of strong Catholic Faith they might see the impact the church had bringing the ministry to the new world. Both viewpoints are valid. No matter what opinion a viewer has the painting is an amazing piece of artwork, wonderfully crafted, and is something to be enjoyed by all. Hopefully it will inspire various dialogues for years to come.

Father Serra Statue two weeks before being torn down by indigenous protestors in 2020 - William Karl Valentine

Selected images in the exhibition at the Hilbert Temporary

Anton Otto Fischer "Peach Harvest"

Phil Dike "California's Best"

Charlie Dye "Big Catch"

Arthur Saron Sarnoff "Supervised and Unsupervised"

Steven Dohanos "Mutually Beneficial Friendship"

Maurice Logan "Ghirardelli's Pioneers"

John Phillip Falter "Schlitz tastes so good"

John William Walter "I own this dream"

Pruett Carter "Depression Kid"

Walt Disney Productions

Phoenix Art Museum - Fashioning Self: The Photography of Everyday Expression

May 16, 2023

Fashioning Self: The Photography of Everyday Expression examines the role of photography in shaping, sharing, and shifting identity. March 8th through November 5th 2023

I made my annual pilgrimage to Arizona in March to photograph a few Cactus League games. On the 18th I left the Angels game at Tempe Diablo Stadium a few minutes early so I could stop by the Phoenix Art Museum on the drive back to California, I didn’t bother to check beforehand what was being shown because the Phoenix Art Museum has never disappointed me; it is also an amazing space which is interesting in its own right.

The featured Photography exhibition had 54 works of street, documentary, and self-portrait prints curated to examine the long-intertwined relationship between people’s use of fashion for self-expression and photography’s role in documenting it over a century of time. The exhibition was organized by the Phoenix Art Museum and the Center for Creative Photography. I didn’t see the curators listed for this exhibition, but I assume Becky Senf was very involved in this project.

I have a simple sense of fashion, I live in T-shirts, basketball shorts, and baseball hats (fitted & prefer wool 59Fifty’s) most days. So, an exhibition dealing with fashion shouldn’t be where you would find me. But this exhibition had Max Yavno and Garry Winogrand photographs in it, and they are two of my favorite photographers.

The exhibition is curated so well, the curators had knowledge of works I had never seen before, and they brought everything together perfectly to tell this story. Just the design of the exhibition layout is so creative. How the various prints were grouped, the use of video, and incorporating an interactive Instagram component all come together to create a perfect experience. It is not like the old days where the selected works were just hung in a line, and it was more about the individual prints or paintings. The creativity of the curators shows through. This exhibition is timely and a great document of part of our history, the Phoenix Art Museum and CCP staff nailed it. Below are my images of the exhibition.

I wasn’t that familiar with Bill Cunningham’s work but it was a perfect addition to this exhibition. They had a video installation showing Bill working and his photographs. Bill was definitely a street photographer, but when I picked up of his book, which I bought in the Museum shop, I learned that he considered himself a fashion historian before being a photographer. He was good at both.

Selfie on the left, a self portrait, with the help of Adam from Phoenix Art Museum staff on the right. Below are examples of the interactive Instagram component of the exhibit. Notice my classic T-shirt and hat style, perfect for a day at the yard watching ball (and looking at art and driving 350 miles comfortably). #PhxArtFashioningSelf .

The Geoffrey Beene exhibit was outstanding, and it was because of the design of the space. Graphic colors and patterns, how the mannequins are posed, and the incorporation of the fashion still photographs & proof sheets, just come together amazingly. The curators had incredible vision to be able to take the artifacts they had and create this space. The exhibition is obviously static but had the feel of action the way it was designed. I loved how they worked the photography component in too, it added to the experience perfectly.

More photographs of the Phoenix Art Museum. I love the scale and design of this space, plus I always discover artwork I didn’t know about every time I visit. Phillip C. Curtis’s paintings are fantastic and I love Rebecca Campbell’s “Jack and Diane”; humor in the title and the painting style was so unique how it dealt with the light.

Miguel Palma’s(1964) “Action Plan” (2009) was on display near the Museum Store and immediately grabbed my attention. Miguel is just a year younger than I am, so I assume he grew up with G.I. Joes like I did. I understand the psychology behind why societies have had toy soldiers for their boys to play with, and I recognize the horror of war, but as a kid I loved my collection of G.I. Joes and spent lots of days outside in the dirt playing with them. This collection of accessories is epic. I appreciate the deeper meaning here, but with every piece of artwork on display, each view brings their own past experiences with them when they experience the work. A nice work of art but I am still also jealous of this collection.

New York Photographs - January 2019

November 13, 2021

I just uploaded over 30 photographs from January 17th 2019 to my New York portfolio on my website. This blog post is to announce that and mention a few of the images which are standing out to me.

I was in Connecticut for a week and took the train in to New York City photograph that day. The light was good that day with no clouds. The windchill had the temperature down to about 18 degrees which did not feel that cold to me. My Nikon D500 though didn’t like the cold and shut down, luckily, I usually carry multiple cameras on trips like this do I was fine.

I am hopeful this blog post and update to my New York Portfolio with give view some insights to how I photograph. So often when I am in New York I will pick a few museums or galleries (Howard Greenburg in the Fuller Building is a favorite) I want to see that day and map out a straight-line route to start from. From there I walk and usually only stop to make camera adjustments or review images. Back in the day I would stop to change film and make notations on the canister but even with a Leica if needed I could walk and change film at the same time. Walking five miles in a day happens often, depends on the stops and what I come across. It is rare I stay in one location too long; the city moves and so I to as well. I also try and blend into the scene as I photograph so moving with the flow helps accomplish that. Moving also reduces becoming a victim since I am usually alone when I photograph. I am mindful of the sun when choosing my routes and which side of the street I am on. Back in the day T-Max 400 film at f/8 and 1/500th was probably my most common setting and I used a Sekonic hand meter. Today I am often on shutter priority at 1/800th. I appreciate the ability digital images give me to proof instantly, especially in tough lighting conditions.

I am drawn to these images above because there is a perceived sense of tension between the people in the images. Our world today is full of tension, and the weight of those tensions have been relentless on us for years. Relationships between people, and individuals to society are not as good as they should be today.

This grouping of Warhol paintings at the Whitney is probably the most epic grouping of art pieces I have ever seen in a museum. The grouping sums up so much about our world and life for me. Senior Curator Donna De Salvo, Senior Curatorial Assistant Christie Mitchell, and Curatorial Research Associate Mark Loiacono organized the exhibition, so I assume one or all of them deserve credit for it. When I saw the person with the support dog and the other man facing the cross in front of Warhol’s work, I had my image. I know I have written about it before but I will say it again, the Warhol retrospective was amazing, incredible how much work they gathered for it and the presentation in the space was perfect.

I know some people might think it is odd for me to photograph in galleries and museums where other art is on the walls. I often find myself with the desire to photograph as a means to experience something. I like to document moments and retain memories; the camera allows me to do that. Over time I have often found the juxtaposition viewers have with the artwork on the walls cab create new images of value. Plus, I am always aware of potential images, it is just how I see the world.

When I first went to photograph in New York in 1988 one of the things I was drawn to were the banks of payphones throughout the city and how many people congregated there. Over the years we have seen pay phones fade away as cell phones have made them obsolete. That transition changed the images I was finding in the city. Before many people I photographed walked with their heads up, looking straight ahead to avoid interaction. Now people seem to use their cell phones for this. Their phones give them a false sense of protection and a means to distance themselves from others. I now look for images specifically with people and their cellphones when I photograph, I think those images can make strong statements about the world we live in today.

I like the graphic element of this image above and the style of these two women who I assume are mother and daughter. This image can be unpacked so many ways depending on the viewer. Some may see it as a statement about wealth and privilege in the world today. I see it as a documentation of the mother daughter relationship and how it evolves while also staying the same in many ways. I envision the daughter loving ice cream and getting excited every time her mom took her for some when she was young. They probably have a special bond with all the times they have gotten ice cream over the years. I imagine this is an especially strong bond considering the day I photographed them it was well below freezing outside and that they are sharing the same scoop. In comparing the fashion and style of both I can also imagine that the mom has groomed her daughter to be a mirror image of her. Obviously, I am presenting a fair amount of speculation and interpretation of the image but don’t we all do some amount with every image we see. The girl being on her phone adds to the image as does the fact she apparently has seen me photographing them and my blurred reflection is visible on the granite wall. Those last two facts bring some self-portrait elements into the image. The Rolex store background is another important component of the image too obviously.

New York is Mecca for Street Photographers. I know Winogrand hated the term “Street Photography”, adamantly pointing out he was photographing people not the streets. I also know many images I see today which are described to be “Street Photography” are not. I think there are quite a few photographers out there that are enamored by the title of being a Street Photographer so they call any of their contrasty and saturated images street photography because it makes them hip. I have recently seen drone photographs and ocean photographs listed as Street Photography…No

I identify as a documentary photographer, it is the most accurate description of my work because I have so many varied portfolios, documentation is the prominent element in all my work. Stylistically when I photograph in cities, my work is Street Photography. I am moving amongst people looking to capture split second moments of interaction which can have deeper meaning when examined as an image. Street Photography is a process. My movement through the people walking in the opposite direction while I try to blend into the crowd. There is interaction in being there but usually I do not want that to influence my images.

When I am in New York photographing I look for my own images, I am not trying to mimic the work of icons. But I do feel a unique energy from the city and knowing the legendary photographers who have also walked those streets with a camera. Some of my favorite photographers are: Garry Winogrand, Bruce Davidson, Tod Papageorge, Helen Levitt, Joel Meyerowitz, Jill Freedman, Lee Friedlander, Danny Lyon, and Wee Gee. I also like Bruce Gilden’s work but I could never photograph in his style too much confrontation for me but that is what sets his images apart.

Father Serra Statue - Los Angeles

July 12, 2020

I have written posts before about how Garry Winogrand is my favorite photographer. I saw his MoMA retrospective in 1988, his SFMoMA retrospective, the entire Women are Beautiful exhibition at Pier 24 and my library has lots of Winogrand books. One of my favorite books is John Szarkowski’s “Winogrand - Figments from the Real World”, and it was that book which led me to me to photograph the Father Serra statue pictured above.

I have gone through the book many times over the years, and early on I found something intriguing. That both Winogrand and Robert Frank had photographed the same Father Serra statue in Los Angeles in 1955. Neither of them knew one another but both stumbled on to this same statue, in the same year, while exploring America, and independent of one another. A statue that wasn’t famous and was in an unassuming part of Los Angeles. Below are their images from Szarkowski’s book.

Back then I decided that I also wanted to photograph the statue, maybe as a right of passage as a photographer, maybe just out of interest to see how my image would compare to their images. Using the two images I had a good idea where the statue was and I decided to photograph it on my mom’s birthday, May 29th, in 1995. I had a feeling it might become an important photograph for me so I chose a memorable date, and there was no rush since the statue wasn’t going anywhere. On the way home from Pasadena, after seeing my mom, I headed to Sunset to photograph the statue. When I got there not only was the statue not there, that part of Sunset Boulevard had been renamed and the streets were reconfigured. I got out my Thomas Brothers map (iPhones and mobile internet access did not exist yet) and began searching. After driving around for a few minutes I located the statue a couple blocks away in what is now called Father Serra Park at N. Alameda and Los Angeles Street, across from Union Station. Having a new location my background options were completely different. I decided on photographing the statue from behind, looking West, with the sun creating a good silhouette of the cross. I included a couple palm trees to frame it and the 110 Freeway on ramp sign because it said “Pasadena” & “Hollywood” on it. I actually liked my image better than theirs, and a print hangs in my house still (CA - 087 #17).

For whatever reason I started thinking about this image in this past May and wondered how long ago I had photographed it. I checked, it was in 1995, and I then realized 2020 was the 25th Anniversary. I decided to photograph the statue again on my mom’s birthday. On May 29th my son and I headed to Los Angeles on the way to Pasadena. We parked at Union Station, masked up, and headed over to photograph Father Serra.

The palm trees were gone and the tree behind it had grown so much it engulfed the statue. The freeway sign had been moved and there was now a fence around the statue area, I assume to keep the homeless from camping under it. I tried all the angles above and I think the image with Los Angeles City Hall in the background was the best image now.

As I was finishing up we heard sirens, lots of them, and saw several news helicopters South of us. We began walking towards City Hall and saw multiple LAPD patrol cars headed to City Hall and LAPD’s Headquarters, the George Floyd Protests of Los Angeles were beginning.

I photographed some in the area and found the protesters were much farther South and moving away from us. They were attempting to take over LA Live and Staples Center. Because of the distance and not knowing the situation down there we headed back to the car and went to see my mom.

As we all know the protests and civil unrest have continued, and have expanded to encompass so many more things. On June 20th , sixty indigenous activists used the current climate to stage a protest at the Father Serra statue, The activists invited the Los Angeles Times to come document the Father Serra statue being toppled and the Times accepted. The activists pulled the statue down in a ceremony, poured red paint on the head, spray painted “ACAB” (All Cops Are Bastards) on the torso, and cut the cross from his hand. They left the statue afterward but kept the cross as symbolic souvenir I assume. I have no idea how they linked the anti police narrative to Father Serra but I guess it made sense to someone with a can of spray paint.

25 Days after had I re-photographed the Father Serra statue (my 25th Anniversary of photographing it) I returned and photographed the empty pedestal.

This man saw me photographing where the statue had been and came over to start a conversation and take his own photographs. He said as a kid he had gotten in trouble at school for talking about Father Serra’s atrocities against indigenous people instead of talking about how the missions helped to develop California. No idea if that was true but he was polite enough and I have absolutely no problem with his viewpoint. I respect his argument and I was not here in the 1700’s to see first hand what the conditions were like at the Missions.

What I do have a problem with is 60 people deciding to destroy something that belongs to an entire community of millions of Angelinos . We can not accept acts such as this to be considered an exercise of one’s “freedom of speech” if we are to maintain a Democratic society. If the activists wanted to petition for an Indigenous Statue to be placed next to the Father Serra statue to tell the full story, great!, I would support that 100%. If the public display of the likeness of a man who died 236 years ago is hurtful to the majority of the community, and the community decides to have the statue removed to a secluded place where it won’t offend people, then I am fine with that too. I am also not writing about this to defend Father Serra or the Catholic Church, nor to criticize people who exercise their First Amendment Right appropriately. But you can’t destroy history, no one rights any wrongs with toppling a monument. In this case, for me as a photographer, that statue had so much more meaning than the person it depicted because of the people who have photographed it. Its gone now, and what gain did that group get besides a brief moment in the news spotlight which has already faded, especially in today’s world of constant conflict and health worries.

SEE THESE PHOTOS ON MY 2020 WEBSITE

Anne Breckenridge Barrett, Peter MacGill, Susan Harder, Laurence Miller, Jack Sal, and Rick Wester.

The Legacies of LIGHT symposium - The Center for Creative Photography

March 4, 2020

The CCP describes the Qualities of LIGHT exhibition as this: “The Center for Creative Photography’s exploration of LIGHT Gallery is an institutional history that investigates the impact of this commercial space through its role in the larger community.”

When I attended the opening in December, I saw the description was accurate. It’s a unique exhibition in how it recreated certain physical elements of the LIGHT Gallery, displayed works of LIGHT’s artists, had a component for highlighting emerging artist of today (an important function of LIGHT back when it was open), and was able to show how important this gallery was to the history of the medium. One of the most impressive elements for highlighting the impact LIGHT had on photography today was Curatorial Assistant Adam Monohon’s brilliant concept of creating a line map showing the connections of so many important photographers, curators, and photography institutions back to LIGHT gallery. The exhibition also has so many cool interactive elements which I documented in a separate post. I had no idea that so many of the people who effected my growth as a photographer were linked back to LIGHT in some way. I think the entire exhibition really does well to capture the spirit of LIGHT and that time period.

Another important aspect of the exhibition is to highlight the connection between CCP and LIGHT. Harold Jones was the first Director of LIGHT and his vision set the course for the galley. Harold left LIGHT to help with building the Center for Creative Photography and the Studio Photography Program at the University of Arizona.

So this blog post is about the “Legacies of Light” symposium which was held in January at the CCP in conjunction with the exhibition. I signed up for the symposium as soon as I learned of it after having my work included in the exhibition. I thought it would be a good experience to learn more about LIGHT’s history and to have an opportunity to interact with so many people involved in photography. I was blown away with the experience of this symposium, it far and away exceeded my expectations.

Here is a link to the description of the speakers and the subject matter o the “Legacies of Light” symposium on CCP’s website. It is the best way to accurately describe the event in detail.

Another great resource is this link of CCP’s videos of the symposium: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRnlWp7M-YuVQY_okRmQmGA .

Now for my impressions. While attending the Legacies of Light I quickly realized one of the symposium’s primarily goals was to document the history of photography’s evolution to becoming a recognized as fine art. The people connected to LIGHT, many of whom attended the symposium, played so many important roles in photography’s rise in status within the art world. The symposium also talked about the current state of the photography community and our future. Everything was so well done by Anne Breckenridge Barrett, Rebecca Senf, and the entire CCP staff. There is so much to cover I will just jump in and start talking about the weekend and hopefully all my notes and recollections are accurate.

Anne Breckenridge Barrett

Fern Schad, Britt Salvesen, and Charles Traub

Things started Friday with small tours of the CCP facilities (I covered that experience in this linked: blog post) and a Keynote speech by Britt Salvesen who is the Curator and Head of the Wallis Annenberg Photography Department at LACMA. She gave an overview of LIGHT’s impact on the development of fine art photography followed by a panel discussion with Fern Schad and Charles Traub about LIGHT. Fern owned LIGHT with her husband Tennyson. She had an early interest in photography and had worked for Bill Jay in England before coming to the US where she spent time as a picture editor for LIFE magazine. Tennyson was an attorney who had the vision for the gallery and supported it financially. Traub spent time as a Director of LIGHT gallery and later was instrumental in establishing The Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago. He is also an established photographer an educator. I was fascinated by how much effort went in to establishing the gallery and maintaining it.

Becky Senf, Sally Stein, and Marvin Heiferman

Sally Stein, and Marvin Heiferman

Fern Schad - Legacies of LIGHT at the CCP

Saturday began with two former LIGHT employees Marvin Heiferman and Sally Stein reminiscing about the gallery and the atmosphere of New York in the 1970’s art world. Marvin spoke about how he learned to “see” pictures at LIGHT. He said Harold Jones taught him to “Just look at stuff” and to learn by the experience of looking. He went on to explain how he came to understand what pictures communicate to viewers. This really resonated with me because I feel too many people today don’t take the appropriate amount of time to actually look and experience images, we live in an Instagram world of the two second page view then “Like and Swipe”. Marvin gave examples of how photography wasn’t always accepted as art then. He remembered how a New York Times art critic had told Harold that photographs were not art. He also remembered an occasion when a woman accidentally got off the elevator on their floor while looking for another gallery He said she stepped off the elevator looked down the gallery wall at all the prints and stated “Oh photographs…” then stepped immediately back on the elevator. Marvin said Weston Neff and representatives from the Fogg Museum at Harvard would come in to the gallery but MoMA’s John Szarkowski would not, speculating because he didn’t want to acknowledge there was another “game in town”. Sally spoke to how the gallery struggled financially to survive.

Fern Schad, Andy Grundberg, and Marvin Heiferman

Becky Senf, Andy Grundberg, and Marvin Heiferman

Andy Grundberg, Marvin Heiferman, Michal Raz-Risso, and Sally Stein

Michal Raz-Russo, who is the Associate Curator of Photography at the Art Institute of Chicago spoke next of her Master’s thesis research about LIGHT gallery. She talked about how LIGHT was innovated in how they presented work, specifically hanging rows of images in grid form which hadn’t really been done before. She described Light’s 1972 exhibition of Stephen Shore’s “American Surfaces” which was shown three rows high and taped to the wall (No installation prints from this exhibition survived) and the 1975 exhibition of Garry Winogrand where LIGHT displayed over 100 of his prints behind glass and “L” hooks on one wall. Michal said Harold Jones used the grid style to try and show how Winogrand approached photographing: “Rapidly and Quickly”. It was fascinating to learn this because I can see the impact on some of the exhibitions I have seen. Most notably the Pier 24 Gallery exhibition where Winogrand’s complete “Women are Beautiful” series was displaced in a grid in one room while Stephen Shore’s prints were in another room. I can also recall MoMA, MFA, The Milwaukee Art Museum, The Art Institute and other institutions using grids in fantastic exhibitions, so I found it interesting to know where the possible origins of these designs came from.

Andy Grundberg spoke next on the evolution of photography as an accepted art form and LIGHT’s important involvement in that process. For those of you reading this who aren’t familiar with Andy he is possibly photography’s most well known art critic and the author of numerous great books on photography. He has written for the New York Times and is also a professor at the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at George Washington University. Andy was in New York City during this period and summed it up perfectly when he commented “I was a witness of photography at its most incredible time, the 70’s and 80’s”. I loved hearing him describe the New York scene like the print bins at The Witkin Gallery and studying under Lizette Model at the New School. I am also interested in upcoming new book, How Photography Became Contemporary Art because I understand there was considerable focus on LIGHT gallery’s impact.

Becky Senf lead a Q&A panel session next which focused on the history of photography and LIGHT’s impact. In summary they acknowledged how prior to the Witken Gallery and MoMA showing photographs that photography magazines and publications were the primary source for people to see good photography (way different than today’s Instagram era). They spoke how Winogrand and other photographers all got their start with photography-based magazines. Fern Schad, LIGHT’s co-owner, brought up how LIFE magazine closed in 1972 with the advent of television news, and how images on TV are fleeting. The panel spoke of Susan Sontag’s writing on photography and John Szarkowski’s catalogues at MoMA and how photography began to be looked at for its artistic value and not just a means of describing news. Michal Raz-Russo added to that saying that some Photojournalism is now starting to be accepted as artwork.

The panel recognized the important influence entities like The Society of Photographic Education, The George Eastman House, The ICP, National Geographic, The Visual Studies Workshop and others had on the medium. They also identified that the 1970’s were really when much of the movement occurred; in example the first formal photography department was at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1974. Becky Senf then pointed out something very important when she said “It’s remarkable how much (photography) history from the decade of the 1970’s isn’t documented.” Becky’s comment came in to focus for me more and more as the weekend went on. I realized the symposium was really focused on preserving photography’s history while it was still possible to get it firsthand from people who were part of it. Looking around the room there were so many icons from the industry and I knew because of reality of their ages that this symposium was most likely the last time you would have so builders of the medium together in one room. I also realized that with all my previous history of photography courses the focus was primarily on the photographers. Yes, Beaumont and Nancy Newhall were recognized, and we used their textbook, and we were taught about Stieglitz’s influence but most my knowledge was on image makers. It makes since because I studied at Arizona State University in the mid 1980’s when this New York scene was still strong and the Center for Creative Photography was just getting started. For me personally it was very good to grow my knowledge of the medium. By Sunday I realized the symposium was not only exploring and documenting the history of the medium, and considering its future, but I think the symposium was becoming an historic event in the history of the medium itself by what was being accomplished there.

Dominique Luster

Rick Wester, Liz Allen, Dominique Luster, and Alec Soth

Liz Allen, Dominique Luster, Alec Soth, and Sarah Stolfa

The afternoon session on Saturday began with a panel discussion “Engaging Community” moderated by Rick Wester. The first thing they focused on was how we define the photography community. ASU Professor, and current Society for Photographic Education President Liz Allen spoke about SPE’s formation in the 1960’s under Nathan Lyons. She talked about the changing landscape of education the challenges educators have now with colleges having fewer tenure tract professor positions. Dominique Luster who is the endowed Charles “Teenie” Harris Archivist at the Carnegie Mellon Museum of Art spoke about her role with the Harris archive. I was not familiar with Harris who was a Pittsburgh based commercial photographer who documented the African American community. It was highly interesting to hear the impact Harris had on documenting the history of his community with his camera and how their museum is keeping that legacy of community moving forward. Magnum Photographer Alec Soth spoke about once he had a photography career, he craved a community. Something I can related to after graduating from ASU and leaving behind the academic environment. For Soth he started blogging in the early days of social media and found a safe way to engage a photography community. Soth remarked how he now followed by over 100,000 people which he still is awe of considering how few comments he got on his earliest posts. He also mentioned the weekend of the symposium was the 10th Anniversary of Instagram and added the “Corporation of Instagram has taken over” how we interact with photographs. Rick Wester added insight from a gallerist’s point of view when he said “The Internet has replaced the experience with information, people are now getting information and want to get the experience to go with it.”.

Following up on the last two quotes, I want to again talk about a theme I heard throughout the weekend and mentioned above, that you learn about photographs by looking at them. Now this might seem like an obvious thing but it isn’t today. We now live in the age of the “two second page view”, where people scroll through Instagram, or any other social media platform, as fast as they can until an image catches their attention. Unfortunately these “lure images” are usually the ones which catch people’s attention (my term based on the concept of shiny fishing lures). Intense saturation, lots of post-production, or a trending subject. Many people are missing out because they aren’t spending time with images to experience them. One of the best exhibitions I saw recently was the Howard Greenberg Collection at the MFA last November. The prints in the exhibition were some of the best I have ever seen. But to get the full experience you had to spend time inspecting them, noticing details, and thinking about them. I walked through there exhibition twice to make sure I experienced it as well as I could, and if I could have gone back and seen it a second time, like I did the Warhol at the Whitney Museum recently I would have. Everyone I saw at the MFA was taking their time viewing the prints, it gave me hope.

Web 1-17 to 19-20 CCP - 3 Legacies of LIGHT 5.jpg

CCP’s Meg Jackson Fox and Emily Una Weirich moderated the next session which was “Valuing Story”. I think the best way to describe this session was an exploration of how institution are preserving history in non-traditional ways; basically history used to be written in text books and now we are capturing oral traditions and digital forms of communication to preserve historical information. Cassie May – an Oral History Archivist focused on the medium of Dance, Molly Garfinkel – Managing Director of City Lore, Dr Matthew Grilli – Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Arizona, and Photographer Judy Natal were the panelists. Cassie, Molly, and Judy spoke about the projects and the process in their approach to documenting oral histories. It was interesting because they had diverse approaches and subject matter. They expressed the common theme that telling one’s story was important to create connections between people. Dr. Grilli then went on to examine what motivates people to tell stories, “The Why”. He said this motivation can change over time, often with younger people the goal may be to solve a problem while with older people the goal of story telling may be to teach, to inform, or to contemplate what may come to pass. They all agreed that documenting oral history is often a challenge because it is usually recorded in a long form manner which is hard to create sound bites from to be used in different ways of presentation. Several panel members also spoke of past problems they have with documenting oral histories and use rights. The panelists told of several stories where the original use release signed for an audio recording or filming for a specific project did not include wording in the release such “In all media for perpetuity”. The problem they have encountered is when they want to digitize the original oral histories and share them the original releases do not specifically authorize that and the interviewed persons are now deceased. Where it is obvious the person interviewed wanted to share their story, heirs have at times refused to grant new releases to use the materials in new formats.

Tennyson Schad

Fern Schad

Original LIGHT exhibition

Peter MacGill

Winnogrand show announcement

Stephen Shore announcement for LIGHT

First exhibition at LIGHT Gallery

Max Yavno

Bruce Davidson at ASU

Saturday concluded with a screening of Lisa Immordino Vreeland’s new documentary “LIGHT; When Photography was Undiscovered, 1971-1987”

Peter MacGill

Peter MacGill, Susan Harder, Laurence Miller, & Jack Sal

Anne Breckenridge Barrett, Peter MacGill, Susan Harder, Laurence Miller, & Jack Sal

Peter MacGill, Anne Breckenridge Barrett, and Harold Jones

Harold Jones and his family

Sunday started with a panel discussion about LIGHT from the perspective of people who worked there. Included in the panel were Peter MacGill, Laurence Miller, Rick Wester, Susan Harder, and Jack Sal. Its too hard to go in to all their comments, and this post is longer than I had intended already, but the thing I really came to understand listening to this group was an understanding of the atmosphere and energy of the LIGHT gallery. Susan Harder and Peter MacGill talked about handing them portfolios of photographer’s work and being sent out to museums across the country to cold call curators to promote photography as art and stir up business. They also told stories of going and staying with iconic photographers as they were preparing to exhibit their work at LIGHT and had so many funny experiences they shared. There is no doubt everyone involved with LIGHT helped pave the way for every photographer today. The panelists also accurately recognized how important the symposium was for recording the history they were part of because much of the knowledge of those days is on the cusp of going away with the aging of those involved. The final event was a celebration honoring Harold Jones who spoke along with several his close friends and family members.

Personally, I am still processing all the experiences of the weekend because it truly was an epic event. I believe this symposium, which was designed to document Photography’s history, will in fact be recognized in its own right as an historic event for Photography. The topic material from the symposium was fantastic but I more so I had so many valuable interactions with people, I am just thankful I was able to attend.

Becky Senf and Rick Wester

Richard Misrach

Anne Tucker and Meg Jackson Fox

Dr. Maurice Berger and Emily Una Weirich

Sally Stein and Jack Sal

Audry Sands

Alec Soth and Michal Raz-Rizzo

Mark Klett and Alex Turner

Mary Virginia Swanson

Rick Wester with Alec Soth

William Karl Valentine and Eli Giclas

William Karl Valentine and Liz Allen

William Karl Valentine with Meg Hagyard

William Karl Valentine , Becky Senf, & Frank Gohlke

After-party Sunday at Mary Virginia Swanson’s home - Mark Klett and Peter MacGill - perfect finish to the weekend.

Dr. Rebecca Senf - Chief Curator at the Center for Creative Photography and the Norton Family Curator of Photography and photographer William Karl Valentine

Qualities of LIGHT Exhibition - Center for Creative Photography OPENING

January 15, 2020

On December 13th I drove out to Tucson for the opening of The Qualities of LIGHT Exhibition at the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona.

In my previous blog post I spoke about having a print selected to be included in this exhibition and I wrote about the history of that image. I also spoke about the concept for the exhibition which is to show the importance of The LIGHT Gallery and its impact on the development of Photography as an accepted art form. The CCP exhibition does a fantastic job capturing the spirit of the LIGHT Gallery and documenting LIGHT’s history. One thing LIGHT was famous for was showcasing work from emerging photographers. My print was included in this exhibition as an emerging photographer. My print, along with 120 other prints from other emerging photographers, is on display in one of four large flat files in the middle of the gallery. The concept is that people who view the exhibition can explore the drawers and make their own discoveries. There is also an interactive area where visitors can map their own association with the LIGHT Gallery or others who were influenced by LIGHT. There are also a number of historic artifacts from LIGHT to help recreate the gallery atmosphere.

Below is my print and the accompanying artist statement information. This is a digital print from a negative scan which is archivally mounted.

CCP Director Anne Breckenridge Barrett and CCP Chief Curator Dr. Rebecca Senf speak at the Members opening of the exhibition. I also got meet CCP Curatorial Assistant Adam Monohon and CCP Archivist Emily Una Weirich. Everyone I met was fantastic and I am looking forward seeing them again at this weekend’s sold out LIGHT symposium.

In my previous post I mentioned how this was the first time one of my prints has been in an exhibition with a WInogrand print, and how special that was for me. Below is the Winogrand print, a classic image from Women are Beautiful.

Garry Winogrand print form his Women are Beautiful series - 1968 New York

Pasadena PD Officers Naum Ware & Darin Craddolph conducting a search warrant related to rock cocaine sales. March 1987 (PPD-177 #23)

Qualities of LIGHT Exhibition - Center for Creative Photography

January 14, 2020

I am proud to announce that a print of the above image has been included in the Center for Creative Photography’s Qualities of LIGHT Exhibition which opened December 13th and runs through the end of May 2020.

This image is from my Pasadena Police Department Series which is one of my most important bodies of work. I began the series while studying at Arizona State University and exhibited the work at the Northlight Gallery just before I graduated. The ASU faculty arranged for Van Deren Coke, at the time the Director of The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s Photography Department, to meet with me privately in the gallery to review my work. He compared my images to Larry Clark’s work which will always be one of the highlights of my career as a photographer. Photographing the Pasadena PD eventually led me to chose to a career in law enforcement which allowed me to continue photographing more than most other professions would have. The Pasadena PD series has also had increased interest in recent years and I should be producing a book of this work in the near future.

As for my image above, as stated in the title it was from a search warrant related to rock cocaine sales. For me, I saw the damage first hand that the rock cocaine era in Southern California did in the 1980’s. Pasadena’s Northwest area was ravaged with drive by shootings, property crimes by “baseheads”, and gang activity. So many good people lived in that part of town and they basically had to stay inside at night for their own protection. I knew people I went to grade school with who were killed during this time, like Danny Harris who was shot in a drive by shooting while selling rock cocaine. Then I also saw the harm done to small children like the boy in this photograph, Officers like Naum and Darin cared about the community and worked hard to make it safer by taking people involved in crime off the street. An approach that worked in many ways then which we have abandoned today because of political concerns. Could the approach in the 1980’s have been better? Yes with hindsight things can usually be done better but the over all approach to fighting crime prior to 2000 was better for society than it is being portrayed today. Naum made over 1,000 hand to hand undercover “buys” of narcotics during his career, most all in dangerous situations. Darin, recently retired after a 30 year career. Both these officers cared and put their own safety on the line to protect others. Some people today may wrongly interpret this image as oppression by the means of law enforcement, I know the truth behind it because I was there.

To be included in this exhibition has helped me achieve several long time career goals. I wanted to have my work exhibited at the Center for Creative Photography, arguably the most important photography archive in the world, and eventually have some of my prints added to their permanent collection. Being included in the Qualities of LIGHT exhibition accomplished both goals, with hopefully more to come at the CCP in the years ahead. One other interesting thing I discovered at the opening, for me at least, is this is the first time one of my prints has been in an exhibition with a Garry Winogrand print. (Winogrand is my favorite photographer - I traveled to New York in 1988 to see John Szarkowski’s retrospective of Winogrand at MoMA, to San Francisco to see his entire Women are Beautiful series exhibited at Pier 24 in 2017, and again to San Francisco in 2014 to see the SFMoMA retrospective of Winogrand’s work.)

The Qualities of LIGHT Exhibition documents the history of the LIGHT gallery which existed in New York City between 1971 and 1987. This was a critical time in the development of the medium of photography being accepted as art and LIGHT was one of the first galleries to concentrate solely on exhibiting photography. This exhibition examines LIGHT’s impact on the medium which continues on to this day. One important aspect of the LIGHT gallery was it showcased emerging artists and had work from multiple photographers readily available for view by patrons in flat files. My print was selected, along with other emerging artists’s prints, to document that important part of LIGHT.

For more information about the exhibition please follow this link: The Qualities of LIGHT: The Story of a Pioneering New York City Photogaphy Gallery.

To learn more about the history of the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona please click here.

Howard Greenberg Collection - Museum of Fine Arts Boston

January 14, 2020

The Viewpoints exhibition , photographs from the Howard Greenberg Collection at the MFA in Boston was one of the most impressive exhibitions I have seen, I am unfortunately getting to posting this later than I had hoped, I saw the exhibition shortly before it closed last December.

The Howard Greenberg gallery has long been one of my favorite stops when I am able to get to New York. His gallery’s focus on documentary photography, and selection of what work to show, is fantastic. The gallery space is awesome, the staff is so personable & knowledgeable, and their exhibition designs are always so well crafted.

The aspect of the MFA exhibition I loved the most was it gave the viewer insight in to Howard’s vision. It explained his approach to the medium, and what interested him. The collection includes many of Howard’s favorite prints and the stories behind why the images are important to him. In some cases it tells how he came to obtain the prints. There are so many amazing one of a kind prints in this collection, it is such a good exhibition for documenting the history of the medium and the presentation of the collection by the MFA staff is perfect. It is as good an exhibition design as I have seen. I think the best way to approach sharing this with you here is to start posting my photos of the exhibition in groups and just make comments about them.

While drafting this post, one interesting thing I learned about the MFA collection was it began in 1924 when Alfred Stieglitz donated 27 of his photographs to the Museum. The collection now includes approximately 15,000 photographs

The short video accompanying the exhibition was perfect. I loved hearing Howard explain the importance of the different items in the exhibition then being able to go look at them on the walls. The MFA also included quotes with the titles next to the prints which was good too, but seeing the video then going to see the prints he talked about was the best way to experience things. I have looked for this video on line and have not been able to find a link to it. These three still his opinion on the importance of making prints not just capturing images.

The above images show how the exhibition prints were grouped under themes.

Gloria Swanson, 1924 , by Edward Steichen (1879-1973)

Steichen’s print of Gloria Swanson is one of the most beautiful prints I have ever seen. It is also one of Howard’s favorite prints as he describes in the video. in person it is truly amazing.

Above - examples of personal prints photographers made

The exhibition had images I was not familiar with before like the Winogrand and Frank prints above. I really found the Frank print interesting. His “Americans” series was so important in the history of the medium, to see an image he took when he was on his way here to do the project is incredible. I envision him “sharpening the saw” some knowing about the journey he was about to embark on.

The concept for displaying iconic images with their press notes and publishing stamps visible was brilliant. I loved being able to see both sides of these prints, the small wall cut out and the dual glass frame was perfect.

The Henri Cartier-Bresson print below was pretty incredible too. I was familiar with the image, and to see what is the very first print of the image is so special. Enjoyed the story of how Howard confirmed this was Henri’s first print and the path it took to get in to Howard’s collection.

More amazing Steichen prints below. Where Instagram and other social media platforms, like this blog, are fantastic to share information to broad audiences quickly there is also a downside in that many photographers today do not fully understand the medium, especially what a fine print really is. I have written about it before, to truly understand what a good print is you have to view good prints. In person, slowly, and by examining every detail. Unfortunately this can not be accomplished in 2 to 3 second digital views.

After the Steichen print of Gloria Swanson , the two prints below were probably my favorite prints in the exhibition. W. Eugene Smith’s printing skills were amazing, I remember seeing his working prints of the Jazz Loft Project on display at MoPA in San Diego and I was in awe of how beautiful his working prints were. The display in that exhibition was also perfect. I am so glad his archive is also at the Center of Creative Photography where it will properly cared for and shared.

The Diane Arbus print was good to see. I remember seeing her own enlargements years ago and they were not clean. So much dust on the negatives that it was distracting, and no where close to the images which professional printers produced. To see this smaller print which you know she made was another special experience.

Although I have long been familiar with this famous Lewis Hine image and how important it was for bringing about change, I think this is the first time I have seen this print in person. Powerful experience to view it.

Below is a selection of other prints in the exhibition which stood out to me.

I am very thankful that Howard Greenberg donated this collection to the MFA. First so I could see the prints exhibited in this format, which again was an outstanding presentation, but more importantly to assure that such an amazing part of the history of the medium will be preserved together in an institution like the MFA.

I found the following articles on the exhibition which may also be of interest:

Howard Greenberg Gallery Statement

Wall Street Journal

The Guardian

Street Photography - 2018 PDN Article

October 23, 2019

So when I was looking up articles about Jill Freedman to share in my previous post I came across a really good article on PDN.com about What Street Photography means to several notable Photographers.

In the article Joel Meyerowitz nailed it when he said “You see tons of [imagery] on the internet labeled street photography, but when I look at it, it looks mostly like portraits of people on the street, usually in the center of the frame, and a lot of that work doesn’t seem to have much invention or intelligence or spirit or spontaneity.” I could not agree more with his statement. I see way too many images today that claim to be “Street Photography” which aren’t. I have seen images that would fit closer to the style of “New Topographics” profess to be street photography. I think with some of the self taught photographers out there the term “Street Photography” is romantic, or hip, so they call all their images street photography when most aren’t. I also think its somewhat humorous because Garry Winogrand, arguably the best “Street Photographer” to date, hated the term “Street Photographer / Photography”.

Martha Cooper & Alex Webb both had great insight for the PDN article too, please refer to the link above to see their comments.

For anyone wanting to learn about Street Photography look to some of the Masters.

Below are some Instagram examples which support my argument that many images “Street Photography” are not. Street Photography Magazine has some images which are Street Photography but there is a mix of others which are obviously not. Street Photography International has some dynamic images, but for me I would say most images there are not “Street Photography”. The images found on the page hash-tagged Street Photography are usually a quagmire of non-Street images.

Street Photographer Magazine

Street Photography International

Street Photography

Unfortunately the Iconic exhibition at The Art Institute of Chicago closed just after I saw it but for those who missed it hopefully this post will help you appreciate how good it was.

PHOTOGRAPHY + PHOTOGRAPHY Iconic: Photographs from the Robin and Sandy Stuart Collection

August 18, 2019

As a photographer there is always value in looking at prints by the Masters in the history of photography. Especially prints such as these in this exhibition which truly all are Iconic images. Garry Winogrand is my favorite photographer, I take every chance I can to see his prints and I am glad he was included. Weston was such a master printer, for me seeing his work is a spiritual experience. I remember being at one of the first Photo LA events (around 1993?) and picking up a Weston print of a pepper which was sitting in an open bin with other prints (all were matted). At the time it was a $5,000 print, and it was so powerful to look at every detail of the image and realize Weston also did the same thing when he made this print. I liked both Weston prints in this exhibition and was again in awe of his printing with the Charis Wilson - Nude on Sand print. I recognized every image in this exhibition and appreciated all the information each accompanying title card had about the image. This exhibition was well curated and one thing I really liked was that everyone who saw the exhibition probably came away with some new knowledge about photography, I know I did. The images were somewhat eclectic but their stories were all so unique that they became very concise when displayed together.

Rich and Poor by Jim Goldberg 1978-1983 (printed 1984) 30 images

I was sitting in Bill Jay’s class at Arizona State University when I first saw Jim Goldberg’s series Rich and Poor. It was probably 1986 just after the series came out. It was powerful and to this day I still remember some of the saw there, most notably the photograph of Larry J. Benko and his son where Larry described himself to be too “rough” of a father for his son David who he called “Fragile”. Today, as I was then, I am amazed of how Jim Goldberg was first able to get people to pose for portraits in the privacy of their homes but then how he was able to get these people to open up so much and be completely transparent about their lives and their opinions of themselves. This series is a fantastic document, it powerful, and it truly is thought provoking. Combining text on prints is also not as simple as it seems. While at ASU I remember several classmates and a professor trying to produce bodies of work in that style, obviously emulating Goldberg’s work, and they didn’t work. The series Rich and Poor allows the viewer to seriously consider what really is valuable in life. I have had the book in my collection for a long time and seeing this has inspired me to revisit it. The images, and text, are truly powerful both individually and as a group. I thought the decision to display the prints on walls of a entry hallway for the museum was brilliant. The prints weren’t tucked back in a gallery room but they were right out there in the open for everyone who passed by to stop and see. Much like the people in the photographs who were allowing their own stories to be told, they were putting themselves out there for everyone to see. Once again another good photography exhibition at The Art Institute of Chicago.

"The Mind and the Hand" by Lee Friedlander

July 16, 2019

I recently stumbled across Lee Friedlander’s new book “The Mind and the Hand” completely by accident. I did a search on Amazon looking for new Garry Winogrand material and this book came up. The book looked interesting so I took a shot and ordered; $90 isn’t cheap but I always enjoy seeing Friedlander’s work. “The Mind and the Hand” definitely exceeded my expectations

The book is actually six 60 page softbound books in a slip case. Each book has between 25 and 34 of Friedlander’s photographs and documents a photography icon: William Eggleston, John Szarkowski, Richard Benson, William Christenberry, Walker Evans, and Garry Winogrand. Each book also has a brief lecture excerpt by the featured photographer which adds the right amount of information to deepen the viewers understanding of the individual.

I was familiar with a few of the photographs but not most. I would also say most of the images are snapshots. But these are wonderful snapshots and, in this context, they form a fantastic document of each featured photographer. These people were Friedlander’s friends and peers and many of the moments he photographed were very personal like Winogrand’s wedding. I love the images of these photographers out photographing. As a photographer I am always interested in how other photographers approach the medium and Friedlander’s photographs give a wonderful insight to six icons of photography.

The book was released in April by Eakins Press Foundation and was printed by Meridian Printing in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. The print quality is beautiful and I really like the intimate size of the book of 8.8” square. I think Katey Homans did a perfect job with the design and I am assuming that Lee Friedlander’s Archivist, Stephanie Prussin, edited the images. I am very happy with this purchase and would suggest it to anyone interested in documentary photography.

Featured Photographers

William Eggleston

John Szarkowski

Richard Benson

William Christenberry

Walker Evans

Garry Winogrand

Book Details:

· Paperback: 240 pages

· Publisher: Eakins Press Foundation (April 23, 2019)

· Language: English

· ISBN-10: 0871300796

· ISBN-13: 978-0871300799

· Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 1.2 x 8.8 inches

Printer: Meridian Printing – East Greenwich, Rhode Island

Lee Friedlander Archivist: Stephanie Prussin

Design & Typography: Katey Homans

Garry Winogrand - PBS American Masters

April 22, 2019

I got lucky and saw Fraenkel Gallery’s Instagram post about the PBS American Masters documentary on Garry Winogrand which aired last Thursday night.

Winogrand is my favorite photographer, I saw his 1988 retrospective at MoMA curated by Szarkowski, I saw SFMoMA’s 2015 retrospective, I saw the exhibition at Pier 24 gallery where they displayed prints of every image from his Women are Beautiful book on one massive wall, and I even attended Geoff Dyers's lecture last year at Getty for the release of his book on Winogrand.

I have seen several videos of interviews of Winogrand, have numerous books on his work, but I always want to learn more about him and his process. This PBS documentary is amazing. It has old interviews of Gary, lecture audio from Szarkowski speaking about Winogrand’s work, video shot by Winogrand, interviews of scholars, as well as interviews of his family and friends. Great insight in to the man. If you like Winogrand’s work, documentary photography, or just great images, you will enjoy this film.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/garry-winogrand-all-things-are-photographable-full-film/11339/

Also, as a documentary photographer who photographs on the street, I particularly loved these following three quotes from the film about Street Photography :

“If we applied standard definitions of propriety and niceness to photographers working in the street we’d be left without a lot of the great pictures in the history of photography.”

Jeffrey Fraenkel – Gallerist

“I find it kind of intriguing because we allow the State to photograph us so relentlessly and yet people don’t seem as bothered by that as they do by someone who is clearly an artist.”

Michael Ernest Sweet – Photographer

“It’s an artistic process, you live within this process. So the questions of surveillance, political correctness, all of that stuff, it’s just totally irrelevant. Now perhaps that makes the few of us who even understand what I’m talking about right now are dinosaurs or insensitive ghouls or whatever…but who cares about that?”

Tod Papageorge – Photographer

Geoff Dyer - The Street Philosophy of Garry Winogrand

July 28, 2018

William Karl Valentine’s review of Geoff Dyer’s book “The Street Photography of Garry Winogrand” and his March 23, 2018 lecture at the Getty celebrating the books release.

Jason Lee & Aline Smithson at Arcana: Books on the Arts

May 27, 2018

Actor and Photographer Jason Lee at Arcana for the release of his book A PLAIN VIEW

Pier 24 Gallery

November 14, 2017

William Karl Valentine's review, and images, of Pier 24 Gallery's exhibition "The Grain of the Present"

Both Sides of Sunset & The Open Road

May 13, 2016

New additions to my library: "The Open Road" by David Campany (2014 Aperture) and "Both Sides of Sunset: Photographing Los Angeles" by Metropolis Books 2015.