Thursday Activities

First thing on the list for this evening is the opening of Dan Winters' show at Fahey Klein on La Brea. Dan is one of the few photographers who manage to take photos on a plain backdrop in a studio and keep me interested. This is on from 7-9 and on view also will be photos taken on the set of Hitchcock's The Birds by set photographer Robert Coburn, which look amazing.

Info here.

Next, it's off to Smashbox Studios Industry Soiree, where the Kogi truck will be parked next to a Korean beer garden.

July 30, 2009 7 - 11 pm
Quixote Studios Drive-thru Warehouse
1000 N. Cahuenga Blvd
Hollywood, CA

You must RSVP - vip@smashboxstudios.com

Free Lightroom Classes @ the Icon

I initially found out about these via PIX Feed but thought I'd repost here. After all, how could a photographer turn down a free Lightroom class?

B+W Techniques for ACR & LightroomFurther adventures in RAW processing will focus on B+W conversion techniques. This class will cover basic and more advanced approaches to B+W RAW processing including:

• HSL/Grayscale adjustments
• Split Toning & Colorizing• Setting up Presets "folders" and a strategy for using presets
• Gradient and Brush Tools - special uses with grayscale images
• De-saturating & white balance as an alternative B+W strategy
• Introduction to the Print moduleThe basic idea is to set up your working methods in the most efficient way for consistent results and to establish an image archive that is flexible and expandable without working yourself into a corner.

Each of the 4 classes will cover the same material with enough time for a question and answer session at the end to address specific needs of individual photographers.

This workshop is held for free every Tuesday. Each month will be a different topic so the same workshop is repeated 4 times a month. Held 7-9 pm at The Icon.

Required Registration here:

INFO

Vice Mag Annual Photo Issue Opening Saturday

Copyright Tim Barber

Go get your snapshot aesthetic on this Saturday at an opening to commemorate Vice Magazine's annual photo issue.

Original work by: Jamie Lee Curtis Taete , Maggie Lee , Tim Barber

Scion Installation L.A.
3521 Helms Avenue (at National)
Culver City, CA. 90232

Saturday July 25th
7-10pm
Free open bar 21+

Aperture + Flak Photo = Free signed book

Copyright Doug Dubois

Aperture and Flak Photo are giving away 5 signed copies of Doug Dubois' new book. It only takes a second to enter (assuming you already have a Facebook profile).

Feature - Nguan

Nguan lived in L.A. from 2002 to 2007 and images from that time can be found in his Los Angeles series. I love that these are pictures of Los Angeles that I would never in a million years take. Color is used beautifully and this is street photography you can believe in so make sure to check out his series shot in other cities.

Found via [EV +/-] Exposure Compensation

Quote of the Week - Charlotte Cotton

Copyright Eleanor Antin

In honor of Charlotte's impending departure from LACMA for greener (well, for her anyway) British pastures and of her accomplishments while here in Los Angeles:

"The hyperbolic, carefully controlled, museum- and gallery-specific versions of photography, in which every prop and gesture can be attributed to the artist's direction, have been the most pronounced arrivals in the art world. If you are, like me, schooled in the magic of photoraphy's willful embrace of luck, mistakes, and happenstance, you view the art world's partial endorsement of this bastard form with some suspicion."

From The New Color: The Return of Black-and-White found via DLK Collection

Los Angeles in the 1900's

I came across this amazing site with old photos of downtown today. I also learned something about old-school manipluation.

Be sure to check out the picture pages.


"This is a more natural view, even though the ubiquitous power and telephone lines have been brushed out of the photo."


"Retouching daytime photographs to make them appear to have been taken at night was a popular custom among postcard-makers in this era. The same moon, clouds and stars show up in many other cards as well."

RIP Julius Shulman 1911 - 2009

Los Angeles would not be the same without this man's contribution.

Opening Saturday - Edgar Martins @ Kopeikin

Copyright Edgar Martins

So this will be an excellent opportunity to see if the old adage, "There's no such thing as bad publicity" is true. Shooting primarily at night myself, I first came to admire Edgar Martins at ARCO in 2005 I think, in Madrid where his Portuguese gallery was showing some of his shots of Portugese airports at night. Of course, when The Accidental Theorist came out of beaches in Portugal shot at night, I became an even bigger fan (though the skies did seem a bit, er, uniformly black, though of course that adds to the work).

I'm excited to see them at the opening on Saturday and curious to see what the turn-out is. I imagine it will be high.

Kopeikin Gallery
8810 Melrose Avenue
West Hollywood, CA. 90069
(310) 385-5894 tel

Saturday July 18th, 6-9pm

John Szarkowski on Artists

From a talk at the Getty in 2006 -

"I wrote the following of Ansel Adams but I think it is probably true of artists in general: The artists is finally interested in demonstrating to himself by the authority of his work that his world is not an illusion - not an invention of his imagination, but rather a real world of which he is therefore a real part. Of course, that is a very ambitious goal...but, it's not necessary to succeed. It's necessary only to think one has a chance."

Found via Nguan's blog via Exposure Compensation

Feature - Brad Moore

I met local (well, he's technically in Orange County but if the Anaheim Angeles can call themselves...) photographer Brad Moore at the portfolio walk at Photo LA in the fall and for some strange reason never featured his work. His subject matter is very Southern California and I think when the rest of us wake up and complain about June gloom, Brad's rushing to grab his camera by the look of his skies.

Jay Mark Johnson Opening at Ace Gallery Thursday

Über digital manipulator, Jay Mark Johnson Spacetime show comprising 4 series will have its opening this Thursday at ACE Gallery Beverly Hills. I'm curious to see the prints in person as this type of manipulation (though I understand some of it is done in camera) walks a fine line for me between hit or miss. Let me know if you're going and would like to say hello.

ACE Beverly Hills

Thurs., July 16th 7:30 - 9:00pm

9430 WILSHIRE BOULEVARD

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA 90212

Go look at Brent Humphreys' "Le Tour"

I found Brent Humphreys' new series, "Le Tour" via an interview over on What's the Jackanory that's worth a read. Even more worthy of your time is the project itself, which took him years of going to the Tour de France to complete. I'm about to embark on a series that will likely take me a year on the short side and this was a perfect reminder of how worthy spending that much time on a project to really get it right is.

This is hands down one of the best projects I've seen this year and guess what folks? Humphreys studied at Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara and though originally from Texas, splits his time between Austin and Los Angeles. Represent.

My Best Shot courtesy of the Guardian

I found "My Best Shot" via Gallery Hopper today. I agree with Todd that it's cumbersome to navigate, though well worth the effort. It really is fascinating to see what photographers think is the best of their own work, especially when you are familiar with their bodies of work. I know the shots I considered my best were at time met with only lukewarm receptions at the PhotoEspana reviews.

Speaking of PhotoEspana, Roger Ballen's talk at the festival, which I recorded was pretty much an extension of his taking the piss here in his My Best Shot choice. After that talk, I doubt this is even one of his favorites. I think he's being asked to participate in a game (the artworld) he doesn't want to play and instead of declining, decides to have some fun with everyone's heads. It's an enviable position.

Check out My Best Shot!