I’m from Rochester, so this news made me feel sad. There just wouldn’t be photography for the masses without Kodak. This was shot with Kodak slide film in the Rwenzori Mountains, in Western Uganda. That trek was so hard, it made trekking in Nepal seem easy!
It’s been a really long time since I posted a film shot. This is Babe Fakudze (babe means father in siSwati), in Etimphisini, Swaziland. Etimphisini is a tiny village in Northern Swaziland, and it’s easily one of the most beautiful places I’ve called home. Babe Fakudze was very much a part of that experience – I got to greet him almost daily for two years. But can you think of a better man to see so often? So expressive, and really kind too.
Where’s the most beautiful place you’ve ever lived in or visited? What or who made the place extra-special?
“There comes a time in a man’s life when to get where he has to go – if there are no doors or windows he walks through a wall.”
~ Bernard Malamud
Some of my goals for the New Year. Are you ready for 2012? I say bring it on!!!
“In the midst of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.”
~Albert Camus
I got together with Brenden a few weeks ago to shoot his senior portraits. Brenden grew up in the Montavilla neighborhood, so that’s where we headed. It was a sunny and crisp fall day, and I had such a great time getting to know Brenden even more. He’s applying to architecture programs, plays soccer and is part of an Irish dance troupe. Seriously, what an awesome teenager!
“Most of Lange’s photography was optimistic, even utopian, not despite but precisely through its frequent depiction of sadness and deprivation. By showing her subjects as worthier than their conditions, she called attention to the incompleteness of American democracy. And by showing her subjects as worthier than their conditions, she simultaneously asserted that democracy was possible.”
~ excerpt from Dorothea Lange: A Life Beyond Limits, by Linda Gordon
I’ve been reading this book about the incredible documentary photographer, Dorothea Lange. I’m so inspired not only by Dorothea’s work, but also her drive for social action. The photo above was taken in Grants Pass, Oregon, where she spent some time shooting migrant workers.
Another thing I admire about Dorothea was her attitude. She got polio when she was seven, which left her with a severely deformed foot and a limp. But she would refer to polio as her greatest gift, because it gave her such tremendous empathy in working with her subjects. What an awesome way of thinking.
I briefly mentioned my internship at Polara here, but I definitely didn’t say enough. There’s no question that I want to spend at least part of the time working in a commercial photography studio, and Polara is an awesome one to be in (Harlem Globetrotters during the Curly Neal years – seriously, this is my kind of place). You name it, they shoot it. The pace there is fast, with easily three completely different shoots going on on any given day. Plus, sometimes Muffy, the Studio Manager, sets out an oatmeal bar for breakfast. Yes, I said oatmeal bar – I mean, how can you beat that?
Just a few more days to catch Urban Landscapes at the Water Avenue Commerce Center! Thank you so much to everyone who made it there this past month to check it out. This is one of Romeo’s favorites from the show – he did such an amazing job hanging the pieces!
