[photopress:books_fom.jpg,full,alignright] When I was about 8 years old, the bookcase in the hall had tons of books, from odd shaped art annuals to paperback novels. But there was one book that was waiting for me to discover it:
The Family of Man.
I know I discussed the impact this book has on me, and those who have been the recipient of this.( a favorite book to give away). There was something in Paris that brought back the same emotional impact of the first viewing of that collection. More in a moment…….

Some of the great things about Paris-Photo, are not at the fair. They are at the galleries and halls around the city. When the crowd that attends Paris-Photo are in town, it’s proper to step up your game. Man, the photographic community in Paris kicks it up,big time.

At the Jeu de Paume, there is an Edward Steichen exhibit, brilliantly curated by William Ewing,Todd Brandow, and Nathalie Herschdorfer, that is called “Lives in Photography” as it traverses the many photographic lives of Edward Steichen, photographer, designer, promoter of modern art, and brilliant curator.

From his very first photograph of his sister playing piano, through his picturialist period, you will see images of a young man fully engulfed in the life of an artist. His association with Steiglitz and Camera Work Magazine, still considered one of the best photographic publications ever made, is laid out in a visual path that will touch you like no other exhibit.

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Brooklyn Bridge
1903
Edward Steichen
Courtesy LaSalle Bank Photography Collection, LaSalle Bank et ABN AMRO, Chicago
© Joanna T. Steichen

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Marlene Dietrich
1934
Edward Steichen
Courtesy The Richard and Jackie Hollander Collection, Los Angeles
© 1935, Condé Nast Publications
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Fred Astaire dans le film Top Hat
New York, 1927
Edward Steichen
Courtesy Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York
© 1927, Condé Nast Publications

In this show, you’ll see a heavy representation of his Vanity Fair and portrait series, heretofore not generally seen. As he approaches each subject with a completely fresh canvas from lighting, scenario, location, proppage, this may be the most extensive revelation of the show. PLUS you get to see rare footage of him actually shooting. OK, he hams it up a bit, but watching the master light and work is a treat. Thanks to The George Eastman House for supplying this.

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Matches and Match Boxes, fabric design for Stehli Silks, by Edward Steichen, 1926

As his life changed personally, you watch the transition to his more commercial design work, with patterns photographed for a silk company using ordinary objects, lit and arranged to achieve a fabric design like no other.

But wait there’s more. Continue Reading »

Just kidding.
C’mon, did you seriously…what do you think….am i nuts?
Look, I come from a place where it sometimes feels like the oldest building is just being finished.
Yes, Los Angeles.
So it has been a joy walking around this beautiful city, sampling the street food, and staying warm.
But that’s not what you came here to read about.

Day 2 of Paris-Photo has been a closer look at the work on hand. There are some trends, some “homages” and some images I will probably never see again.

Case in point: at the Danial Blau Gallery, they are exhibiting some autochromes, the process created by the Lumiere Brothers, with images made by Leon Gimpel in 1910. Patented in 1903, these images are shown in a low light with a dim lightbox showing their beauty.Amazing. These samples are mere shadows of what they are like in person. At another gallery in the city, Galerie Meyer are autochromes made by the Lumieres. We’ll see those on Sunday and give you a virtual tour.

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One of the trends I’ve noticed Continue Reading »

Paris-Photo 2007.
This is no one day affair.
The caliber of work in this fair is world class and breathtaking,with a range of images to entice any palette to purchase. This is the creme de la creme. OK, I really don’t speak much French. So lets take a spin around a couple of pieces of the work:

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Nan Goldin
Bea with teacup, Boston, 1972
Yvon Lambert

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Cui Xiuwen
Angel n.6, 2006
Marella Gallery Milan – Beijing

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Noriko Yamaguchi
Keitai Girl no.4, digital print, 85.6x120cm
MEM

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Helen Levitt
New York, c. 1940
Laurence Miller Gallery

Ok, that was just .0000001 %.

Sure, the day started pretty simple. Continue Reading »

[photopress:586_6.jpg,full,alignright]Ahh, pulp novels. Those gritty, rough, testosterone filled paperback books that deliver what they promise.
Heroes, Villains, Women and Action.
In thick doses.
One of the classic literary genres that has a visceral feel all its own. The covers were salacious and graphic in the way a sensational gut level emotional story should be.
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Nothing like sitting on a plane and pouring through the modern version of these.
And I just did.
Yum.

Thomas Allen has a unique take on this genre of paperback book and the aforementioned cover art. His version is all photographic.
Kind of.
What he has done is created 3 dimensional works sometimes combining books, and story lines, sometime sticking with the same message.
He cuts the characters out of the covers in various stages of removal. Then by placing them into a scenario, he uses the lensing and depth of field to bring it all home and create a new scenario with an action like nothing we’ve ever seen.

These images could ONLY be achieved with photography.

After seeing the work exhibited at PhotoLA for a few years, Aperture has finally published a book of his work. Upcoming exhibit also.
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Now they printed it on a hard thick cardstock, which I’m not sure what the concept behind it, but it IS sturdy. How about that?

When we find a unique vision that sticks with us for a while, it’s something we share.Love this work.

And a special thanks to Nick Danger of Firesign Theater for the classic headline.

And your definition of Reality. What it is, what it can be.
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From the producers of America’s Next Top Model, comes The Shot – hosted by Russell James, famous for shooting the Victoria’s Secret catalogs.

Here is the rap:
“Ten aspiring photographers move into together and size up the competition for the first time. Their mentor, Fashion photography legend, Russell James welcomes the budding photographers, and reveals what’s at stake: $100,000 provided by the skin experts at Vaseline, a shot at shooting a fashion spread for Marie Claire magazine, and a national ad campaign for Victoria’s Secret.

In the first series of challenges, a nude photo shoot and a very rocky boat ride reveal the glamorous and not-so-glamorous sides of high fashion. Nude flesh, angry seas and upset stomachs all conspire to send one young hopeful home.”
Meet The Contestants.

Awesome.
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© Man Ray
Now from across the pond, come this show from the BBC, The Genius of Photography.
This description came onto the website:
“In the course of our 170 year relationship, photography has delighted us, served us, moved us, outraged us and occasionally disappointed us. But mainly, it has intrigued us by showing the secret strangeness that lies beneath the world of appearances. And that is photography’s true genius.
Follow the story of photography in BBC Four’s six-part series ‘The Genius of Photography’. See some of the most famous photographs ever taken and find out more about what made them so very special.”

You may think there is value judgment here. Quite the contrary. We think it is important to see every facet in the world of photography and to see what is there for your personal tastes. One of my associates was quite famous for shooting nudes for a men’s magazine, but had studied with Ansel Adams and his personal work was not only a delicately crafted landscape and form study, but the prints were as masterful
as any I have ever seen.

While one series panders to a broader audience, the middle age of VH1, as part of the realty programming ( yes, they did give us Flavor Flav – The Flavor Of Love) and the other speaks to a more sophisticated inclination with a nod to the historical masters, we are thrilled they are both here and available.

If you are in the UK, let us know how it is. BBC Four ( everyone else can still visit the site and see some great images.
If you are in the states, Let’s see who wins.
( iTunes has the first episode of The Shot so everyone gets to see. For Free)

If there was ever a subject to get some comments on , this is it.
Start writing below.