The big week in photography in New York, kicked off tonight at Splashlight Studios.

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The Best Of Show Prints from the IPA/LUCIE exhibit was the main event. This 5th year is proving to be a major one. The sellout at Lincoln Center for the event sounds to us like a major accolade.
And there was a major bonus on hand; not only were mainly of the honorees in attendance ( Elliott Erwitt, Ralph Gibson, Howard Zeiff) but some of their classic images were displayed on the perimeter walls. [photopress:levys.jpg,full,centered]
And something I hadn’t seen for awhile was Mr. Zeiff’s “You Don’t Have to be Jewish To Love Levy’s” print ad. A classic in advertising.

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Honestly hadn’t seen some of these classic photographs this big…ever.
Beautiful examples lent by the artists themselves. Truly a spectacular show.

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And the guests were invited to have their photographs taken with the latest Hasselblad and Photoflex equipment. Wait :30 min., and many of us were able to walk away with 4×6 prints. (Man, do I need a haircut!)

Tomorrow is the honorees lunch. We’ll be there to get some of these masters on video, and let you hear for yourself, words from the artists who are behind some of the best photographs of the last century.

(the image in the article below is Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas)
When I first saw the location of this ambush, it looked much smaller that I had imagined. But perfect for the murder that occurred here.

Yep, spent the week in Dallas and made a sojourn to the site of the John F. Kennedy assassination almost 44 years ago.

Our collective memory can be triggered by any of our 5 senses. And of course we know that a single image can affect you in uncontrollable ways.

In this case, a rather innocuous roadway, surrounded by grassy knolls in a serene downtown, was the location for tragedy recorded, perhaps most famously, by Abraham Zapruder, private citizen, on his 8mm film camera. Each frame of the horror was captured and the examined frame by frame for years to determine clues to the truth.
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Today this location is highlighted by an “X” in the road where the first shot hit the president. 80% of the American people believe to this day that the assassination was a conspiracy. You can look at the facts and decide, but it’s an amazing tale of unanswered questions. The Sixth Floor Museum ( named for the place where Lee Harvey Oswald fired his rifle from) has exhibits that even detail the still photo camera used on that day. And the images that were made.

So the question comes up: is the image of the place where a tragedy has occurred, still hold any emotional impact? Is it that “touch point” for us to trigger past memories? Perhaps the intensity of the event levels the memory banks. Now 44 years later, this place where an event occurred that changed the lives of millions of people, not just from the life lost but from the loss of an innocence in a country.
Days later, more news was in store.

This next Pulitzer Prize winning photo of Jack Ruby shooting Lee Harvey Oswald was captured by Robert H. Jackson Continue Reading »

Where are we? Hint: a very famous spot in American history.
The answer is in this weeks NEWSLETTER. Sign up today! (plus be eligible for free stuff. pretty cool.)

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Maybe you remember this video from earlier this year. A brilliant commentary on what we consider beauty in our society and what is real or perceived.
As people who deal in beauty imagery daily, whether you create it, use, or just encounter it, this huge statement from DOVE shows some messaging put to the right usage in a world where beauty may not be truth and vice-versa.

What do you think? Change your perception at all? just a little bit?

The Howard Greenberg Gallery is currently showing a group of photographs that he has collected over the past 25 years. What is unique about this show is that the history of each image has been told; the story of how the photographs came into Mr. Greenberg’s collection. More importantly, what each image means to him and why it’s in his life.

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25 Years: A Celebration

As one of the preeminent art dealers, this provenance has rich meaning. Some of the images are the iconic classics from major artists; some are the singular jewels, rarely seen in public.

What the show reveals to the viewer, in addition, is a passion. You see what I’ve learned through the through years is that the very best dealers have that same passion that you may possess about photography.
Sure, it’s a business and they want you to buy. But they also want to share that passion with you.

This show does that image by image. You get to travel with him in his emotional path to attaining each photograph. And perhaps see a bit of yourself in there along the way. I read each 1-page which accompanied each image. Thankfully there was a book available of the experience.

That’s why this week, the weekly giveaway is this book. I know you’ll dig it.

“To commemorate his 25th anniversary, Greenberg has collaborated with Michael Torosian of Lumiere Press to create a special publication of twenty-five photographs from Greenberg’s private collection. Established in 1981 in Toronto, Lumiere Press is the private press of Michael Torosian. The press is devoted exclusively to photography and in the fine press tradition, the books are composed in lead, hand printed and hand bound. The book includes a biographical essay by Lyle Rexer and insightful commentary on each photograph by Greenberg.”

Here’s how to be eligible for this free book: Continue Reading »