Leaving 2010 Looking Towards 2011

Since we’re just about at the end of the year I thought I would take this time to look back at 2010. This is something I usually hate to do, because it seems as if I’ve never accomplished enough, and time is shooting by. But looking back this year is different. And that’s pretty exciting for me.

This has been a year full of activity and new experiences for me, as I navigated this new photo world landscape. As I’ve said to others, it is no less uncertain and confusing for me as it is for any photographer. What I have tried to do is make my own opportunities and say “Yes” more than “No” this year.

As a result, I was invited to “Atlanta Celebrates Photography” as a portfolio reviewer, visiting the city for the first time. Besides meeting some fantastic people, I got to make a personal pilgrimage to a place that had deep meaning for me. And for all of that I am grateful.

I was also invited to “FOTOfusion” in West Palm Beach, Florida, where I sat on a couple of panels and got to reconnect with some really wonderful and accomplished photo people. And you can’t beat Florida in January! I’ll be going again in 2011—January 11-16. Check it out, it’s worth the trip.

MY APA panel, "Multi Platform Editing-Presenting Your Work to the New Media Landscape" was a great success, and introduced me to Roberto DeLuna, Alison Zavos, Chris Owyoung, Erin Rabasca, as well as Alex Wright and Joe Pritchard.

Through this blog I was able to feature the works of Les Stone, Judith Fox, Michael Itkoff, Peter Turnley, Robert Herman, David Arky, Julie Grahame, Helen Jones-Florio and Jason Florio, Manjari Sharma, Nick Gleis, Bryce Lankard, Jennifer Shaw, Kyle Bravo, David Halliday, Stephen Mallon, Sara Keith, Vicki Hunt, Jimmy Williams, John May, Susan Barnett, Paul Hagedorn, Joseph Guay, Tim Hetherington and Peter Sekaer.

I had a wonderful opportunity to speak at the Apple Store in SF, and met a photographer I worked with for years, but had never met in person before. That was a great added bonus for a fun event.

With my fantastic gang of four (Jason Florio, Andrea Fischman, Helen Jones-Florio and Sari Goodfriend) we blogged PhotoPlus Expo and really enjoyed most of the exhausting experience (except for the naked girls at the PDN party). Along with blogging the NYPhoto Festival in Dumbo, I’m having a good time examining the photo scene here in New York.

I’ve also done several other portfolio reviews and contest judging (thanks En Foco, APA and ASMP), seen some fantastic work and met some wonderful new photographer friends. I’ve gone to openings, been quoted on other blogs, written artistic statements, worked with some exciting clients, and moved into curating in a grander way.

For that I want to thank David Bram of Fraction magazine, who has included me as a curator for Fraction J, the every other month photojournalism section of the magazine. It was great discovering and showing the work of Benjamin Lowy, Matt Slaby, Stacy Krantiz and Colleen Mullins here.

There are more new great things to come in 2011, which I will write about as they come together, including the opportunity of curating for the Griffin Museum of Photography, and holding more workshops and seminars. I’m learning more, meeting more people, and looking for more opportunities and chances to create.

So look for Stellazine to grow as I do, and preview some changes in the New Year. Stay positive, stay warm, and dream new creative dreams. I know I will.

Great Event Tonight

Do yourself a favor and get yourself to this event tonight at Calumet Photographic, located at 22 W. 22nd. The doors open at 6:30pm and the event runs from 7pm - 9pm. The first 25 APA members who arrive get in for free. Otherwise it's $10 for APA members and $15 for non-members (and if you're not a member, why not?).
Sponsored by Agency Access and Dripbook, the seminar is moderated by Jason Moriber of Wise Elephant.

Go.

This Week's Photo Doings

So we all know the New York Photo Festival debuts WEDNESDAY MAY 12, and I will be there during the week blogging it in all it's photo goodness, but tomorrow night I'll be at APA/NY Image Makers Lecture Series featuring Sarah Small & Jason Florio


Apple Store Soho Theater
103 Prince St (between Mercer and Greene)
6:30pm - 8pm

Last Night's Panel Was a Great Success

Thank you all for coming out last night for the "Multi Platform Editing-Presenting Your Work to the New Media Landscape" panel. Thanks to our great panelists: Chris Owyoung, Alex Wright, Alison Zavos, Erin Rabasca, Joe Pritchard and Roberto De Luna. Thanks to Kaia Hemming of APA and John Dessereau of Calumet Photographic for pulling it all together, and to Tony Gale for the photo.

For those of you who couldn't get in, we are discussing the possibility of doing it again soon. And hopefully you can see an edited version shortly online (more details to come).
Kristina Feliciano who writes the Stockland Martel blog reviewed it here

Where Will Your Photos Appear Now?

I’ve been reading a lot and thinking a lot about the new media platforms that are being touted: from Kindle to the Nook to the Manhattan Project of Time Inc. to iPhones to the Skiff and the like, and wondering what that means for photographers. And that’s not even mentioning Apple’s upcoming entry into this sweepstakes. So, are photographers thinking in terms of new technology and how it will affect their work? Will people be composing their images differently if the medium changes?

When you look at an image on an iPhone or iPod or other small device can you see the image and get what the photographer wants you to understand? As with thumbnails on a website, do all images translate to that small screen? And if not, what does the photographer do? How do you edit for this new world of content?

It seems to me that photographers needs to think in these terms, just as they hopefully thought about how their photos would appear on a computer screen, as the transition from solely print portfolios shifted to include images on the screen.

To this end I will be moderating a panel produced by APA on January 27 to be held at Calumet Photographic. For more info and to register go here.

There will be these great panelists:
Roberto De Luna, photo editor at TimeOut
Joe Pritchard, photographer’s rep at Vaughn-Hannigan
Alison Zavos, independent curator of featureshoot.com
Alex Wright, co-creator of Dripbook
Erin Rabasca, head of art buying R/GA
Chris Owyoung, music photographer

A raffle for valuable gifts and a chance to talk and think about what’s coming down the pike for you. Be there.

Next Week's Events

I was hoping to write a wrap up of PhotoPlus Expo, but found I couldn't sum it up at all. I enjoyed the seminars I went to, noticed fewer exhibitors, and wondered about the people who attended: were they mostly from out of town or New York?
Now that it's over, there are some cool events to attend and look forward to next week.

Monday November 9

Bill Cramer, CEO of Wonderful Machine will be speaking at the Apple Store as part of the ImageMakers Series. He'll be talking about branding and marketing for photographers, and a little about his own photography and Wonderful Machine.
The event is at 103 Prince St. (between Mercer & Greene), from 6:30 - 8:00 pm and is free, though seating is limited.
There's more info here

And be sure to join everyone at the post-lecture social at The Cupping Room, 359 W. Broadway (between Broome & Grand) for a cash bar and some appetizers.

Tuesday, November 10

Aperture Gallery is presenting Michael Wolf: The Transparent City and Barbara Crane: Private Views, an exhibit showing the city of Chicago from different vantage points and periods of history.
There will be a book signing and artists talk with Michael Wolf on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 6:30pm. Barbara Crane will be doning the same on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 6:30pm, and the opening of the exhibit is Wednesday, Nov. 12 from 6:00 - 8:00pm.
Aperture Gallery
547 West 27th Street, 4th Floor
Between 10th and 11th Avenues


ASMP NE Chapter presents:
An Evening with Eugene Richards
Mass Bay Community College
Wellesley Hills
50 Oakland St.
Wellesley Hills, MA
Register here



Wednesday, November 11

ADHESIVE NYC: Sticking Creatives Together is having a soiree at:
Sweet & Vicious
5 Spring St (Between Elizabeth Street and Bowery)
6:30pm - ???

Thursday, November 12


An Evening with Jay Maisel
Yale University is presenting an evening with this world-class photographer, starting at 7:00 pm (doors open at 6:30)at Linsly-Chittenden Hall Rm 102, 63 High St., New Haven, CT
$15 ASMP members & students, $25 non-members
Register here
They will be giving away door prizes from ThinkTank, Image Rights, and O'Reilly Media. The event is sponsored by Epson.

And rounding out the week:

Friday, November 13

SLIDELUCK POTSHOW XIV at The Aperture Foundation in Chelsea and will be co-curated by Lesley Martin, Aperture's book publisher. The theme of the fourteenth show in New York City is INSIDE OUT. For this show, all guests will need to purchase $10 tickets support of both SLPS and The Aperture Foundation. Due to spatial limitations, this event will be considerably more intimate than recent NYC Slidelucks. If you are serious about securing a spot for this show, we invite you to purchase your tickets immediately!
The Aperture Foundation
547 W. 27th St, 4th Floor
7pm Potluck | 9pm Slideshow

New York Events Coming Up

Here are some of the cool events coming up in New York next week that you should check out. Summer's over and it's time to get focused again.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER, 22:


President Barack Obama: The First 200 Days
Photographs by Pete Souza, Chief Official White House Photographer
Leica Gallery
670 Broadway Suite 500
6-8pm

The Art of the Deal: An Evening with John Harrington
The Adorama Building
42 West 18th Street - Between 5th and 6th Avenues
5th floor
6:30pm - 9:00pm
Join John Harrington, author of the best-selling ‘Best Business Practices for Photographers’, for an insightful and solutions-oriented presentation on how to generate more revenue from the assignments, through pricing examples and discussion, negotiation strategies, and demystifying licensing of your work. This seminar is sponsored by Adorama and Nikon. To register online

FREELANCE ART PRODUCER/EDITOR EVENT
Vaughan Hannigan, Brite Productions, and Snapindigo are sponsoring this time to get together, network, look at photographer portfolios and have a good time!
If you are interested in attending, please email your email address and contact info ASAP to: thea@vh-artists.com
from 6:30pm-9:30pm
Splashlight Studios
One Hudson Square
75 Varick St. 3rd floor.

Torbjørn Rødland will be giving a free lecture at 7pm at
Aperture Gallery
547 West 27th Street, 4th Floor

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
APA/NY is sponsoring a Back to Work event for members, art buyers and other creatives at:
The Cabanas at The Martime Hotel
88 9th Ave. (at 17th St)
6:30-8:30
RSVP is required to rsvp@apany.com by Sept. 23

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25:


The opening of "A Square" Photographs by Hosang Park
Jen Bekman Gallery
6 Spring Street_(between Elizabeth + Bowery)
6:00 to 8:00 p.m
The exhibition is the Korea-based artist's debut solo exhibition in the United States. Park was one of two artists awarded representation by Jen Bekman Gallery in 2008 through the international photography competition, Hey, Hot Shot!