MARVI LACAR: Maasai Women Project

Kahlo House, Mexico © Marvi Lacar / All rights reserved

Hudson Bay, Ivujivik, Canada, 2008 © Marvi Lacar / All rights reserved

Takaya, Escaped From FGM. The Tasaru Ntomomok Safehouse for Girls, Kenya. Photograph © Marvi Lacar / All rights reserved

Mary Silio. The Tasaru Ntomomok Safehouse for Girls, Kenya

Photograph © Marvi Lacar / All rights reserved

MARVI LACAR came to the U.S. at age 15 from the Philippines. After receiving a bachelor's degree in Michigan from a liberal arts college, Lacar worked for several non-profit organizations before pursuing her master's degree in Journalism at the University of Texas in Austin. She completed a visual journalism fellowship at the Poynter Institute and interned at the Philadelphia Inquirer before moving to NYC in 2004.

Lacar was the 2008 winner of the Levallois - Epson Photography Award for her Journey Through Avignon. For her work documenting the progress of Maasai girls, women and men who are fighting against Female Genital Mutilation she won the 2008 Jurors Choice, Project Competition from the Santa Fe Center for Photography. She has been a nominee for the Joop Swart Masterclass and recognized by Communication Arts, PDN, and American Photography. Her clients include The New York Times, Time, Newsweek, Paris Match and Stern Magazines among many others.
Project: Healing the Deepest Scars: Rescue and Rehabilitation of Maasai Girls Escaping Circumcision and Early Marriage

Lacar lives in NYC with her husband, photojournalist Benjamin Lowy.
Website: http://www.marvi.net
PhotoBetty Post

DIANE ARBUS: Homage

Photograph © Estate of Diane Arbus

DIANE ARBUS b. March 14, 1923, d. July 26, 1971
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The more specific you are, the more general it'll be

The documentary below (in 4 parts) explores the work and ideas of photographer Diane Arbus in her own words as spoken by a close friend. It includes reflections by some of the people who knew her best; daughter Doon Arbus, teacher Lisette Model, colleague Marvin Israel, and then Director of the Museum of Modern Art Photography Department, John Szarkowski, from a PBS 1972 Documentary.

Masters of Photography Diane Arbus Part 1 (Doon Arbus)
Masters of Photography Diane Arbus Part 2 (Lisette Model)
Masters of Photography Diane Arbus Part 3 (Marvin Israel)
Masters of Photography Diane Arbus Part 4 (John Szarkowski)

Conversation with Alan Cumming and Amy Arbus
Who Is Marvin Israel? Trailer

LACEY TERRELL: offSET

offSET #32, Burbank, 2008 © Lacey Terrell / All rights reserved

offSET #18, Morocco, 2008 © Lacey Terrell / All rights reserved

offSET #29, New York, 2008 © Lacey Terrell / All rights reserved

"In this series, I have used my experience as a still photographer on films and locations as a starting point, but have turned my camera off set. Slipping behind the metaphoric curtain of center stage, I will look back at the constructed reality being played out, or wander into uninhabited areas. I am intrigued by where the artifice of movie making and the 'real' intermingle. As I hunt for images that occupy this space, I become a flâneur of sorts; a solitary figure roaming the outskirts of the location, studying the spectacle before me, looking for things unnoticed by others." Lacey Terrell was one of 100 photographers invited to participate in Review Santa Fe 2009.
Lacey Terrell Website

KIDS WITH CAMERAS: Calcutta

Bengali Moon. Photograph © Kochi, 10 / Kids With Cameras

Babai. Photograph © Kochi, 10 / Kids With Cameras

Photograph © Avijit / Avijit's Postcard Collection

We believe that photography is an effective tool in igniting children's imagination and building self-esteem. We believe in the power of art to transform lives, for both the artist and the viewer.

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BORN INTO BROTHELS, a film by Photographer Zana Briski and Co-Director Ross Kauffman, won the 77th annual Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. A tribute to the resiliency of childhood and the restorative power of art, Born into Brothels is a portrait of several unforgettable children who lived in the red light district of Calcutta, where their mothers worked as prostitutes.

Zana Briski, a New York-based photographer, founded Kids With Cameras in 2002, teaching photography to children in Calcutta's red-light district. She gave each of the children a camera and taught them the basics of photography and camera mechanics. Kids With Cameras has since expanded workshops to include Haiti, Jerusalem and Cairo.

The photographs taken by the children are available for purchase in the Kids' Gallery, and also as a signed Limited-Edition Portfolio. 100% of proceeds from sales of the children's prints and book, go directly to support their education and well-being. Archival prints on Somerset paper: 17 x 22 inches, $175 - 36 x 48 inches, $500.

There are also updates on the children on the Kids With Cameras website. One of those children, Avijit, was 11 when he began photographing in the brothels district he lived. "An innately talented artist, he's won many competitions for his paintings. Charismatic and restlessly creative, his images were among the most compelling of the workshop. Avijit was invited by the World Press Photo Foundation in Amsterdam to be part of their Children's Jury in 2002. In 2005, he received a four year high school scholarship to attend an incredible school in America." Avijit has now been accepted to the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. To help fund his education expenses, he's selected nine of his photographs taken and combined them into a collection of nine 4 x 6 postcards. You can help Avijit realize his educational goals by purchasing this Postcard Collection. $30. plus shipping and handling.

Purchase Avijit's Postcard Collection here
Kids With Camera's

FERNANDO DELGADO: The Architecture of Nature

 Turning Point © Fernando Delgado / All rights reserved

Click images to enlarge

Palm Yucca Bud © Fernando Delgado / All rights reserved

Anthurium No. 2 © Fernando Delgado / All rights reserved

It is only natural after 25 years contemplating, scrutinizing and promoting images, that I find myself behind the camera making images

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FERNANDO DELGADO was born in Cuba in 1957 and moved with his family to the U.S. when he was 12. In 1975 he attended The Cooper Union School of Art in N.Y., studying with prominent graphic designers Milton Glaser and Herb Lubalin. After Cooper Union, he had the opportunity to study with renowned art director Henry Wolf, artist Louise Nevelson and photographers Steven Meisel, Helmut Newton and William Klein at Parsons School of Design.

As a Creative Director for 25 years, Delgado successfully worked with an impressive list of clients such as Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Young & Rubican Advertising, among others. He co-authored a collection of French fashion photographer Guy Bourdin's innovative, surreal and erotic images in the book Exhibit A: Guy Bourdin. In 2005, he moved to Placitas, New Mexico from NYC and returned to his first love, making images, embarking on a successful career as a fine arts photographer.

Photographed using natural light, the Botanical series The Architecture of Nature (above) was inspired by Karl Blossfeldt’s botanical studies for use by architects. I recently spoke with Fernando Delgado in Santa Fe:

ELIZABETH AVEDON: Tell me about your experience studying with Louise Nevelson. What stage of her life did you meet her? Your photographs in your COMPOSITIONS series are reminiscent of her work.

FERNANDO DELGADO: In 1979, a group of students from Parsons had the opportunity to be part of a seminar at Louise Nevelson's studio on Spring and Mott, before that area was even called SOHO.

On the first day, Ms. Nevelson (as she liked to be called), sent us out on a hunt on garbage day. The directive, to bring back any forms or shapes that intrigued us. The criteria for selection was open to anything that interested us in whole or in part. During the course of the remaining days, we witnessed her creative process of examining, eliminating, cleaning, and careful storage of some of our treasures (in wooden barrels) with the promise of one day being used on a Nevelson work.

Although the class had more to do with sculpture, we also saw her prints, collage, drawings and other work in progress. The studio was small, crammed, but orderly and surprisingly clean. This was towards the end of her life, since she died 9 years later in 1988. Ms. Nevelson, was in a word, eccentric, but also very real. She spoke her mind and she did it openly and eloquently. I was mesmerized and at times very much amused, and I dreamt that one day I too would enjoy that freedom and clarity not only in my work, but also as an artist. From Ms. Nevelson, I learned to be a good editor, the complex power of inspired simplicity and a renewed appreciation for form, light and space.

EA: I am in awe of William Klein. Did you study with him, work for him? Please explain...

FD: During my years at Parsons (1977-1981), my fascination with Fashion kicked into full gear. During my years as an illustration major, I was first exposed to the work of Guy Bourdin, studied Fashion Illustration with Steven Meisel, attended workshops with Helmut Newton and booked models through the school's Model's Office for Robert Mapplethorpe.

In my senior year, I had the opportunity to study with Henry Wolf and William Klein, who were pivotal in my switch from illustration to photography. With Wolf, I learned to trust my photographic instinct and with Klein to understand photography beyond the still camera. The first session was devoted to watching his film Qui êtes-vous, Polly Maggoo where the world of fashion on film is at once, fiction and reality. I was fascinated by the craft of film-making and the vast numbers of talent necessary to make it happen. It was performance art, very public and quite different from the seemingly insular world we experienced with Louise Nevelson. His teaching style was unstructured and discussions would range from technique to philosophy. From William Klein I learned to see in motion, humor, layering, composition and the power of black and white imagery, and most of all to have fun and be in the moment.
Exhibition: NaturalMenteNational Hispanic Cultural CenterJuly 17th, 2009 - January 2010

Fernando Delgado Photography: Upcoming Exhibitions
www.Fernandodelgadophotography.com
An Interview

RAYMOND MEEKS: Middle Air

From Raymond Meeks Artist Book Middle Air
Photograph (c) Raymond Meeks

From Raymond Meeks Artist Book Middle Air
Photograph (c) Raymond Meeks

Raymond Meeks Artist Book Middle Air

Memory is an undeniable force behind making art, the drive not to forget, documenting the events of our lives over and over again, longing to fill the void of what's missing.

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MIDDLE AIR is photographer Raymond Meeks sixteen page artist book that traces the routine cutting of a sparse section of lawn in the backyard of his home in rural Montana. The eleven photographs were printed in the order they were exposed from one roll of 120 mm film. Each book contains "elements" (drawings, markings, etc) unique to the moments prior to their preparation for shipping. Two silver gelatin prints (7.5 x 7.5") hand printed by Meeks and processed to archival standards, accompany the book. The pages are "french fold" and hand sewn by book artist Rory Sparks, in an edition of 40 books and prints.

Purchase MIDDLE AIR
About Raymond Meeks

JULIE BLACKMON: Domestic Vacations

Rooster, 2007 © Julie Blackmon / All rights reserved

Powerade, 2005 © Julie Blackmon / All rights reserved

PC, 2005 © Julie Blackmon / All rights reserved
Inspired by the Velásquez painting Las Meninas

Front Porch, 2005 © Julie Blackmon / All rights reserved

The Dissolute Household painting by Jan Steen

The Dutch proverb "a Jan Steen household" originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous family gatherings.

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JULIE BLACKMON is the oldest of nine children and now the mother of three. Her photographs have been honored with numerous awards since she began exhibiting, including American Photo Emerging Artists 2008, first prize from CENTER/Santa Fe Center for Photography Project Competition, and PDN's 30, among others.

DOMESTIC VACATIONS: "The paintings of Steen, along with those of other Dutch and Flemish genre painters, helped inspire this body of work. As Steen’s personal narratives of family life depicted nearly 400 yrs. ago, the conflation of art and life is an area I have explored in photographing the everyday life of my family and the lives of my sisters and their families at home. These images are both fictional and auto-biographical, and reflect not only our lives today and as children growing up in a large family, but also move beyond the documentary to explore the fantastic elements of our everyday lives, both imagined and real.

The stress, the chaos, and the need to simultaneously escape and connect are issues that I investigate in this body of work. We live in a culture where we are both "child centered" and "self-obsessed." The struggle between living in the moment versus escaping to another reality is intense since these two opposites strive to dominate. Caught in the swirl of soccer practices, play dates, work, and trying to find our way in our "make-over" culture, we must still create the space to find ourselves. The expectations of family life have never been more at odds with each other. These issues, as well as the relationship between the domestic landscape of the past and present, are issues I have explored in these photographs. I believe there are moments that can be found throughout any given day that bring sanctuary. It is in finding these moments amidst the stress of the everyday that my life as a mother parallels my work as an artist, and where the dynamics of family life throughout time seem remarkably unchanged. As an artist and as a mother, I believe life’s most poignant moments come from the ability to fuse fantasy and reality: to see the mythic amidst the chaos." — Julie Blackmon

Julie Blackmon 2009 New Work
Radius Books "Domestic Vacations"

JONATHAN BECKER: A Vanity Fair Retrospective

Robert Mapplethorpe at his Whitney Retrospective, 1988
Copyright © Jonathan Becker / Vanity Fair

Brassaï, Eze, 1982 © Jonathan Becker / Steven Kasher Gallery

Madonna, Martha Graham, and Calvin Klein, N.Y., 1990
Copyright © Jonathan Becker / Vanity Fair

Arthur Miller
Copyright © Jonathan Becker / Vanity Fair

"After the requisite “NO”, followed by a long, debilitating night/morning of Jack Daniels and memorable palaver I can’t remember, Frank Sinatra finally acquiesced with the simple, syncopated, “One pitcher”. He kept his word the next afternoon. I got my picture for Town & Country. Never have I been so careful with the shutter-trigger".

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JONATHAN BECKER began contributing to Vanity Fair in 1981. His portraits of filmmaker Louis Malle and of Becker’s mentor and friend Brassaï featured largely in the prototype for the magazine’s relaunch, in 1983. Becker’s specialty in portraits, photographed by and large on location, soon became a Vanity Fair staple: Robert Mapplethorpe, Arthur Miller, Jocelyn Wildenstein, and Martha Graham with Madonna and Calvin Klein as well as countless socialites, artists, and heads of state. Assignments for the magazine sent Becker from the Amazonian jungle, for first-encounter photographs of members of the Yanomami tribe, to Buckingham Palace, for the first photographs showing the Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles together. Over the course of work for the Rockefeller Foundation, Becker documented its funded projects on five continents. Three books of Becker's work have been published: Bright Young Things; Studios by the Sea, Artists of Long Island’s East End; and Bright Young Things: London. (bio from Vanity Fair)

View Vanity Fair's Portfolio:
A JONATHAN BECKER RETROSPECTIVE

www.jonathanbecker.com

DANNY LYON: The Bikeriders

Photograph © Danny Lyon/ Twin Palms Publishers

Photograph © Danny Lyon/ Twin Palms Publishers

Photograph © Danny Lyon/ Twin Palms Publishers

The Fourth of July weekend brings out the Harley's. A great reminder of Danny Lyon's incredible documentary photographs The Bikeriders.

SUSAN BURNSTINE: Homemade Cameras

The Approach © Susan Burnstine/All rights reserved

On The Crest © Susan Burnstine/All rights reserved

I was playing with a friend’s son and his vintage science kit and I saw this really interesting plastic magnifying glass. I looked through it and thought wow this is interesting. I knew I could make a lens out of it, so I stole it.

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SUSAN BURNSTINE was nominated for the 2009 Santa Fe Prize for Photography and winner of B&W Magazine’s 2008 Portfolio Spotlight Award. The images in her current series On Waking Dreams and Instinct are shot on film with homemade medium format cameras and homemade lenses that have cost less than $40 in parts. These cameras are primarily made out of plastic, rubber, molded plastic, a few vintage camera parts and random household objects including string, photo tape, garbage bags, Velcro, parts of toys and children’s science kits along with various materials she happens upon in hobby shops and hardware stores. Susan was one of 100 photographers invited to participate in Review Santa Fe 2009. You can read more about Burnstines work in one of the many articles here. PDN Interview

Susan Burnstine website