the uncovering (feature story)
Boogie
the art street journal, vol ii – issue i, p. 12-13, 2010

This came as a welcome site in our otherwise boorish daily mail package … it seems like nothing good ever comes via real mail anymore in these days of RSS feeds and e-mail newsletters (yes, just like the one we send out periodically). This one packs a lot of great stuff into its 24 unbound single fold pages.

Tags: B+W Silver Gelatin Printing, Boogie, Charmichael Gallery, the art street journal, The nicest things ...

June 18th, 2010

Yipee yeah to sources of funding for photography. For all the ladies this one is well worth applying to.

Women in Photography is pleased to announce the 2010 WIP- LTI / Lightside Individual Project Grant, funded by LTI / Lightside Photographic Services with guest judge Karen Irvine. The $3,000 grant award will provide funding to one female photographer to support project costs. In addition WIPNYC is excited to announce the 2010 WIP- LTI / Lightside Materials Grant, funded by Kodak. This grant provides $1000 in artists choice of Kodak materials and will be awarded to one female photographer.

 

For more details check out the Women in Photography site.

Giant kudos going out to LTI / Lightside Photographic services. I had the opportunity to work with the lab this year to make five exhibition prints. It is not likely I would have produced the prints in NYC, but through LTI’s ongoing relationship with the also great Humble Arts Foundation. I was directed there when LTI decided to donate a print and scan towards work exhibiting in the 31 Women in Art Photography exhibit. Donations of that sort are god sent – as any emerging photographer I am sure will tell you – and not having to deal with shipping another bonus, so I took them up on it and had them print my work for the HHS Showcase Jen Bekman as well. (currently taking submissions!!)

Going into a lab you have never worked with is terrifying. I have no shortage of being less than satisfied with labs – and the more I exhibit and make certain kinds of work the more weight I am putting on the quality of final prints and my expectations. Printing my photographs causes me more stress and anxiety then any ideas of the better part of making the work, the parts about making the work. Ideas and exposures are easy. Perfect prints are not. It is here that LTI really impressed me. They were fantastic to work with and did an excellent job. I came to proof and stayed the entire day, every change I asked for was done without once making me feel panic and obsessive or that I was taking up too much of their time. One of the things I appreciated the most spending the day in there was that I also learned a thing or two. I expect whoever is doing my exhibition prints to know more about printing and file management than I do but despise anything happening to my images I might not understand or be aware of, I am starting to demand things of labs but at LTI I didn’t have to. Thanks to everyone at the lab, extra special thanks to Jeffrey Kane who facillitated everything and to Andrej Tur for printing. I eagerly wait for the day I am able to afford to have a single constant relationship with a lab. In the future I will be doing my exhibition printing on visits to NYC.

Tags: jessica Eaton, The nicest things ...

In Country: Soldier’s Stories from Iraq and Afghanistan
Jennifer Karady
SF Camerawork
May 6 – August 7, 2010

This month we’re featuring Jennifer Karady’s new work: In Country: Soldier’s Stories from Irag and Afghanistan, currently on view at SF Camerawork in San Francisco. The project reflects upon a widely under-publicized consequence of the ongoing war on terror; the post-battle physical and psychological burden of war zone trauma borne by enlisted individuals.

Photographed near their homes in the United States after an extensive interview process, Karady encourages the subject’s immediate family and close friends to help bring their wartime memories into focus against the backdrop of our everyday landscape. This collaborative effort creates a visual experience for the viewer that while still quite abstract, offers a far more personalized window into their stories than an evening newscast ever could.

In Country has been well received in the press with a feature article in the New York Times and an interview on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered.

Jennifer Karady: Former Sergeant Jose Adames, US Marine Corps Recon, Stinger Gunner, 1st Platoon, Alpha Company, veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Brooklyn, NY, February 2009. From In Country: Soldier’s Stories from Iraq and Afghanistan
48 x 48 Fujiflex Super Glossy optical c-print

In Country corrals the often incomprehensibly distant issue of America’s wars in the Middle East by focusing on the intensely personal post tour-of-duty experiences of individual soldiers – conveyed visually through the fabrication of highly conceptualized domestic scenes that are at once familiar and yet jarring.

A mix of styles and influences, Karady’s images reflect elements of photojournalism and narrative tableau painting and through this she manages to create a positive experience for the soldiers to aid in their adjustment back to civilian life.

Use the Quick Links above to visit Karady’s website and see the entire ongoing project.

Click here to order the 40 page exhibition catalog with an introduction by SF Camerawork curator Chuck Mobley and a detailed account of each soldier’s story, plus an interview with Jennifer Karady and an essay by Carol McCusker.

Click here to read the New York Times review of the exhibition. Click here to listen to the National Public Radio interview.

LTI / Lightside worked closely with Karady to print ten 48″ x 48″ optically enlarged Fujiflex Super-Glossy prints from her original negatives and produced the master digital files for the exhibition catalog.

Tags: conventional c-prints, Exhibitions, Film Processing, Jennifer Karady, SF Camerawork

Out of the city for summer?

Well, if you’re in London or even just slightly up the Hudson River from New York City for any reason, here are two shows to check out. No matter where you are, get yourself outside and enjoy the weather!

P.S. and don’t forget to apply for the 2010 WIP – LTI / Individual Project Grant … (if you’re a woman, of course).

Renaissance
Bill Armstrong
Hackelbury Fine Art, Ltd.
June 10 – July 31, 2010

Bill Armstrong: From the Infinity series: Renaissance #1005
40 x 48 optically enlarged c-print

Bill Armstrong’s Renaissance images are part of an extensive body of work called the Infinity Series and are aptly named after a crucial aspect of the creative process where he rephotographs found images with his focusing ring set at infinity.Armstrong’s appropriated material is subjected to a variety of physical manipulations – photocopying, cutting, painting, rephotographing and the extreme de-focusing that enables him to blend and distill hues – all of which contribute to transform the originals and give them new meaning in a new context.

LTI-Lightside produced six conventionally enlarged 40″ x 48″ c-prints for this exhibition.

Surfland
Joni Sternbach
Kenise Barnes Fine Art
June 5 – July 34, 2010

Joni Sternbach: From Surfland: 08.08.13 #8 Surfer Gals
20 x 24 archival pigment print, scanned from unique collodion tintype

Joni Sternbach has covered a lot of ground with her project Surfland… from shooting up and down both coasts in the United States to exhibiting the photographs seemingly everywhere in between and as far away as Lishui, China. Along the way, the work has received widespread critical attention both online and in print. Surfland, the book, also won in the 2008 Photolucida Critical Mass Awards hard cover Monograph category. LTI / Lightside produced thirteen 20 x 24 and 8 x 10 archival pigment prints and one30 x 40 digital c-print for this exhibition

Reminder:

The 2010 Women in Photography – LTI / Lightside Individual Project Grant is open for submissions. Follow this link for all the information you’ll need to apply:

2010 Women in Photography – LTI / Lightside Individual Project Grant

Tags: Archival Pigment Printing (Inkjet), Bill Armstrong, Conventional C-Printing, Exhibitions, Joni Sternbach, Scanning

Philip Andelman
Three Days in Paris
Milk Studios
May 20 – May 30, 2010

Shot over the course of three days last June, the 78 – 16 x 20 black + white photographs in this exhibition chronicle the exploits of two iconic bands meeting for the first time in Paris – The Beastie Boys promoting a new album and The Dead Weather preparing for a series of shows throughout Europe – and offer a cozy portrait of that chance encounter intimately recorded by Philip Andelman.

Andelman recounts: There was something magical to those three days, a sense of carefree adventure, of being away from home and the constraints imposed by day-to-day life … It was June and the summer had only just begun – The three days felt more like an adolescent summer vacation abroad, from the late night bike rides along the Seine to giddily spinning around in circles inside the ladies room at he Ritz Hotel at three in the morning.

You can view more images from Philip Andelman’s Three Days in Paris by clicking here

Tags: B+W Silver Gelatin Printing, Exhibitions, Philip Andelman

31 Women in Art Photography
Humble Arts Foundation
Affirmation Arts
March 6 – April 10, 2010

Installation views courtesy of Nat Ward and Humble Arts Foundation

There are two things that struck me about Humble’s second edition of 31 Women in Art Photography. The first came in the form of plain statistics that I received from Humble co-founder, Amani Olu:

“This year in New York City hundreds of galleries and museums will mount group and solo exhibitions. On average, less than 25% of the artists presented in these exhibitions will be women. Less than 20% of those artists will be women photographers, and even less will be emerging.”

This is the key to understanding why HAF has championed this project for the second time and provides a clear reflection of its principles as a foundation. Not coincidentally, this is also a core reason why LTI / Lightside signed on to be the exhibition sponsor as well as co-founding the Women in Photography LTI / Lightside Individual Project Grant last year.

The second is easily recognizable to anyone who visits the show … it’s the extraordinary level of professionalism on display, which is not just evident in the work, but also in the presentation of the exhibition itself. 31 Women in Art Photography is simply a beautiful show to behold. The Affirmation Arts space, with its 20′ sky-lit ceiling and diffuse natural light enhances what many have remarked upon as one of the strongest curated shows to open during this year’s New York Art Fair week.

Humble does a great job of spreading the word … and in this day and age it’s always tempting to skim the reviews and click through the jpegs online. In this case, however, those of you in New York might consider this … don’t miss it!

Tags: 31 Women in Art Photography, Archival Pigment Printing (Inkjet), Exhibitions, Framing, Humble Arts Foundation, Mounting

 Hey Hot Shot! 2009 Second Edition Showcase
Jen Bekman Gallery
March 6 – March 20, 2010

We were lucky enough to have worked with two of the exhibiting artists, Justin James King and Jessica Eaton. Both have contributed thoughtful and starkly beautiful images well worth seeing in person.

Justin James King: And Still We Gather With Infinite Momentum 1, 2009
40 x 50 digital c-print scanned from original 4 x 5 negative

Jessica Eaton: Landscape Missing a Byte, 2009
16 x 20 digital c-print scanned from original 6 x 7 negative

Tags: Digital-C Printing, Exhibitions, Hey Hot Shot, Jen Beckman Gallery, jessica Eaton, Justin James King

Entre Temps
Thomas Dozol
Envoy,
January 7 – February 14, 2010

Thomas Dozol: Jamie, 16 x 16 archival pigment print

Thomas Dozol tackles a number of issues in these seemingly simple photographs of people fresh out the shower. He’s chosen a situation that nearly everyone can relate to (entre temps or “the times in between”) and uses it to challenge the conventions of traditional portraiture and the truly modern phenomena of hyper-controlled celebrity image making while at the same time turning notions of voyeurism and privacy upside down.

Here you are invited into the bathrooms of strangers (and some not-so strangers) as they go about their normally private business with an otherwise very nice fellow snapping away on a Hasselbald camera. OK, for a second that may bring to mind the nearly endless run of reality TV programs which have made “celebrities” out of anyone willing to be video taped but Dozol’s intent is quite different – his intimate portraits are focused on calmness and introspection through the depiction of a mundane ritual that we all know so well. The result evokes an inviting familiarity, almost like, well … taking a warm shower.

LTI has worked with Dozol since 2005. For this exhibition, LTI processed all the film, scanned the original negatives and imaged over thirty 16 x 16 archival pigment prints in close consultation with the artist.

Tags: Archival Pigment Printing (Inkjet), Envoy Gallery, Film Processing, Scanning, Thomas Dozol

This Train is Bound for Glory
Justine Kurland
Mitchell, Innes and Nash
Oct 15 – November 14, 2009

Keddie Wye: 2007, 24 x 31.5 Optical C-Print

Justine Kurland’s This Train is Bound for Glory has been well reviewed in The New Yorker, New York, Time Out: New York, and beyond … much of the writing touches on just how much of Kurland there is in these photographs. Many of the descriptions of nomads adrift in the American West – and of the landscape itself as a metaphor for the wanderlust of the American spirit – reflect Kurland’s personal energy, which is smartly on display for just another week.

The exhibition consists of various sized conventionally enlarged c-prints. Kurland printed the 11 x 14, 16 x 20 and 20 x 24 pieces herself and LTI produced the 24 x 31.5, 30 x 40 and 40 x 50s as well as provided the mounting.

Private Views
Barbara Crane
Aperture Gallery
November 7 -January 21, 2010

Private Views: 8 x 10 Fujiflex digital c-print

Barbara Crane is enjoying a great deal of attention this year. The Chicago Cultural Center has launched a six decade retrospect of her work, Barbara Crane: Challenging Vision and Aperture has published a beautiful volume of Private Views.

LTI / lightside worked with Aperture to produce a limited edition of twenty 8 x 10 Fujiflex digital-c prints from a special edit of Private Views curated specifically for the Aperture Gallery.

Tags: Aperture Foundation, Barbara Crane, Conventional C-Printing, Digital-C Printing, Exhibitions, Justine Kurland, Mitchell Innes and Nash, Mounting

The BQE
Denny Renshaw
92Y Tribecca
October 24 – December 15, 2009

We recently imaged and mounted a group of prints for photographer Denny Renshaw that are a part off a pretty cool program of events at 92Y Tribecca this Saturday night.

The NYC premiere for the DVD release of Sufjan Stevens’ film The BQE, plus a musical performance by Osso (among others) are combined with the opening of Renshaw’s photographs which promises to make for an interesting evening ….read on below for details. This exhibition consists of eight 40 x 50 digital c-prints that represent the latest collaboration between Denny Renshaw and indie singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens. The project began for Renshaw back in 2007 when he was commissioned to create photographic studies for Stevens’ “symphonic and cinematic exploration of New York City’s infamous Brooklyn-Queens Expressway”, a work that became the critically acclaimed BAM performance and award winning film, The BQE.

Denny Renshaw: The BQE
40 x 50 digital c-print, 6mm braced sintra mount with UV over-lamination

The landscape images, accompanied by the addition of Renshaw’s photographic representations of the hula hooping wonder women in Stevens’ comic book, Hooper Heroes, reflect the major themes of the The BQE’s multimedia package. His images have been incorporated into a 40 page BQE themed booklet and a stereoscopic 3D View-Master reel.

Denny Renshaw: Botanica, 2009
40 x 50 digital c-print, 6mm braced sintra mount with UV over-lamination

Saturday evening’s events include Stevens’ introduction of the film, performance by Osso and an opening set by DM Stith as well as drawings by Jessica Dessner and animated projections by Deborah Johnson.

Tags: Denny Renshaw, Digital-C Printing, Exhibitions, Mounting