April 8, 2005
For the politically minded, this Saturday is the second annual NYC Grassroots Media Conference at The New School (65 5th Avenue at 13th Street, NY)
http://www.nycgrassrootsmedia.org
This is a two day conference for building coalitions between independent media groups, artists, and activists. Its $10 general entry and while the workshops are geared towards a younger, activist crowd they may be of interest to some members of the photoblogger community. You just might be young and an activist yourself.
You can check out the list of workshops here:
http://www.nycgrassrootsmedia.org/
index.php?name=2005workshops
If you've been looking for chances to get your work out to a larger audience or are looking to volunteer (especially if you have strong technical skills) this is a good place to find a number of groups that are looking for talent.
April 8, 2005
tonight:
Stephen Shore and Thomas Struth: Contemporary Photography and the Definition of Place
With moderators: Mitch Epstein and Vicki Goldberg
April 8 at 6:30 pm
The Great Hall
Free (wtf!)
[cooper.edu events page]
April 8, 2005
Serra, originally uploaded by Hundreds of Thousands
Now that Spring has come to the region, everyone's mind is on the beach and warm weather. Besides the beach, there are many other locations which you can visit inside of a 2 hour drive or train ride which are quite interesting. While some of these trips might not help your suntan, they are worthwile in their own way.
In our first segment, we are featuring the Dia:Beacon, located on the Hudson River in Beacon, New York. A sort 90 minute train ride from Grand Central, the Dia:Beacon is a contemporary art museum located in a renovated factory featuring large scale works of art from Richard Serra, John Chamberlainand, and Andy Warhol among other artists.
Unfortunatly there is no photography allowed inside, but I think our readers will know how to handle that issue. Worth photographing viewing inside the museum are large works of art - especially the Serra sculptures and the renovated industrial building itself. Too bad no photography is allowed, because I just got a batch of Neopan 1600, Delta 3200, and some IR film. Oh well, looks like I won't be able to use them!
To get to the Dia:Beacon, take the 90-minute long train ride on the Hudson River Line (pdf) to Beacon, NY. Metro-North often has Dia:Beacon Getaway deals which will get you rail fare and Dia:Beacon access for $26. It would normally cost you $21 for the Metro-North and $10 for Dia:Beacon admission, so you save $5 - you can buy me a beer with your savings.
See all photos on Flickr tagged with Dia:Beacon, Felix Salmon on the Dia:Beacon, and Beacon Dispatch Blog.
Dia:Beacon
Visitor Information
Admission: $10
Hours: 11 am to 6 pm, Thur - Mon
April 7, 2005
After his recent successes at the MFA with Made in Japan and the Boesky Gallery Takashi Murakami will be taking a break from the highly stylized and socially provocative work he is known for creating and will instead present his recent curatorial efforts at the Japan Society. Little Boy, The Arts of Japan’s Exploding Subculture "explores the culture of postwar Japan through its arts and popular visual media, from the perspective of one of Japan's most celebrated artists."
With Little Boy, this self proclaimed student of contemporary Japanese society will finish off his efforts to expand the anime figure beyond the celluloid frame and close out Superflat. Little Boy which is comprised of no less than 21 artists and multiple essayists, with special lecture series as well, opens TODAY April 8 and will close July 24.|: 333east47th :|: 2128321155:|
April 6, 2005
I knew that the NYC Photobloggers events were hosted at the Apple Soho store, but I didn't realize what a full schedule of events the store has. From discussion on the NYC Photo List, it sounds like I didn't miss too much by not going to the talk last night, but it would have been great to see the Scott Kelby Photoshop seminar yesterday afternoon, if I had known about it. Coming up this Friday night, Bob Gruen, "one of the most well known and respected photographers in Rock 'n' Roll," will be giving a slide show talk at 7pm followed by a book signing across the street at the Morrison Hotel Gallery. Might be worth checking out.
Apple Soho Store
103 Prince Street (x Greene St)
directions
April 6, 2005
The International Center of Photography's spring courses start in a couple of weeks and there's still time to register. The school offers classes that meet weekly as well as weekend workshops.
If you're into street photography and can give up Wednesday mornings, "Photographing on the Street" might float your boat.
This class will teach students everything from how to choose the right equipment and film for a day's shoot, to technical and practical issues, to gaining the trust and access needed to photograph people and places in and around New York City.
April 6, 2005
Glowlab is a Brooklyn based art lab for psychogeographic work.
Why psychogeography?
Because you've already been doing it.
If you do site studies, random walks through the city, catalog street art, or document neighborhoods in transition, you should be immediately familiar with the ideas behind psychogeography. If you've been looking for a new way to develop or talk about your work, check it out. Maybe you just want to justify getting that art degree.
Glowlab was responsible for last year's Psy.Geo.Conflux, a conference on psychogeography held on the lower east side. Glowlab won't be holding a NYC conference this year, but will be at Provflux in RI.
April 5, 2005
Though many NYC photographers (with notable exceptions) may find it easier to shoot aboveground, the constant threat of a Subway Photo Ban is difficult to ignore for any New Yorker with a camera. The period for public comment ended back in January, but the ban hasn't yet come before the MTA Board at their monthly meetings.
If you're jonesing for some good public comment, the New York City Transit Riders Council President's Forum (or NYCTRCPF, for short) is tomorrow, April 6th, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM at 2 Broadway. If you want to speak, you'll need to arrive at 4:45 and register, which seems to us a bit early for a weekday. The early start time may be worth it, though, to hear NYC Transit President Lawrence Reuter hiss "You meddling kids!"
Though the agenda isn't posted yet, April's MTA board meeting is on the 28th. At the risk of sounding Chicken Little, they could drop it on any month's agenda, so keep your eyes peeled.
In the meantime, you should read the actual Transit rules about photography underground (spoiler: it's allowed, without flashes and tripods), and you can never know too much about your rights.
April 5, 2005
I was delighted to stumble out of the rain on Saturday and into the GQ sponsored exhibit, A SOLDIERS' PORTFOLIO. The exhibit is comprised of 50+ images captured by soldiers. Rather than rely upon embedded journalists for the content, this exhibit draws directly from the experiences and photography of the soldiers. Many wartime photography exhibits I've seen are focused on the horrors of war and the tragedy that inevitably results. The joy of the GQ exhibit is that it is more of an apolitical soldiers' blog, documenting daily activities and interesting visuals that are absolutely mesmerizing. Because of its source, it is able to accurately depict daily existence in the camps of Iraq.
You can view the exhibit online or you can go to the old Rosa & Sons Bakery on Elizabeth St. where it is currently on exhibit: 209 Elizabeth Street, between Prince and Spring.
The exhibition hours are Wednesday-Sunday, from 1PM – 7PM.
For more information, please call 212-286-6765.
April 4, 2005
The Flatiron, originally uploaded by akrubin
I've heard about the H&M Advertisement on the Flatiron building before, but haven't seen it until this weekend, and it is gi-nourmous. Has anyone else seen the newly-donned Flatiron building?
Here's more Flatiron Ad photos, from Curbed comes Steichen's Flatiron, Remixed, and here is a Flickr group of the Most Photographed objects which New York subjects feature heavily in.
April 4, 2005
So unless you have been living under a rock, you have probably heard about Flickr the photo sharing site. Even if you are not a member, you can check out the cool features such as tags - check out nyc, The Gates, or Idiotarod for a good cross-section of photos in different tags.
Besides tags, Flickr has groups, many of which are as general as Black & White Photography or as specific as The Birdsill Holly Society which are a collection of fire hydrant photos. There are many New York-centric groups, some of which I have found to be quite engaging. Here is a list (in no particular order) of groups which I have found:
April 4, 2005
The New York Public Library System, in addition to books, (OH THE BOOKS!!!) is now offering access to the library's extensive digital gallery. The gallery, which "provides access to over 275,000 images digitized from primary sources and printed rarities in the collections of The New York Public Library, including illuminated manuscripts, historical maps, vintage posters, rare prints and photographs, illustrated books, printed ephemera, and more" also offers many New York-centric galleries, such as Bernice Abbot and Dylan Stone. I look forward to seeing some of you as part of their collection, and NOT A-LA-BANKSY.
April 3, 2005
I certainly can't be the first one to want to do this, but I am not able to find examples of this anywhere. If organized properly, would anyone be interested in a 5 Borough Photography Tour? We would start with a borough, pick a bunch of neighborhoods, and on a Saturday or Sunday go snap some photographs of landmarks or other not so well-known subjects. How long we stay in one neighborhood or which we choose (safety always being a factor), is completely up to those who want to participate. This would span several weeks or months for sure (depending on the timetables, weather, availability, etc.).
I think this could be a really fun project, and if anyone has done this already, please let me know!
