Excerpts from the film, Portrait of Imogen. The film was produced and directed by Meg Partridge, Cunningham’s granddaughter (1987). With a sharp wit and a unique perspective on photography, Imogen Cunningham reveals how she carved out her impressive career while maintaining a household and raising a family. In a professional career of 75 years, Imogen had an enormous influence on the aesthetics of American photography.
Excerpts from the film, Dorothea Lange: A Visual Life. The film was produced and directed by Meg Partridge,(1994).This film is an engaging and penetrating look at a life devoted to photography, profiling the life and work of an artist who recorded some of the most evocative photographic images of the 20th century. Dorothea Lange’s artistic achievements and untiring investigations into the diversity of American life and culture are presented through interviews with her sons and assistants.
Rare interviews with Ansel Adams, Wynn Bullock, Beaumont Newhall, Brett Weston & Cole Weston. These interviews, conducted by Steve James of the Eikon Gallery (Monterey CA), are now available for viewing for the first time since their initial airing in 1971, exclusively on the Lumière Virtual Gallery. As photographic icons of the 20th century, it is fascinating to see these giants in the field describe their work, personal histories and comments on photography.
Born in 1898, Berenice Abbott’s formative years as an artist were spent in Paris. Her classic images in the Changing New York series were published in 1939, ten years after her return from France. It provides a comprehensive picture of the city, much as Eugene Atget had done with his monumental work on Paris. Documenting Science was a partnership with MIT for use in school textbooks. It’s subject and design elements are as timeless as nature and science themselves.
Barnwell’s compelling photographs of the places and people of Appalachia present an important element of the American cultural heritage. Based in Asheville, North Carolina, he has spent over 35 years as a professional photographer and instructor-including eight years directing the Appalachian Photographic Workshops. His work is the subject of three books, The Face of Appalachia, Earths Furrowed Brow, and Hands in Harmony.
Peter Essick has worked as a freelance photojournalist with clients such as National Geographic Magazine. At the Geographic he has produced more than 35 feature articles on many different topics. Essick has traveled to all seven continents in search of compelling pictures. Peter recorded these comments in 2010, during his exhibition, Compositions in Nature, at Lumière, in Atlanta Georgia.
Lumière’s Fall lecture program opened in collaboration with ACP at the High Museum in September: Art in the Digital Culture… Threat or Opportunity.
It underscored technology’s rapid and disruptive impact over the last century.
It was followed in October by, Conversations With The Masters.
This talk: Accelerating Change in Photography, continued the discussion with a presentation by Robert Yellowlees, reflecting on his half century of active participation with photography, computer technology and issues of human behavior in the management of change.
The presentation was followed by a thought provoking discussion period.
Lumière’s Fall program opened with the ACP/High Museum lecture: Art in the Digital Culture… Threat or Opportunity.
It underscored technology’s rapid and disruptive impact over the last century.
This galley talk: Conversations With The Masters, continued the discussion by highlighting, rare interviews with Ansel Adams, Wynn Bullock, Beaumont Newhall, Brett Weston & Cole Weston. These interviews, conducted by Steve James of the Eikon Gallery (Monterey CA), were shown for the first time since their initial airing in 1971. Viewed now as photographic icons of 20th century, it was striking to see these masters describe their work and the discuss their efforts to establish photography as an art form.
Joining the program via teleconference was Steve James, to provide additional insight. His parents, Sue and Steve James began the Eikon Gallery in 1968, one of the first in the country dedicated solely to photography.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
7:00 p.m.
Hill Auditorium High Museum of Art
1280 Peachtree Street
In this, the sixth installment of our fall lecture series, Shannon Perich of the Smithsonian Institution and Irfan Essa of the Georgia Institute of Technology each spoke to the future of art in a rapidly expanding digital culture. The speakers addressed the threats and opportunities created by a growing range of capabilities to create, distribute and interact with art. Their commentary was followed by a panel discussion with audience participation.
Ms. Perich is the curator of the Photographic History Collection at the National Museum of American History. Most recently, she curated the current exhibition: Pushing Boundaries: Photography by Robert Weingarten, and authored, The Changing Face of Portrait Photography, From Daguerreotype to Digital. Perich teaches the History of Photography at the Maryland Institute College of Art and is a contributor to National Public Radio’s website. She is actively pursuing the application of technology to broaden public access to the Museum’s collections and knowledge base.
Prof. Essa is a nationally recognized figure in the fields of Computational Photography, Digital Video Special Effects and Computer Animation. He is an expert on technologies that impact how citizens interact with information. His doctoral research at MIT was in the area of Facial Recognition, Analysis and Synthesis. In addition to his work at Georgia Tech, he is affiliated with Carnegie Mellon, Google Research and the Disney Research Lab. He is also a Fellow of the IEEE.
Alexander Rodchenko: Revolution in Photography
The National Museum in Krakow
Main Building, al. 3 Maja 1
May – August 2012
This comprehensive exhibition featured over 316 works by this versatile artist. It is currently on view at the National Museum in Krakow Poland, and includes vintage prints of all his most well know photographs.
A thought provoking review published June 20, 2012 in the Wall Street Journal can be seen here. (opens new window) To access the complete exhibition information on Krakow Museum web site, select here. (opens new window)
Building the Revolution: Soviet Art and Architecture 1915-1935
April — July 2012
Martin Gropius Bau, Berlin Germany
Richard Pare’s photography from The Lost Vanguard (exhibited at Lumière in April of 2009), was on view at Martin Gropius Bau, in Berlin Germany, April 5 – July 9, 2012. For more specific information on this past exhibition, SELECT HERE.
This exhibition explored one of the most exceptional periods in the history of architecture, from the years just prior to the October Revolution until the foundation of the U.S.S.R. First shown in 2007 at The Museum of Modern Art (NY), this work is an important contribution to the history of both photography and architecture. The flamboyant age of Russian modernity, in the 15 years following the October 1917 Revolution, was hardly recognized before it came to an abrupt end. After the fall of the communist experiment in 1991, structures employing modernist era design and construction methods were rapidly disappearing. In a short period of time nearly a quarter of the buildings that were to have been protected were razed or disfigured. Richard Pare, a master photographer and curator of architectural photography, developed this body of work to record these interior and exterior designs before they succumbed to redevelopment.
“Richard Pare’s (work) opens windows onto the substantially unknown architectural manifestations of a period characterized by unprecedented artistic, social and cultural flights of imagination.” – Phyllis Lambert, Founding Director, Canadian Centre for Architecture
A promotional video for the exhibition, (please note: audio is in German).
The photography of Wolf Suschitzky was seen in the film “Trouble With The Curve.” The film starring Clint Eastwood and Amy Adams, was shot in Georgia early 2012 and premiered, September 2012. Eastwood, plays an ailing baseball scout in his twilight years, he takes his daughter along for one last recruiting trip. The Suschitzky photographs, will be seen on the walls of his daughter’s (Amy Adams) apartment.
Suschitzky who resides in London, England, is an accomplished still photographer, however the majority of his professional career was as a cinematographer in the film industry. With nearly 200 feature, documentary, and short film credits to his name, his career has spanned over 44 years, and included such note worthy films as, Get Carter – 1971 and Ulysses – 1967,(Wolf’s IMDb web page).
These photographs were featured in the Lumière exhibition: Street Talk, and are available for viewing.
Here is a link to a video of Wolf Suschitzky from the web site: Web Of Stories. He discusses his early photographic education and relocation to London. This was filmed in March of 2008, when Wolf was 95 years old, he celebrated his 100th birthday in August 2012. (Web Of Stories contains 34 Suschitzky videos totaling more than 2 hours)
Webmaster Note: Embedding this video has been problematic, select the “Web of Stories” link here or above to view. A new window will open the video will be qued up. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Pushing Boundaries: Portraits by Robert Weingarten presented 15 of Weingarten’s digital composite portraits of iconic Americans including Sandra Day O’Connor, Hank Aaron, and Chuck Close. In addition, there are more than two dozen portraits by other photographers from the Photographic History Collection to provide context about the long history of combination printing and portraiture.
Lumière is pleased to announce that we are offering the work of Vivian Maier. This coincides with the November 2011, publication of Vivian Maier – Street Photographer, and numerous exhibitions from the John Maloof Collection. We currently have a supply of this book available for purchase, E-MAIL the gallery to reserve a copy.
Maier’s work was featured in our past exhibition Street Talk – the third installment of Lumiere’s: Photography as Propaganda exhibition series.
Complete background information on Maier and the story of her discovered work, can be found on the website of the Maloof Collection: vivianmaier.com (opens new window). Lumiere is the Atlanta source for any of these photographs.
Below is a segment from the CBS Evening News, December 15, 2011.
Monday April 2, 2012 • Noon – 1 pm
1518 Clifton Rd.
Claudia Nance Rollins Building
CNR Auditorium
A panel discussion sponsored by Emory’s Global Health Institute and the Public Health Ethics Club was held Monday April 2, 2012. The event was free and open to the public. Panel Members included, Billy Howard – Documentary Photographer, Jeff Koplan – Director Global Health Institute, Paul Wolpe – Director Center for Ethics, and Kathy Kinlaw – Associate Director Center for Ethics. For more information E-MAIL Suzanne Mason.
Wynn Bullock: Insight and Surprises
March 21 – June 9, 2012
Palm Beach Photographic Centre
415 Clematis Street, West Palm Beach FL
Wynn Bullock, a mid-twentieth century master photographer, is widely know for his evocative black and white work. From 1959-1964, he also created a significant body of color work he called “Color Light Abstractions”, first exhibited at Lumiere in June of 2009.
The Palm Beach exhibition featured 44 of these beautiful and innovative images, as well as a selection of Bullock’s classic black & white work, further details can be found at the Centre’s web site. An article from the Palm Beach Daily News from March 25, 2012 provides an overview of the exhibition.
The Lost Vanguard: An exceptional photographic exploration of Russian modernist architecture. Pare’s decade long project brilliantly records innovative interior and exterior designs. It carried him from Moscow and St. Petersburg to Kiev, the Ukraine and the Baltic Sea resort of Sochi. One of the highlights of the exhibition were his photographs of the Melnikov House, listen to his comments on this architectural treasure.
Below are comments recorded at the opening of the exhibition, Picturing the West, photography by Bob Kolbrener. He discusses his personal history, photographic methodology and his dedication to the art of traditional silver gelatin based photography.
Building the Revolution: Soviet Art and Architecture 1915-1935
October 2011 – January 2012
London’s, Royal Academy of Arts – Sackler Wing of Galleries
Richard Pare’s work from The Lost Vanguard was previously on view at the Royal Academy of Arts. For more specific information on this past exhibition, SELECT HERE, a review from The Guardian can be SEEN HERE, (links open new windows).
Richard Pare comments on the Shabolovka Radio Tower
THE LOST VANGUARD – This exhibition explored one of the most exceptional periods in the history of architecture, from the years just prior to the October Revolution until the foundation of the U.S.S.R. First shown in 2007 at The Museum of Modern Art (NY), this work is an important contribution to the history of both photography and architecture. The flamboyant age of Russian modernity, in the 15 years following the October 1917 Revolution, was hardly recognized before it came to an abrupt end. After the fall of the communist experiment in 1991, structures employing modernist era design and construction methods were rapidly disappearing. In a short period of time nearly a quarter of the buildings that were to have been protected were razed or disfigured. Richard Pare, a master photographer and curator of architectural photography, developed this body of work to record these interior and exterior designs before they succumbed to redevelopment.
“Richard Pare’s (work) opens windows onto the substantially unknown architectural manifestations of a period characterized by unprecedented artistic, social and cultural flights of imagination.” – Phyllis Lambert, Founding Director, Canadian Centre for Architecture
Photographer Peter Essick was featured in the Atlanta Journal and Constitution, (October 27, 2011). The article was in response to a photographic essay, on the Ansel Adams Wilderness, in the October 2011 issue of National Geographic Magazine. Adams was an early influence on Essick’s photographic career, follow this LINK to read the entire article.
Lumière featured Essick’s work in a one person exhibition, Depth Of Field: Compositions In Nature, (October 2010) and is proud to offer his work for sale, including a limited edition Collector’s Portfolio.
Select Here to view Peter Essick’s artist page and explore many other resources on our site.
ArtCriticATL – Exhibition Review
Alluring and Illuminating “Photography as Propaganda” at Lumiere
October 11, 2011
By Robert Stalker
What countries could be more different than the Soviet Union and the United States during the first half of the 20th century? Yet, as suggested by Lumiere’s illuminating “Photography as Propaganda: Politics and the Utopian Dream,” many of their ideals and fantasies were actually alike, and so were the images that served their goals and cultural values.
Inspired in part by “Propaganda and Dreams,” the 1999 exhibit at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, the exhibit opens with pictures by American and Soviet photographers celebrating technology and the built environment. Margaret Bourke-White’s “George Washington Bridge” (1933) and Berenice Abbott’s “Night View, New York” (1932) sit alongside contemporary photographs of the Dneprostroy Dam and Kherson Shipbuilding Factory by Max Alpert and Simon Fridland, respectively.
The photos were produced in divergent contexts with quite different aims. Bourke-White worked for the capitalist Henry Luce’s Fortune as well as Look magazines, creating photos that seemed almost to advertise the romance of commerce and industry. Abbott worked independently in the 1930s on her “Changing New York” series, promoting a view of urban planning that she continued under the sponsorship of the Federal Art Project. Fridland and Alpert documented Soviet manufacturing and engineering for government news platforms such as ITAR-Tass, Izvestia and Pravda, constructing the not entirely accurate impression that the young, impoverished nation was heading full steam into the 20th century. Despite these differences, however, the photos share an almost palpable optimism about technological modernity and its culture of speed and mechanization…… ArtsCriticATL. Follow this link to read the entire review. (opens new browser window).
September 21, 2011: Dr. Anthony Bannon, the Director of George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film, discussed the use of photography throughout history to communicate powerful messages and create lasting cultural icons. The program, part of the Annual Lumiere Lecture Series, was offered in collaboration with the High Museum of Art and Atlanta Celebrates Photography.
The audio clip below is a small excerpt is from his closing remarks, as he discussed the nature of the single photographic image and speculated on future of the medium of photography.
Biographical Information:
Dr. Anthony Bannon was the Director of George Eastman House – International Museum of Photography and Film: the world’s oldest and largest independent museum dedicated to photography and film. He has held that position from 1996 to 2012. Prior to his time at Eastman House, he served as director of Burchfield-Penney Art Center, director of cultural affairs on the campus of State University of New York, College at Buffalo and as an editor and art critic with The Buffalo News. He has also worked as a filmmaker. In 2012 Bannon retired from George Eastman House and returned to his previous position as director of Burchfield-Penney Art Center in Buffalo NY.
Dr. Bannon has lectured at museums, colleges, and festivals worldwide. He currently serves as chairman of the Lucie Awards/International Photography Awards. In 2007, Bannon was awarded the Golden Career Award by the FOTOfusion Festival of Photography & Digital Imaging for his “far-reaching leadership and scholarship in the cultural community.”
Bannon’s 16-year tenure at George Eastman House resulted in major acquisitions, alliances with museums and universities, innovative conservation efforts, as well as the creation of three post-graduate preservation schools and collectors clubs in large American cities.
Follow the link to see the entire article and read the colorful account of Khaldei’s life. A more complete biography of Khaldei’s life can be found in the Artist Section of our web site, including a gallery of images by Khaldei.
Our exhibition, Photography as Propaganda – Politics and the Utopian Dream, (Sept – Oct 2011) at Lumière featured eight photographs by Khaldei. The 70+ print exhibition included 3 variation of his most famous image: Raising The Hammer & Sickle over the Reichstag, May of 1945.
In his sixth book Glorious Days and Nights: A Jazz Memoir, Herb Snitzer looks back on a career of photographing jazz musicians, (University of Mississippi Press, 2011).
After graduation from the University of the Arts (Philadelphia College of Art, 1957), Snitzer, headed for New York. One of his first free lance assignments was to cover the legendary, tenor sax player, Lester Young, at the Five Spot Café, in 1958. Shooting at night with available light he created an enduring image of Young, holding his instrument case, wearing his signature porkpie hat. The scene is backlit by a storefront and there is a sign projecting from the building that reads “Newly Decorated Furnished Rooms.” The musician with arm outstretched is pointing to something while engaged in a conversation with an unidentified man.
With this earliest image Snitzer launched a career and also, in embryo, established a style that identifies many of the key works among the 84 photographs selected for the book. While there are many studies of musicians in performance he sought out access back stage, on buses, in bars and hotels. As much as possible he attempted to get close and personal. There are many intimate portraits that compellingly convey trust as well as proximity.
As the subtitle of the book conveys this reaches beyond a portfolio of beautiful images (84) of now mostly deceased masters of the art form. In the accompanying 42 page text Snitzer relates a life depicting the jazz world to which he had unique and often challenging access.
An exhibition of 14 photographs by Thomas Neff was on view in 2011 at the The Presbytere (751 Chartres Street, New Orleans). The images are from Neff’s work: Holding Out and Hanging On: Surviving Hurricane Katrina. These moving portraits, of individuals who rode out Hurricane Katrina in 2005, are traditional silver gelatin prints recorded with a large format (5×7) camera.
This work was featured in the Lumière exhibition: Southern Exposures in June of 2008.
The Louisiana State Museum is mounting a series of changing exhibitions, lectures and events as part of a permanent exhibition Living with Hurricanes: Katrina and Beyond.
The Center for Photographic Art
June – July 2011
Carmel California
An Exhibition featuring Aerial Photography by Al Weber was held at the Center for Photographic Art in Carmel CA (June-July 2011), published with this exhibition is a 56 page catalog. Weber’s work was featured in the 2010 Lumière exhibition Picturing the West.
Al Weber’s career in photography spans six decades and illustrates mastery of both black-and-white and color processes. The subjects of his commercial assignments and personal work run the gamut from aerial, industrial, architectural, portraiture, abstractions and imagery of the American West. His photographs have been shown in over 200 exhibitions, corporate clients include Dupont, Eastman Kodak, Polaroid and Hasselblad. Weber’s photographs are in the numerous permanent collections including The Art Institute of Chicago, M. H. de Young Museum, and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.
Sunday May 22, 2011 – A very entertaining article from the Sunday New York Times, Travel Section: On Virginia’s Crooked Road, Mountain Music Lights the Way. This subject is also the central theme of Tim Barnwell’s most recent book Hands in Harmony; Traditional Crafts and Music in Appalachia. It was released (October 2009) by W. W. Norton & Company, publisher of Barnwell’s previous two books: The Face of Appalachia (2003) and On Earth’s Furrowed Brow (2007). The book is a continuation of the artist’s 30+ year body of work documenting the people, places, musicians, and craftsmen of Appalachia. The book also includes an audio CD with performances by 22 musicians photographed for the project, and is already receiving critical success.
Reviewed in the New York Times, November 27, 2009, By Dwight Garner. Hands In Harmony: Traditional Crafts And Music In Appalachia, by Tim Barnwell (W. W. Norton & Company). “This excellent collection of black-and-white portraits and oral histories documents the lives of the makers of Appalachian music and traditional handicrafts, and arrives with a wickedly fine CD. There are photographs here of some well-known people (Doc Watson, Ralph Stanley, Bill Monroe), but the best are of unknown artists. Without Appalachian music, Jan Davidson writes in the forward, ”there would be no Joan Baez, no Bob Dylan the folk singer, and surely no Grateful Dead.”” Go to the NY Times review
Produced and Directed by John Nakashima of West Virginia Public Broadcasting (2002), this video provides an illuminating overview into Lawson’s photography and his evolution as an artist, from his early roots as a sculptor through his truly unique photographic journey.
Lumière Collectors Edition™: a series of portfolios featuring the work of established artists, curated by Lumière. They represent exceptional, compatible examples of each artist’s work. The initial offering of six portfolios each contain five editioned photographs, matted and packaged in an attractive linen portfolio box with descriptive inset pages. Pricing for the portfolios range from $1,800 – $3,500.
Call the gallery (@ 404-261-6100) or E-MAIL for more information.
Al Weber
This portfolio, selected in consultation with the artist, represents work from a 2011 exhibition of his photographs at the Center for Photography Arts in Carmel California. Al Weber’s career in photography spans six decades. The subjects of his work run the gamut from aerial and architectural photography to portraits, abstracts, and imagery of the American Southwest.
Wynn Bullock (1902-1975) is viewed by history as one of the masters of photography. Selected for this portfolio are five classic Bullock images that span the breadth of his artistic career. Along with Frederick Sommer, Harry Callahan, Aaron Siskind and Ansel Adams, Bullock was one of the five founding photographers whose archives established the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson, AZ in 1975.
Bullock is best known for his classic black & white photography. However, from late 1959 to early 1965, he explored the beauty and wonder of light itself through his Color Light Abstractions. Due to limitations in printing technology, he was never able to fully share this work before his death in 1975, and it is only recently that it is being brought to life by his heirs. Exhibited for the first time at Lumiere in June 2009, it has since been shown in Beijing, China; Carmel, CA, and Tucson, AZ.
These classic images by Kolbrener, four images from his work centered in Yosemite, a fifth from the rugged coast of California, all illustrate his command of traditional silver gelatin photographic processes. A student of Ansel Adams, Kolbrener carries on a tradition of his predecessors with a vital artistic vision uniquely his own.
Award winning photographer, Peter Essick’s remarkable color landscape photographs from landmark settings throughout the world reveal the stunning spiritual and artistic power of nature. The selection for this portfolio illustrate a broad spectrum of his work and collectively display his ability to reveal the beauty of the natural world.
Murphy’s photography illustrates his passionate love for our wild clean earth. Tom’s understanding of wildlife is apparent from the beginning. He photographs wildlife as they go about their daily lives, patiently waiting for each animal to share its life with him in the wild.
Abstractions – Featuring Tom Murphy & Peter Essick
This portfolio features abstractions drawn from the beauty of nature and framed by two world class photographers: Peter Essick and Tom Murphy. Essick who has traveled the globe contributes two images to the portfolio, one from Fraser Island off the East Coast of Australia, and a second from Finland near the Arctic Circle. Murphy’s contributions of three images are from the area he knows so well, Yellowstone National Park.
E-MAIL for more information.
Portfolio Edition Size: 5
Price: $2,000
Image Courtesy: Steve and Sue James, Eikon Gallery
Showcasing more than 130 photographs by famed photographer Ansel Adams, including his most iconic images. The depth, breadth and quality of this exhibition was exceptional.
These photographs were considered by Adams to be some of his “best” prints, they were meticulously produced by the artist himself and given to The Friends of Photography. Adams was one of the founders of this organization, that began in 1967, with the aim of promoting creative photography and supporting its practitioners.
The newspaper clipping is from the Monterey Herald, December of 1970, courtesy of Steve and Sue James/Eikon Gallery. It illustrates Adams’ commitment and support of the Friends of Photography.
More information on current Booth programing visit: The Booth Western Art Museum web site.
The Booth is located in Cartersville Georgia, (28 miles north on I-75, exit 288).
This video was produced in conjunction with the exhibition Messages from the Wilderness which featured work deploying the visual power of photography to communicate an understanding and appreciation of the great American wilderness. Included in the exhibition was photography by: Philip Hyde, Ansel Adams, Edna Bullock, Peter Essick, Robert Glenn Ketchum, Tom Murphy, Bradford Washburn, Edward Weston & Brett Weston. Their work has often provided the foundation for major conservation movements.
Philip Hyde, was one of the century’s most influential wilderness photographers. His photographs have helped protect such national treasures as the Grand Canyon, Dinosaur National Monument, Denali, Tongass National Forest, Canyonlands, the Coast Redwoods, Point Reyes, King’s Canyon, the North Cascades, Oregon Cascades, High Sierra Wilderness, and many others. The video is narrated by his son David Hyde.
Peter Essick was listed as one of the 40 Most Influential Nature Photographers by Outdoor Photography Magazine (2010). They sited his work for National Geographic Magazine documenting the effects of global warming, placing him twelfth on this list of notable photographers worldwide.
Below are comments by Peter Essick that reveal interesting information on 21 of the images from his exhibition: Compositions in Nature.
Tracy Arm, Alaska, 1996
Oulanka National Park, Finland, 2009
White Rock Mountain, Arkansas, 2008
Juniper Prairie Wilderness, Florida, 1998
This wilderness area north of Orlando is one of the few subtropical rain forests in the United States. To enter the wilderness, I rented a canoe and floated down a spring-fed creek. In the afternoon a heavy downpour occurred as I was taking this photograph. The next day I read that it had rained almost five inches the day before.
Altamaha River, Georgia, 1998
The Altamaha in southern Georgia has many unspoiled areas. The old-growth trees were logged in the 1800s, but the Nature Conservancy is now working to preserve many of the remaining forests near the river. This photograph was taken in May when there was some early morning mist. I’m told that if there is a 15 degree F difference between the air and water temperature then the mist occurs.
Pam’s Grotto, Arkanas, 2008
This spot in northern Arkansas is near the Ozarks Highlands Trail. Tim Ernest, who built the trail along with some other volunteers, met his wife Pam at this grotto and named it for her. There is a large overhang to the cliff so it is easy to walk under the waterfall and look out. At sunrise, there is still enough latitude in the digital sensor to capture both the sunlight on the trees and the shadow of the large rock, something not possible with film.
Spirits Creek, Ozark Highlands Trail, Arkansas, 2008
This special place is on the Ozark Highlands Trail. There is a nice camping spot for backpackers nearby. After setting up camp I walked down to the small creek. It was cloudy, but right at sunset a small beam of light shot through the trees on the other side of the creek and lit up the water with a golden glow for a few moments.
Wathumba Creek Estuary, Fraser Island, Australia, 2009
Fraser Island off the coast of Queensland is the world’s largest sand island. Along the western shore, the ocean water is very clear blue-green. Wathumba Creek is brown with tannins from the forest in the interior of the island. This aerial photograph was taken at almost low tide. At high tide the creek water backs up and leaves the marks of organic material in the sand.
Deer Creek, Arizona, 1997
On a 17-day trip through the Grand Canyon in a wooden dory I climbed up many of the side canyons. Deer Creek was my favorite because the light and dark effects on the narrow walls.
Sea Ice, Tierra del Fuego, Chile, 2009
A friend of mine who is a National Geographic Photographer was working on a story about the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin. He had booked a 10-day trip on a yacht to visit the Beagle Channel where Darwin had visited on his famous voyage. At the last minute, his wife got sick and I filled in for him. This photograph is taken in a very remote area called Seno Pia. In the winter the sea freezes and then breaks up every day with the tide. These sea ice fragments are left in the grass in the high tide zone.
Sturgeon River Gorge, Michigan, 1998
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan or U.P is one of the most unique places in the US. Not only are there superb natural areas like the Sturgeon River Gorge Wilderness, the whole region is refreshingly unspoiled. It is one of the few places in the US where I didn’t see any fast food places or strip malls when I was there in 1998. I wonder if that is still the case?
Tasermiut Fiord, Greenland, 2010
South Greenland holds tremendous potential for tourism and no place is more scenic than the Tasermuit Fiord. The granite walls are over 3,00 feet high and in several places plunge right into the ocean. However, the logistics to get there are difficult. Last June I had to first fly from the capital Nuuk to Qaqortoq in a prop plane and then take a helicopter further south to Nanortalik. In this small village I hired a local Inuit man to take me up to a campsite up in the fiord. Behind his small motorboat we towed an inflatable boat. After setting up camp, I looked around by myself in the Zodiac boat to find a good location to photograph when the weather was clear. I waited several days for a good sunset, but it never cleared up. I had to come back two months later and eventually got the photograph. The stream in the foreground is freshwater flowing into the ocean in the background.
Sanibel Island, Florida, 2004
I was working on a story about the carbon cycle and I read that small animals use calcium carbonate in the ocean to form shells. The perfect place to see shells on the beach was a Sanibel Island in Florida. Every time there is a storm the beach fills up with shells. I used an underwater housing to get close to the wave and the shells while protecting my camera from the salt water.
Jyrava Falls, Oulanka National Park, Finland, 2009
I arrived at this spot one afternoon and noticed the small icebergs in an eddy of the Kitka River. As I watched it looked like the icebergs were moving in a perfect circle. I came back the next morning and in a 30 second time exposure the circle was revealed in the streaks of the ice.
The Quelccaya Ice Cap, Peru, 2004
Lonnie Thompson, a famous climatologist from Ohio, has studied this ice cap for over 25 years. In that time the ice cap has retreated and shrunk like almost all tropical glaciers around the world. The lake in the foreground first appeared in 1991. The next day after taking this photo I climbed to the top of the ice cap at 18, 600 ft., the highest altitude that I have ever climbed.
Boreal Fen, Finland, 2009
These low-lying swampy areas in the northern Boreal Forest were made glaciers during the last ice age. In the 9,000 years since it has been ice-free, some of the drier areas have built up peat ridges. From the air, it is possible to see them and figure the direction of the glacier’s advance and retreat.
Rainbow Lake Wilderness, Wisconsin, 1998
This photograph has always reminded me of the randomness of nature. Leaves must fall every year on these lily pads in a small pond in Wisconsin. The placement is probably similar each year, but not exactly the same. As photographers we come by and make what we think is an orderly composition, usually based on an aesthetic that surely was first influenced by the laws of nature itself.
Oulanka River, Finland, 2009
In this shallow dolomite gorge the sunrise light is quite remarkable. The sunlight first hits the pine trees and then the opposite canyon wall. Because the canyon is narrow, the wall acts like a giant reflector card and fills the shadows with a beautiful luminance.
Sinkhole, Near Bowling Green, Kentucky, 1996
One of my first environmental stories I worked on was about non-point source water pollution. I didn’t realize until I started photographing the story how non-visual this problem was. However, I tried to take this as a challenge and do a story that hadn’t been done before. Sinkholes like these in Kentucky act as avenues for pollution to enter the groundwater. Usually these pollutants are invisible, but when I saw these cows wading right in a sinkhole I knew I had found a familiar and visible culprit.
Oil Sands Tailings, Alberta, Canada, 2009
The oil sands development in northern Alberta is recovering oil in a manner more like a mine than a traditional oil well. The oil sand has to be mixed with water and boiled so the bitumen will rise to the top. The wastewater is then sent to large tailings ponds that create something that looks like a delta as the toxic water enters the huge pond.
Falcon, Oil Sands Tailing Ponds, Alberta Canada, 2009
There was a highly publicized event in 2008 when about 500 migrating ducks landed in an oil sands tailings pond and drowned. In order to try and prevent future occurrences this oil company installed an effigy of a peregrine falcon in a platform on the pond. A laser beam determines if birds are approaching which activates a solar powered recording of the falcon’s call and hopefully scares away the migrating birds.
Peter Essick and his Lumiere exhibition: Depth of Field: Compositions in Nature – photography by Peter Essick.
Have been featured recently in several venues and on-line.
Serenby Photography Workshop: November 6, 2010
Fall Colors in the Chattahoochee Hill Country – with Peter Essick
Peter led a seasonal photo tour of the beautiful Chattahoochee Hill countryside in and near the Serenbe Community. This was an SPC “Eye on the World” workshop, photographs from the workshop will be used to help protect and preserve the less-traveled beauty of the Chattahoochee River corridor landscape south of Atlanta. For a complete description of the workshop go the Serenby Photography Center web site.
News from The Nature Conservancy:
On September 29, 2010— Governor Sonny Perdue announced the acquisition of 6,911 acres in Long County as part of the Townsend Wildlife Management Area (WMA). The property is located in the lower Altamaha River floodplain, one of the most valuable ecological corridors in Georgia. The Altamaha River is one of The Nature Conservancy priorities and TNC played a key role in this acquisition. In the January 1998 issue of National Geographic magazine the work of Peter Essick’s provided visual support to these efforts with an article: “Altamaha River: The Easy Ways of the Altamaha.” For complete details visit The Nature Conservancy web site.
ArtsCriticATL: reviews, Compositions in Nature
ArtsCriticATL co-founder Catherine Fox provided an insightful review of our current exhibition. Her review closed with the following quote: “If you don’t leave Essick’s show with a renewed sense of wonder, you’re an awfully jaded cookie.” To read the entire review and to keep up on the Atlanta arts scene, go to ArtsCriticATL.
The work of photographer John Gutmann was featured in an exhibition at the BJE Jewish Community Library in San Francisco in 2010. An Evening Celebrating the Life and Work of John Gutmann, included the screening of Jane Levy Reed’s outstanding documentary entitled My Eyes Were Fresh, along with a talk and presentation by Sally Stein entitled A Gulliver in America.
An exhibition of sixty six photographs by John Gutmann’s was previously shown at Lumière, select to view the exhibition or to view additional images by Gutmann visit his artist page.
Al Weber joined us from his studio in Carmel, California to discuss lessons learned in six decades as a photographer and teacher. The program offered Al’s perspectives on the art of photography. After almost 20 years teaching with Ansel Adams at his workshops, he founded the Victor School of Creative Arts in Colorado. There, and in numerous programs since, he has shared his insights and perspectives on photography.
Award winning photographer, Peter Essick’s remarkable color landscape photographs from landmark settings throughout the world reveal the stunning spiritual and artistic power of nature. Essick’s photography has been a key element in over 30 National Geographic articles, including the June, 2010 cover story on Greenland and a September 2010 feature on Fraser Island, Australia. The work has been exhibited in the United States and Europe.
Opening the exhibition, Peter Essick commented on a number of images and his experiences photographing in various geographic regions. This provided a foundation for a candid discussion session.
Mark Maio stunning photography documenting grain scoopers in the Buffalo New York area is the subject of his series: “Against the Grain”.
This work is featured in LensWork #90, an audio interview and 46 images from the project are included in the multimedia computer disc Extended Version of the magazine, while a one page overview is in the printed version. For more information select this link to go to the LensWork site
Mark’s work was featured in the 2008 Lumière exhibition Southern Exposures. Mark is a master of the technical aspects of the recording and printing photographs that capture the subtlety and power of light, his work is in the permanent collection of the George Eastman House.
Dr. Britt Salvesen, is currently Department Head and Curator Wallis Annenberg Photography Department, Prints and Drawings Department at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). Formerly she was the Director and Chief Curator of the University of Arizona’s Center for Creative Photography in Tucson Arizona, the Center holds the Wynn Bullock archive. Bullock’s Color Light Abstractions were photographed from 1960 – 1964 and were exhibited for the first time at Lumière in June 2009.
Murphy’s photography illustrates his passionate concern for the wild clean earth. Tom’s understanding of wildlife is readily apparent, he photographs wildlife as they go about their daily lives, patiently waiting for each animal to share its life with him in the wild.
Lumière
The Galleries of Peachtree Hills
425 Peachtree Hills Ave. NE
Atlanta, GA 30309
Thursday August 26, 2010
6:00 – 7:30 PM
Lumière was pleased to host this event celebrating the publication of the new book: Oraien Catledge: Photographs. Oraien was on hand to sign copies, and was joined by Connie Lewis who served as co-editor of the book. Recently published by University Press of Mississippi, the book includes 70 of Oraien’s photographs.
Additional photos from the evening by John Ramspott can be found on Flikr.
Additional Biographical Information:
Oraien Catledge was born in Sumner, Mississippi, in 1928, and came to his photographer’s vocation near the end of a long career as a social worker in the state of Mississippi, and as an advocate for the blind throughout the South.
Although principally a photographer of people, Catledge’s sensuous, fastidious black and white work documents the landscapes and cityscapes of Mississippi and New Orleans, as well as imagining and recording the insular, working-class lives of the Cabbagetown neighborhood in center-city Atlanta — the signal achievement upon which his considerable reputation rests.
Bob Kolbrener …noted photographer of the American West …launched an exhibition of his work with a talk at Lumière, Wednesday July 14th. This is the second in the series, Picturing the West.
His subjects …from landscapes to portraits …from symbols of man encroaching on nature to humorous signage …are all carefully and thoughtfully executed.
A show with Brett Weston in Los Angeles over 35 years ago launched his work. Since then, it has been exhibited throughout the United States as well as in Austria, China, Indonesia and Japan.
With photographs in numerous private and corporate collections …including Texaco, Polaroid, Southwestern Bell and A. G. Edwards …his images are also in collections at institutions such as the Saint Louis Art Museum, the Monterey Museum of Art, the High Museum of Art and Washington University.
Kolbrener began conducting workshops with Ansel Adams at Yosemite. In the quarter of a century since, he has continued teaching at other workshop venues in addition to serving as a guest lecturer at a number of universities and museums.
“Kolbrener stands apart because his photographs have a rare technical perfection—every print is ideal and masterful in light, tone, cropping and consistency.” - James D. Burke, Director, Saint Louis Art Museum
Wynn Bullock’s Color Light Abstractions were on view in 2010 at the Center for Photographic Art in Carmel California. They were shown for the first time at Lumière in June of 2009, featured in The Color of Light.
Bullock (1902-1975), known for his innovative, creative images was an explorer of the qualities of light… from light drawings to photograms to solarization. He was fascinated with the endless possibilities of light as a living form and force in its own right rather than simply as an illuminator representing objects as they are normally perceived. He executed this important color work in the early 60’s.
With the advent of modern color printing technologies we are now able to view these images created nearly 50 years ago. Bullock’s descendants are continuing to add to this innovative and captivating body of work. His artist page has been updated to include additional images not seen in 2009, and a video of Dr. Britt Salvesen comments on the importance and historical context of this innovative work that was truly ahead of its time.
In May of 2010 the iconic actor and member of the counter culture Dennis Hopper passed away. In 2006, Robert Weingarten had the opportunity to work with Hopper. Weingarten, a California based photographer interested in the line between biography and portraiture asks his famous subjects, “What makes you who you are?” Weingarten proposes that “who we are,” is not the physical self that changes over time, but our passions, mottos we live by, memories, experiences, and contributions.
The resulting image, part of the Smithsonian, National Museum of American History, Photographic History Collection, is a translucent composite made with Weingarten’s digital photographs.
The images are based on the list Hopper made describing himself, which acknowledges his influence on American culture and his personal passions.
The director’s chair with his name on it as a reference to the movies he has directed.
The mural based on Hopper’s photograph, “Double Standard” and his camera indicate his work as a photographer.
The painting of the woman is one made by Hopper, the artist.
The Andy Warhol painting of Mao references his modern art collection. The two bullet holes in the painting were created when he “shot Mao” during a drug induced rage.
There are his golf clubs and a cigar.
And, of course, the iconic motorcycle, “Easy Rider.”
Over time additional remembrances of Hopper will be written, but Weingarten’s photograph gives us Hopper’s last word on how he defined himself.
Kolkin’s work explores the landscape, capturing the motion of water where it meets the earth. It utilizes camera movement, combined with the photographic element of time, to create evocative images. The photographs display a sense of graphic design and they speak to the universal theme of harmony and balance.
High Museum of Art
Hill Auditorium – September 2010
Norman Seeff, photographer and filmmaker, discussed the results of over 35 years’ work with luminaries such as The Rolling Stones, Ray Charles, Miles Davis, Martin Scorcese, John Huston, Bob Fosse, Steve Jobs, Norman Mailer, Alicia Keys, will.i.am, Sir Francis Krick and many other Nobel winning scientists.
Below is an excerpt from the lecture, Seeff describes the methodology and objective behind his legendary “sessions”.
Through millions of feet of film and in person interviews with thousands of artists and innovators of all major creative disciplines, Seeff has explored the inner dynamics of, and documented a new paradigm for, the creative process.
In this program, Seeff showed film clips from The Sessions Project archives, revealing a process rather than goal oriented approach to creativity. This screening and a video of his photographic work included an engaging audience interaction.
Lumière was pleased to partner with the High Museum of Art, and Atlanta Celebrates Photography on this event.
Saturday May 22, 2010
11 am – 12 noon
Lumière
The Galleries of Peachtree Hills
425 Peachtree Hills Ave.
Atlanta, GA 30305
Building Five
Tom Murphy was in the gallery and discussed his exhibition that opened May 22nd at the Booth Western Art Museum, in Cartersville GA.
Tom Murphy – comments on his photography 3:12
Murphy’s photography illustrates his passionate love for our wild clean earth. Tom’s understanding of wildlife is apparent from the beginning. He photographs wildlife as they go about their daily lives, patiently waiting for each animal to share its life with him in the wild.
Tom’s images reveal wildlife interacting with each other and with their environment: hunting, eating, drinking, running, plowing through deep snow, giving birth, nursing, playing, resting and sleeping, all in the beauty of the wildest places on earth. His landscapes reflect the natural beauty he finds and loves and works diligently to preserve.
Tom Murphy was raised on a 7500 acre cattle ranch in western South Dakota. This experience taught him more than he wanted to know about cattle and convinced him that he didn’t want to chase cows for the rest of his life, but it also provided him with invaluable lessons in animal behavior and a deep love for clean, wide open land.
His activism has made him one of the most influential photographers of our time. By Russell Hart
His is not a household name, even in genteel households familiar with photography’s luminaries. He wouldn’t be counted in the firmament of Avedon, Leibovitz, Cartier-Bresson or Helmut Newton, the subjects of American Photo’s prior Master Series issues. Robert Glenn Ketchum, a champion of the modern environmental movement for more than 30 years, may well be the most influential photographer you’ve never heard of.
You probably know the photographers who blazed the trail for Ketchum’s unprecedented use of photography for environmental advocacy — William Henry Jackson, Ansel Adams and Eliot Porter. Just as Jackson’s 1871 photographs of Yellowstone were the argument that convinced legislators to preserve it as America’s first national park, Ketchum’s 1980s photographs of Alaska’s threatened Tongass rainforest were instrumental in leading Congress to set aside a million of its oldgrowth acres as America’s largest national forest — all off limits to logging.
Barnwell’s new work, “Hands in Harmony; Traditional Crafts and Music in Appalachia”
May – October, 2010.
Asheville Art Museum, Asheville NC.
The exhibition consisted of 34 black and white images from the book (W.W. Norton, 2009) along with oral history text panels. There were also events planned each month including films and a music concert at Diana Wortham Theatre, an archive of the events can be found at the Asheville Art Museum’s website.
Hands in Harmony; Traditional Crafts and Music in Appalachia, was released (October 2009) by W. W. Norton & Company, publisher of his previous two books: The Face of Appalachia (2003) and On Earth’s Furrowed Brow (2007). The book is a continuation of the artist’s 30+ year body of work documenting the people, places, musicians, and craftsmen of Appalachia. The book also includes an audio CD with performances by 22 musicians photographed for the project, and is already receiving critical success.
A separate exhibition from Tim’s earlier work:
“On Earth’s Furrowed Brow” was on view at,
North Carolina Arboretum in March – May 2010.
Lumière is pleased to pass along an excerpt of an interesting film on the life and work of Alexander Rodchenko. Brief film synopsis: Alexander Rodchenko abandoned painting in the early 1920s in favor of photography believing it to be the best means of expressing the new visual and social realities which appeared at the beginning of the 20th century. The film is produced by Micheal Craig and Copernicus Films additional information can be found on YouTube.
Lumière is proud to participate in this, the 40th year of the Atlanta Symphony Associates Decorators’ Show House and Gardens. Working with Peace Design and Summerour Interiors, we are pleased to provide exceptional photography to enhance their extraordinary interior design.
Yvonne McFadden of Summerour interiors utilized two of Bob Kolbrener’s commanding landscapes in the “Young Gentleman’s Bedroom”.
Bill Peace and Hillary Linthicum of Peace Designs are working with the environmental portraiture of Arnold Newman and classic images from Alexander Rodchenko in the “Library”.
We encourage you to visit the Decorators’ Show House & Gardens before it closes on May 9, 2010. This year’s house showcases 28 of the finest interior and landscape designers in the Southeast at “Giverny” in a magnificent estate home with over four acres of spectacular gardens. It is one of the longest running show houses in the country. All proceeds benefit the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Learning Community.
Weber work was featured in Lumière’s exhibition: Picturing The West. The program included his exceptional rock art, landscapes and aerial photography. His aerial photography is the cover story in the March/April issue of Photo Technique Magazine.
Below is an excerpt of the article.
“When I photograph from the air, I feel I must have a sense of flight in the photograph. The birds eye view. The quickness required. The ever present wind. The gentle vibration of the plane. The presence of a pilot I like and trust. The wonderful sense of isolation. Everything it takes to make an aerial photograph.”
Al Weber’s photography has been exhibited in the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Fine Arts in Kyoto, Japan, and in many regional museums. He has taught photography since 1963, as instructor for Ansel Adams in Yosemite, at his own Victor School, CO, and in workshops including those with David Vestal at the Photographers’ Formulary in Montana. He was Educational Chairman at Friends of Photography in Carmel, CA and spent many years in a varied career of commercial photography for national publications and major manufacturers. This article is a prelude to a book of Weber’s aerial photography scheduled to be published later this year.
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Digital portraiture, a departure from the traditional.
Exhibition: High Museum of Art, Atlanta, January – April, 2010
Robert Weingarten’s photography series The Portrait Unbound represents a bold departure from traditional portraiture. Using layers of imagery that allude to specific interests, achievements or moments within the subject’s life, Weingarten digitally creates large-scale composite images that describe his subjects through biographical rather than physical information. The exhibition at the High Museum, featured twenty-one images that represent notable individuals from the worlds of art, science, politics and sports. Weingarten’s subjects include such icons as Hank Aaron, Buzz Aldrin, Chuck Close, Jane Goodall, Dennis Hopper and Colin Powell.
A short film by Neal Broffman that details Weingarten’s artistic background accompanies the exhibition and is available for viewing below (running time 9:16).
This link will take you to an interview by John Lemley from WABE. On January 20th he spoke with Robert Weingarten about his exhibition The Portrait Unbound which debuted at the High Museum in January 2010.
Saturday February 20, 2010
Lumière
425 Peachtree Hills Ave.
Bob Weingarten joined us via video conference from his studio in Los Angeles. He provided insight into his career and discussed his retrospective exhibition The Road Less Traveled. Bob also conducted a video tour of his studio and engaged in a lively Q & A session with the audience covering many aspects of his artistic journey through his diverse body of work.
Holding Out and Hanging On, Surviving Hurricane Katrina
Photographs and Narratives by Thomas Neff
Regis University
Department of Fine and Performing Arts
3333 Regis Boulevard, C-4
Denver, Colorado 80221
Thomas Neff, Professor of Art at Louisiana State University, exhibited his project on the survivors of Hurricane Katrina, at Regis University in Denver Colorado. The work is a moving study of the people affected by this natural disaster. The exhibition was on display January through February, 2010. The University of Missouri Press published the book Holding Out and Hanging On, Surviving Hurricane Katrina in December 2007. The work was also featured in the Lumière exhibition, Southern Exposures in 2008.
View Jeffery Brown’s interview of Linda Gordon about her recently published book Dorothea Lange, A Life Beyond Limits. Linda Gordon is the Florence Kelley Professor of History at New York University. She is the author of numerous books of history and has been the recipient of the Bancroft Prize. This segment originally aired on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on November 23, 2009
Spend a little time with Ron, as he explained his photographic process, from shooting to darkroom work. Working with 2 1/4 to 8×10 cameras, we see Rondal in his environment; shooting, developing, and finding photographic inspiration in the most ordinary objects. We were joined by the filmmaker Meg Partridge, via phone from Seattle. Meg introduced the film, and was available for Q&A following the screening.
September 17, 2009 – 7:00 PM
High Museum of Art, Hill Auditorium
Film Screening and Panel Discussion, featuring John Dixon (Dorothea Lange’s son), Filmmaker Tom Ropelewski, and Jennifer McFarland. The program featured a “preview” from “Child of Giants,” a documentary by Tom Ropelewski. The film centers on the life and family relationships of Dorothea Lange and her husband, noted painter, Maynard Dixon, as seen through the eyes of their son, Daniel Dixon. The preview included commentary by Daniel and John Dixon. Segments also included observations with photographers Rondal Partridge and Christina Gardner, who worked intimately in the field with Lange. Lumière was pleased to host the event with the High Museum’s Curator of Photography, Julian Cox.
The event was also a collaborative effort with Atlanta Celebrates Photography.
Above is a trailer of the film which was completed and released the following year in 2010.
More information can be found on the web page, Child Of Giants.com
