last day in santa fe

One of the most honest crits I received on day one was from a fellow photographer. He recommended some edits to my Uganda portfolio and did so in a constructive, positive, but no BS kind of way. When I woke up on day two, I was beginning to feel a little braver about possibly showing the Estate Sale portraits and decided to ask my new friend for a truthful appraisal of them. He loved the work.

(I needed that boost of confidence.)

So I put it in my back pocket and set about showing two bodies of work to the reviewers yesterday.

I think I feared the Estate Sale pictures were too personal. I also worried about the fact that they were shot with my iPhone.

To a person, the reviewers thought the work was funny, poignant, fresh and beautiful. I was bowled over and very happy. (I mean, you'd like to think your most current project is working, right?) I also got some really good suggestions about how I might move forward with the project, which I greatly appreciated.

I made a great connection with the woman from PhotoPhilanthropy, which could be very good for Change the Truth. My most exciting and fulfilling review of the day, however, was with the photo editor from the NYT Lens Blog (one of my favorite places to visit on the web each day) who basically told me he shouldn't and didn't want to like the Uganda work (he sees 1000's of pictures from Africa each day) but did and that he was smitten by the estate sale pics. In fact, it seems there will be a spot for both on his blog in the very near future. Hurrah!

OK, time to pack up and head back home to the midwest and begin the follow-up correspondence with those reviewers who have asked for it.  Here are a few pics from the day, though. Happy trails!

Good morning, Santa Fe!

Gloriann Liu

Isa and Dimitri

Tara Bogart showing her work

Jim (NYT Lens Blog Editor) 

day two

Yesterday was jammed pack. A full day of show and tell. My meetings went well, though I have to constantly remind myself that this is nothing short of a humbling experience.

The editor from National Geographic, for example, spent several minutes before even opening my box of prints, explaining the numbers game at a magazine such as his and how it's virtually impossible for someone like me to come along and get an assignment.

The woman from the Open Society Foundation told me that for the past several years, due to budgetary constraints, hardly any magazine or foundation calls photographers to say "Hey, we're doing a story in Haiti, and we need you to pack your bags and go there to shoot for the next month." What she did say is that the next time I go to Uganda, for example, I should write her (and others with whom I will hopefully develop a similar association) and say, "I'll be in Uganda for the next three weeks. If you have a story you'd like for me to cover while I'm there, please let me know."

Both those sessions were informative, and I did get good feedback about my work. My meeting with the book jacket designer from Knopf was good, as well. Since they have already used one of my images for a cover, they are definitely interested in knowing about new projects I'm doing.

Some of the best commentary I received, though, was at the "portfolio walk" last night. This was a crazy, hot, crowded three hours when we photographers hawked our wares to 300 - 400 photo-interested folks from the Santa Fe area. The reviewers came around, also. This meant I got to show my work to some with whom I did not get an appointment. The best crit came from Jamie Wellford from Newsweek Magazine.

I sneaked away from my post quite often during the course of the grueling three hours and took a look at other work. There's some really good stuff here. I love Isa Leshko's "Elderly Animal" series. And Dimitri Mellos' New York street work, just to name a couple of wonderful bodies of work.

Gearing up for six sessions today. Fun fun!

day one

Gluten free hand-made granola and gluten free/vegan muffins. YUM. A great way to begin the day!

It's a picture perfect morning in the high desert. This setting brings back so many fond memories for me. I started attending workshops here in 1996, just after I got back into photographing after a 15 year hiatus. I've sat around talking about photography with some terrific photographers and teachers on these very grounds. Teachers like Keith Carter, Peter DeLory and Andrea Modica. Fellow photographers like Monika Merva and Laura Pickett Calfee. I've even brought both of my children here for their own workshops. Abbie and I made a road trip out of it shortly after she got her driver's permit; she took a class in beginning photography. I brought Max when he was in middle school for a young photographer's class.

For me, this is a beautiful and inspiring place in so many ways. I'm glad to be here.

rabbit rabbit and welcome to santa fe

What a joy to fall asleep and wake up to the cool breezes of 7500 foot elevation Santa Fe. Each time I'm here, I fall in love with this part of the world a little more.

Review Santa Fe got off to a great start last night with a reception at PhotoEye Bookstore and PhotoEye Gallery for the 100 photographers and the reviewers. I was warmly greeted at the bookstore by the wonderful Melanie McWhorter who immediately put me to work signing copies of Kutuuka, Convergence and Among the Ashes. She had thoughtfully assembled a nice display of books by participating photographers.

I ran into old friends and met new ones. That's the piece of these review sessions that ultimately makes such a difference for me. I have an incredible support network of photo pals, all of whom I've met at workshops or reviews like this one.

Here are a few party pics. Much more to come from lovely Santa Fe.

Signing books at PhotoEye

Noel Swan Gilbert

Janet Stein and Christopher Rauschenberg

David Bram and Jim Stone

here comes da judge

I'm stuck at the airport waiting for a delayed flight to the lovely southwest, and I thought I'd list the reviewers I'm scheduled to see while in Santa Fe. Several of my devoted readers have asked who I'm seeing.

I was fortunate to get all my top picks for review sessions (speed dates, if you will). There are so many good reviewers who are attending this year's event; it was hard to narrow down my choices to just nine. Hopefully, I will get a chance to show work to other reviewers... those I'm able to snag in the evening at the bar after a few martinis (Oh, I know. Totally unethical.)

At any rate, those to whom I shall plead my case as a photographer are:

Todd James, senior photo editor at National Geographic Magazine
Kelly Blair, senior book jacket designer at Knopf
James Estrin, co-editor, NYT Lens Blog
Diana Gaston, associate curator at Fidelity Investment's Corporate Art Collection
Elisabeth Biondi, independent curator, who most recently was a photo editor for The New Yorker
Natalie Matutschovsky, senior photo editor at Time Magazine
Annick Shen, photo editor at the Open Society Foundation
Amber Terranova, photo editor at Photo District News Magazine
Katheleen Hennessey, director of exhibitions and activist awards at PhotoPhilanthropy

So, if you are even distantly related to any of these folks, went to grade school with one of them or feel quite certain one of them owes you a huge favor, please let me know!!

But seriously, this is a really cool opportunity for me, and I'm looking forward to it. It's an impressive group of people from whom I am certain to glean a lot. More later...

santa fe or bust

If I have access to the internet and some spare time, I'll try to write about the Santa Fe Portfolio Review. I will hit the ground running by attending a reception tonight at PhotoEye Bookstore and Gallery (one of my favorite places in all of Santa Fe!) and then tomorrow will work my way through the first session of critiques.

I'm overpacked, very weighed down and, man, am I looking forward to those peanuts on Southwest!

review time again

I am subjecting myself to taking advantage of the expertise and criticism of some very high caliber portfolio reviewers at Review Santa Fe. One hundred photographers just like me got the stamp of approval from the jury to attend this year's two day crit session; we are all now very busy printing our newest work, dusting off our portfolio cases, updating our resumes and creating nifty little "leave behind" packets for the reviewers. I am actually planning to tote three bodies of work with me, so my printer and my brain have shifted into overdrive this week.

Check out the list of accepted photographers here. You can scroll through the names and take a quick look at samples of some of the 99 really interesting bodies of work.

More on who I hope to get a session with later. It's all done by lottery, so I'm not sure who my appointments will be with. I will tell you that the Senior Photo Editor from National Geographic Magazine is first on my list, though.

new color work from uganda

I'm happy to report that the new work I made in Uganda this past December is actually going places. New York and Santa Fe to be exact.

Opening in May at the Mayson Gallery, 254 Broome Street, will be my very first New York solo show. It is an exhibition as well as a fundraiser for Change the Truth. There will be a cocktail reception from 6 - 8 PM on Tuesday, May 8; the show will continue throughout the month. Needless to say, I'm very excited!
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At the end of May, the work will travel with me to the great southwest for "Review Santa Fe". The pictures were accepted into this juried portfolio review by an esteemed panel of judges and will thus be seen by curators, publishers, gallerists, collectors and lots of fellow photographers. It's a wonderful opportunity for me, and I am really looking forward to getting feedback on my most recent work. Plus, I'll get to eat at Don Pasqual's. Awesome.

Much more on both events to follow...