Thank You, Photoville 2014!
Photo: PR
Photoville 2014 was bigger and, if possible, better than ever, with so many workshops and talks in addition to the container-gallery exhibitions and evening slideshows.
I didn’t get to everything on my list, but here’s a rundown of some of the highlights that artist and DART subscriber Isabelle Dervaux and I took in last weekend.
While we were putting this page together she said, “I like the fact that Photoville is not just for photographers, but is open to everyone. It was fun to see people coming off the Brooklyn Bridge Park trying out stuff and having fun learning new skills.
"It opened up the discussion about using photography to bring up community issues versus just using it for selfies and morning coffee Instagrams, which we are so bored of.”
Photo: ID
First, the Penumbra Foundation Tintype Studio had a steady stream of customers who were happily coaxed into penultimate loveliness by Geoffrey Berliner. Isabelle sat for hers with Geoffrey (below), and Ben Warner (row 2) demonstrated the plate in process. Note: Penumbra's first Open House takes place on Thursday, October 9th, 6-10 pm.
Photos: PR
Then we took Dirk
Anschutz’s Portrait Workshop. Dirk, a top editorial photographer, a frequent AP winner and a DART subscriber, first did a
slideshow/lecture on what makes for successful portraiture, with historical examples ranging from Richard Avedon and August Sander to Nan Goldin and more.
Photo: ID
Then, showing examples from his portfolio of portraits done for Time,
Fortune, Prevention, ESPN among others, he covered the pleasures and pitfalls of a great portrait shoot. The icing on the cake came during the last half hour, when he organized a
“democratic” photo shoot, with Reilly, one of the workshoppers, as the model. Everybody had a chance to participate in decisions about background, lighting, pose, and in selecting the
winning image out of the 12 that Dirk shot. [See the 2 finalists on Dirk's Facebook page.]
After that we headed to the Instagram tower, with its block-long mural by James Marshall, aka Dalek, to try out our new skills. I was snapped by Isabelle alongside the best Jimi Hendrix lookalike I’ve ever seen (note how she lined up my glasses with the graphics):
Photo:
PR
I love my portrait of Isabelle, who was clearly ready for her close-up:
Photo: PR
The next day, Isabelle stopped at the Smilebooth to
have another portrait done. She said, “Here I wanted to do something with smiling with my eyes versus with the mouth. I know this is what some photographers say while shooting their
subjects.” Looks like she got what she was hoping for:
AIAP/DART is a Media Partner of Photoville.