The Black Photographer's Annual, volume 2

While browsing the photography section of the New York Public Library, I came upon volume 2 of the Black Photographer's Annual published in 1974.

A book of black & white images, I was delighted to discover the mostly documentary work of photographers I'd never heard of and some I have met in person (like Chester Higgins, Jr.) 

This Google Books result features an article in the April 1973 issue of Ebony magazine. The article explains that with so few outlets for Black photographers to display their work, three men decided to publish this annual under the Black Photographers Annual, Inc. headquartered in Brooklyn, NY. Those three men were Joe Crawford (Editor & Publisher),Vernon Grant (Designer) and journalist Joe Walker (Assoc. Editor).

Bienal de Arte Paiz - Guatemala City, April 2010

Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in this post are not necessarily those of the editor.

Text and Photos by Jaime Permuth

On Thursday, April 15th I hopped a 6AM flight from New York to Guatemala City. A few months previous, my most recent series of photographs, The Completely Visible World, had been selected by the Paiz Foundation for inclusion in the 17th edition of its biennial showcase of contemporary art. Thirty Guatemalan artists and a few -very distinguished- international artists, such as Francis Alys, Regina Silveira, Tatzu Nishi and Carlos Garaicoa were invited to participate.

The Paiz Biennial has evolved dramatically in the last four years. Historically, it was more of a salon-style competition were artists would drop-off two works each at the Foundation. A committee would then preselect works for a jury to award prizes to.  All of the selected and winning works would be displayed together in a sprawling exhibition.

Photography Call for Entries: Exhibit A + Professional Photographer Mag

Exhibit A
An International Photography Competition that Presents Exceptional and Emerging Talent

Deadline: June 1, 2010

Awards:

• "Emerging Photographer of the Year" receives $5,000 AUD
• 1st place winners in each category receive $1,000 AUD
• People's Choice Awards and Honorable Mentions

Categories:
Fine Art, Photojournalism, Advertising and Portrait

Sydney Exhibition and International Publicity:
Photographs from the 1st place winners in each category will be exhibited at a prestigious exhibition in Sydney, Australia.

Winning Work Featured by Le Book:
The 'Emerging Photographer of the Year' and the 1st place winners in each category will also be featured on the Le Book website.

Professional Photographer Magazine 2010 Cover Contest
Submit your photograph for a chance to have your image featured on a cover of Professional Photographer.
Deadline: June 1, 2010

Choose your best example of an image that is representative of the work you sell your clients—portraits, weddings, commercial, sports, events, etc. Only digital files uploaded online will be accepted.

Award: In addition to landing the cover of a 2010 edition of Professional Photographer, the winner will also be awarded a selection of prizes from our generous sponsors: Canon, Kodak, Manfrotto Distribution and White House Custom Colour.

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Hong Kong Photography 2010 at INDEXG

Opening Reception: Saturday, April 24, 2010 (2-6 pm)

INDEXG Gallery50 Gladstone Avenue
Toronto, ON M6J 3K6, Canada
(416) 535-6957

Hong Kong Photography 2010 (Part 1) - Curated by Lau Ching-Ping
Featured Artists: Anothermountainman (credit for photo above), Blues Wong, Bobby Sham, Ducky Tse Chi Tak*, Ki Wong, Leon Suen, Ng Sai Kit, Siu Ding + Ada Hung, South Ho, Vincent Yu

*Check out this YouTube video featuring a Ducky Tse Chi Tak in a commercial for the Sony α900 camera.

Photographer Interview: Jeremy Edwards' iPhoneography

With the advent of cameras in cell phones, this kind of instant photography has become a worldwide consumer activity that has even invaded our newsrooms. 

Most of you probably have a camera on your cell phones. I've had a camera with my Blackberry phones and my current HTC Droid phone... yet as a photographer, I still covet the image quality of the iPhone's camera.

In this post I want to highlight a different type of diversity in photography - using the iPhone's camera as an artistic medium as practiced by photographer Jeremy Edwards.

D&B: Where are you from?

JE: I grew up in both Chicago and Kentucky. Now, after a few years in Asia, I live on the north side of Chicago. 

D&B: How did you get started in photography?

JE: At 16, my father bought me my first film SLR - Canon Rebel. Shortly after, I found myself in makeshift studios and darkrooms shooting for newspapers, school projects, and later teaching photography to my classmates. It wasn't until I graduated from high school that I translated my photography into an intentional expression of art. 

What cameras or equipment do you use?

JE: Now, I use a variety of cameras. Canon Rebel DSLR, Minolta SRTSC-II, Meikai 4351 SSN (toy), Polaroid Sun 660, and a Nikon L35AF. And of course, for the recent FROM THE POCKET project, I use my iPhone 3GS and only iPhone applications for processing.   

Photographer Interview: Michael Lopez

"MY NAME IS MICHAEL. I TOOK A PHOTO CLASS IN HIGH SCHOOL. I DID NOT OWN A CAMERA. I FAILED THE CLASS."

This is how photographer Michael Lopez starts off his bio. It makes me sad that he failed his high school photo class just because he didn't own a camera. Clearly it wasn't his lack of creativity.

Fortunately, Mike found some great mentors to make sure his second attempt at photography wasn't a failure.

Learn more about this thriving photographer: read his interview below, follow Mike Lopez on Twitter and on Facebook.

D&B: Where are you from?
ML: I am from Bakersfield, California. Originally born in Pasadena, CA and moved here when I was 12.

D&B: What kind of photography do you shoot and how did you get started - any formal training?
ML: I shoot commercial, editorial, and portrait photography. I have no formal training. I am a "try it and see what happens" kind of guy. I read a lot of books. Watch tons of DVD's and just try to experiment with what I have.

Photography Call for Entries: GuatePhoto Festival + OjodePez Award for Human Values

GuatePhoto Festival
Deadline: May 28, 2010

The inaugural GuatePhoto (July 6 – 31, 2010) will celebrate both contemporary photography and a panoramic overview of photography in the Guatemalan scene.

The goal is to document contemporary photography, to promote local talent and deliver the international community with an opportunity to exchange ideas and new trends in photography. GuatePhoto will open its doors to all photographers from the international coummunity to send a series of 5-15 images. Of all the work received 15 photographers will be chosen to be a part of a collective exhibition to be shown at the Museum of Modern Art Carlos Merida from 6-31 of July, 2010.

Photography Call for Entries: Spider Awards, LCC and Photo Review

Black & White Spider Awards
Final Deadline: July 15, 2010 - check the site for the "Early Entry" and "Early Closing" deadlines

Black and White Spider Awards is open to professional and amateur photographers shooting in all forms of black and white photography using traditional or digital methods. We encourage classic styles, new creative ideas and photographers who are driven by their artistic eye and a desire to excel in this classic art form. Nominees vie for 132 title awards representing the best work of the year.

Receiving a Black and White Spider Award is an endorsement of distinction from the most trusted names in the business. Judging panel for the awards includes Head of Tate Photography at the Tate Gallery (London), Director Publishing at Magnum Photos, Creative Director of Photo District News (PDN) and many more.

Links to My Guest Blog Posts for the New York Photo Festival 2010 Website

Last week (April 5-9, 2010) I had the privilege to be a guest blogger on the New York Photo Festival website. The goal of the New York Photo Festival is to identify and document the future of photography in all its forms.

Here are links to each of my posts:

Interview with UK Photographer Caroline Irby on Immigrant Children
An interview with the award-winning British documentary and portrait photographer and writer, Caroline Irby on her journey of meeting our world’s most precious resource all while staying within the UK.

On Showing Faith Through Photography
How has photography, the greatest visual art medium of our (modern) time, contributed to the faith conversation?

In Conversation with Chester Higgins, Jr and Laylah Amatullah Barrayn
Featuring questions answered by Chester that didn’t make it into the conversation between him, myself and Laylah published in the Spring 2010 issue of exposure, a journal published by the Society for Photographic Education. 

Notes from the Women in Art Photography Panel
My notes from the discussion held on April 2nd, moderated by Marla Goldwasser (Director, Affirmation Arts) and featuring panelists Jon Feinstein (curator), Justine Reyes (photographer), Sasha Rudensky (photographer), Charlotte Cotton (curator) and Vanessa Kramer (Director of Photographs, Phillips de Pury & Company).

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Featured Blogger at New York Photo Festival Site from April 5 - 9

Dear Readers,
This week, my posts to Dodge & Burn will be limited.

Why? Because I'm a featured blogger on the New York Photo Festival blog! Read my first post on notes taken from this past weekend's Women in Art Photography panel at Affirmation Arts.

Photographers, I also encourage you to submit your work to the 2010 New York Photo Awards. You can win prizes worth over $1,000 but most importantly, winners will have a chance to show their work to key decision makers in the photographic community and the editorial, fine art, and commercial worlds.

So check out my daily musings on the New York Photo Festival blog and if you're in the NYC area next month, you should purchase tickets to the festival's many contemporary photography exhibitions and programming taking place from May 12 - 16th. See you there!

Follow the New York Photo festival on Twitter @nyph.

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Get updates on new photographer interviews plus news on contests, art shows and informed commentary on what's happening with diversity in photography. Subscribe to Dodge & Burn Photography Blog: Diversity in Photography by Email

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Sign Up for En Foco's "Foot In the Door" Workshop - April 27th in NYC

Emerging photographers and photo-based artists based in New York City or the tri-state area should not miss this event. A 2-hour seminar led by one of my mentors, Miriam Romais of En Foco.

Topics include:

• The importance of submission requirements and image quality
• Building and presenting a cohesive body of work
• Artist statements, bios, and resumes
• Creating eye-catching support and marketing materials
• Following up effectively
• Reviewer’s dos and don'ts (from an informal survey)

RSVP REQUIRED: A minimum suggested donation of $10 is most welcome (En Foco and CCNY are non-profit organizations - tax receipt available upon request). Your donation acts as your RSVP/Registration. While donations will be accepted at the door, seating is limited, so best to RSVP online.

WHAT YOU GET: Participants will receive En Foco’s Photographer’s Resources list and plenty of inspiration to begin registering for any number of upcoming portfolio reviews and exhibition opportunities. 

More on the En Foco "Foot in the Door" workshop Facebook event page.

I'll be there, come join me! 

SUBSCRIBE via Email
Get updates on new photographer interviews plus news on contests, art shows and informed commentary on what's happening with diversity in photography. Subscribe to Dodge & Burn Photography Blog: Diversity in Photography by Email

Follow me on Twitter @mestrich for more on photography