Off To Graduate School This Fall

It's been a long time coming.

Following 11 years of corporate work in the web production and digital marketing fields, I'm FINALLY going back to school to get my MFA in Photography! Having been accepted to all the schools I applied to, my choice was the ICP-Bard MFA in Advanced Photographic Studies program.

Sometimes life gives you many chances. It's just a matter of one being able to see and have the courage to take them. After experiencing 2 layoffs from work in less than 10 months, I decided to live my dream of pursuing a graduate degree - something I've (day)dreamed about since finishing college in 1999.

Photographer Interview: Roxana Marroquin

Recently I went to a "Editing Your Portfolio" workshop held by En Foco. Photographer Roxana Marroquin pulled out a stack of Lith prints that combined images shot on black & white film with photograms.

These images (as seen below) were haunting and dream-like, leaving us all with our jaws dropped in awe and admiration.

D&B: Where are you from?

RM: I'm originally from El Salvador in Central America. I moved to the United States when I was 8.

D&B: What kind of photography do you shoot and how did you get started - any "formal" training?

RM: I consider myself a fine art photographer and I do work about my own experience: such as being displaced as a child, my migrant experience, my own psyche, my body, and the experiences of being a woman. My photographs begin with self portraits or from Nature, which then I explore and develop further until I find some truth about myself that is also universal.

My training began in college, in my Junior year when I took my first photography class and I fell in love. I have a BA in Photography from New Jersey City University.

From the series, Realm of Shadows by Roxana Marroquin

D&B: What cameras or techniques do you use?


RM: My cameras and techniques are still very traditional and vary from project to project. I have worked with Polaroids, 35mm SLR's, large format, medium format, and my favorite - the Holga!

Global Launch of Historypin, Powered by Google

July 11th marked the global launch of Historypin, a site where you can compare your own and others' photos of the present and the past - all geotagged via Google Maps technology.

The Museum of the City of New York was a great venue for the site's launch as the museum recently launched a historical online photography archive including work by notables like Jacob Riis and Bernice Abbott.

The concept of Historypin is inspired by the boxes of old photographs that most of us have in our family archives. To realize their philosophy of creating a shared history of the world, the folks at Historypin invite you to upload your own photos and other content (audio, video) captioned with your personal stories.

Photography Quote by Eli Reed

Credit: Photofocus.com

Photographer Eli Reed is interviewed by Wayne Lawrence in the "Heroes & Mentors" feature in August 2011 issue of PDN.

In the interview, Reed discusses his seminal book Black in America, his friendship with film director John Singleton, becoming the first African-American member of Magnum and more.

Most importantly, Reed had this to say to minority photographers:

"One thing you have to do is not get distracted by the bullshit, by the racism or ageism or any of that crap. If you get deterred from the direction in which you're going, the other side has already managed to throw you off stride. Over and over again, the best thing is to do the god-damn work."

Stellar advice from a photographer who's broken the color barrier with his exceptional photographic work!

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My Wishlist of Photography Books

This July 4th weekend I scored a gently used copy of Nan Goldin's The Ballad of Sexual Dependency for $12.95 at a bookstore in Saugherties, NY.

Oh, if only all photo books were such a bargain!

I'm an Amazon junkie and in between ordering the latest box of diapers for my son, I peruse their photo books - adding to my Wish List in hopes that someone will send them to me as gifts...

Recently I realized (took me long enough!) that I could buy used copies at a fraction of the cost. This will certainly drive me to become a photo book collector.

Arriving this week about a subject near and dear to my heart (diversity in photography history) is Photography's Other Histories, edited by Christopher Pinney and Nicolas Peterson.