"When you can take a photograph and make people feel and experience a story and emotion in a single photograph, it becomes an enormously powerful vehicle"

Stephen Wilkes: Jerusalem, Day To Night

Photographers on Photography: Justin Fantl In Conversation With Stephen Wilkes

Stephen Wilkes' Hurricane Sandy Coverage in National Geographic

 

Photograph by Stephen Wilkes

Superstorm Sandy narrowed New Jersey’s beaches by more than 30 feet on average. At Seaside Heights it swept away the pier under the roller coaster.

Via National Geographic

The Damage Done

By the time Sandy struck the Northeast, it had killed 72 people in the Caribbean. It was no longer a hurricane—but it was a thousand miles wide, with 80-mile-an-hour winds that drove the sea onto the coast in lethal surges. The final death toll was 147. As the world warms, it may see more storms like Sandy. It will certainly see higher seas.

Slideshow

Article: The Rising Tide

Guy Gillette 1922 - 2013: "In a good photograph, something happens”

Via Country Life Daily News

Famed photojournalist Guy Gillette Sr.  passed away on Monday, Aug. 19, 2013, just two months shy of his 91st birthday.

Over 50 years in the photojournalism industry, Gillette created a portfolio of art that remains in circulation today. His work has graced the pages and covers of Fortune, Harper’s Bazaar, Life, the New York Times, just to name a few. His work includes images of Jacqueline Kennedy, Elvis Presley, Audrey Hepburn and Queen Elizabeth, and was featured in the 1955 landmark “The Family of Man” photography exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City. Gillette’s works remain in high demand today, as galleries and movie studios routinely request the use of his images.
A coffee table book, written by Andy Wilkinson, about the work of Gillette is being published by the University of Oklahoma Press this month. Through his research Wilkinson visits the history of Houston County as seen through the eyes of Guy Gillette, Sr. This book utilizes the pictures that Gillette took on his father-in-law’s ranch in Lovelady and around Houston County in the 1940s. The pictures not only document ranching in East Texas but small-town life, like Sunday School, homecoming dinners and Saturdays downtown. It was these pictures that would open the doors in New York for Guy Gillette, Sr. to become a celebrated photojournalist.

Guy Gillette, Sr. is the father of national cowboy personalities and Camp Street Cafe owners, Guy and Pip Gillette.

Arnolds, Cafe, Lovelady, Texas, 1956

“The years of the 30s through the 70s were great years for magazine photography and for us, the photographers, who contributed,” Gillette had said. 

Actor, author, and photographer, Gillette saw the United States evolve through wars, shifting perspectives of culture, and a changing, exciting panoply of heroes — leaders of government, icons of film and theater, and mavens from the corporate world.
 

"In a good photograph, something happens,” Gillette sad. From his photograph of a gravely ill Jacqueline Susann in a limo, whisked from engagement to engagement, to his quickly caught shot of President Eisenhower at a state dinner being patted on his bald pate, there is action.

 Gillette on Salvatore Dali: "I thought Dali was a bore. Always trying to look deadpan. He sought to eliminate all emotion from his public façade. I remember he flirted a great deal with the woman who was writing his profile, saying she reminded him of a Northern Italian blonde. He refused to speak English to us, even though he spoke some. Neither the writer nor I came away very happy with him."

Trained as an actor, Guy Gillette’s stage career was halted by induction into the World War II Army. After the war, now a budding photographer, Gillette, the former actor, was sympathetic to artists such as the choreographer Agnes DeMille, who allowed him to photograph her for Dance Magazine, as she created a ballet. Photos of Audrey Hepburn, Marian Anderson, Sarah Vaughn, Elvis Presley and Rogers and Hammerstein followed. A highlight of his career is a photograph of Henri Cartier-Bresson, taken by Gillette as both photographers competed for a shot of a nun at a St, Patrick’s Day Parade, leading the notoriously camera-shy Cartier-Bresson to admonish Gillette, “Photographers NEVER photograph photographers.”

Monroe Gallery of Photography will feature a very special tribute exhibition of Guy Gillette's photographs in November/December. Contact the gallery for further information.

"Those Who Dared is a sort of collective retrospective of people and events that shaped the twentieth century"

Harry Benson, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Vermont, 1982, archival pigment print, 16” x 20”


Via THE Magazine

THOSE WHO DARED, AN EXHIBITION OF PHOTOGRAPHY AT MONROE GALLERY

 

expands on the organization’s longstanding program of showcasing significant historical figures and events with imagery that’s often political and always provocative. With a grouping of works that spans decades and continents, the exhibition functions like a historical survey: a who’s who of people most of us know for their achievements. As such, Those Who Dared is a sort of collective retrospective of people and events that shaped the twentieth century. It’s also surprisingly cohesive, despite the huge range of personalities—from Martin Luther King, Jr. to Jacques Cousteau to Ai WeiWei—who may represent disparate aims and causes, but whose actions display human qualities united in goals of exploration, persistence, and boundary-breaking.

Among the most recognizable images is that of a man standing before a row of four military tanks; Jeff Widener’s 1989 Tiananmen Square photograph is still gripping despite its widespread reproduction. The tanks, lined up in robotic and chilling precision, make an impactful and grotesque juxtaposition to the poignantly small human figure facing them down. Other photographs capture lesser-known figures, and these are some of my favorites. When art can teach us about people whose actions have directly affected our lives, it behaves as a bridge between history’s purely intellectual resonance and its equally important, though more nebulous, spiritual or emotional resonance. Atender shot of Richard and Mildred Loving embracing does just this. Mildred was black and Richard was white, and their 1967 Virginia marriage resulted in prison sentences for each. The very idea of a law preventing interracial marriage now seems shudderingly backwards, but the couple’s tribulations ultimately resulted in a resounding victory. The Supreme Court unanimously ruled to strike down the law, and its abolishment paved the way for similar legislation throughout the country. For decades, Loving v. Virginia has been cited in numerous cases involving discrimination.

A 1978 vertical snapshot of Anwar Sadat by Eddie Adams pictures the Egyptian president looking out of a narrow window. The scene feels a bit tense, with a pallid pool of sunlight spread across the room’s dark carpet. Sadat, partially obscured in shadow, looks out of an open window, his hands resting on the sill. Among the few color photographs on display is an image of Aung San Suu Kyi. Also taken by Eddie Adams, the picture captures Suu Kyi in a meditative stance, her hands clasped together against her chest, with yellow flowers in her hair. One of the planet’s most prominent political prisoners, Suu Kyi has fearlessly stood up against oppression in her homeland of Burma for decades. Deeply influenced by the non-violent teachings of Mahatma Gandhi (who also makes an appearance in this exhibition), Suu Kyi famously said, “It is not power that corrupts, but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it.”

The exhibition includes images whose interpretations and implications are decidedly less straightforward. One of the standouts is a shot of Russian novelist and historian Alexander Solzhenitsyn. Best known for the novella One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and the sweeping Gulag Archipelago, Solzhenitsyn was a bold and outspoken critic of Communism— decrying the brutish Soviet Union during times when it could have proved fatal. A 1982 photograph of him by Harry Benson is mysterious and beautiful. It depicts the black-clad, heavily bearded Solzhenitsyn in the middle of a Vermont snowscape. He arches backward, his large hands spread out across his chest. His mouth is slightly open and his eyes are closed. His posture suggests a number of possibilities: relief or reflection or ecstasy—all of them intimate and recognizable in their humanity. It’s a deeply touching and unexpectedly meditative take on such an outspoken personality.

 

This exhibition seems like a gift for those of us lucky enough to spend time with it and learn from it. Iris Murdoch once wrote that art’s purest goal and highest achievement must be “to tell the only truth that ultimately matters.”

This captivating exhibition serves as a beautiful testament to those who ultimately mattered.

 

—Iris McLister

 

The exhibition continues throuugh September 22, 2013.

 

"Do you think that the media should show more of what is really happening in war?"

An excerpt from last month's "War Correspondents at The Brooklyn Brewery" discussion featuring Mike Kamber:

Steve Hindy (Brewery co-founder and former Middle East correspondent): Do you think that the media should show more of what is really happening in war? In the name of good taste, they don't publish anything gory, or anything terribly tragic.

Mike Kamber: We went halfway around the world and invaded somebody else's country, and between 100,000 and half a million Iraqi citizens are dead. It's not about good taste.

Watch the full discussion below.

 

 

Union Square, New York: Day To Night

 

 

The most recent addition to Stephen Wilkes "Day To Night" Collection

Day to Night, Union Square NYC from Stephen Wilkes on Vimeo.

Santa Fe University of Art and Design Photography Department Announces In/Visible Borders Fall Exhibition

Photo: Jamey Stillings


In/Visible Borders: New Mexico Photographers examines the cultural, political and economic realities of life in the contemporary Southwest.

Santa Fe, N.M. (PRWEB) August 19, 2013

 

The Photography Department at Santa Fe University of Art and Design (SFUAD) has announced a joint exhibition with the City of Santa Fe Arts Commission’s Community Gallery called In/Visible Borders: New Mexico Photographers. The exhibition, curated by SFUAD Photography Department chair Mary Anne Redding, will open to the public on Monday, Sept. 9, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. with a reception at SFUAD’s Atrium Gallery in the Marion Center for Photographic Arts. A complementary exhibition will open at the Community Gallery on Marcy Street Nov. 22.

This joint exhibition examines the cultural, political, and economic realities of life in the 21st century along the borderlands between the United States and Mexico. It also investigates the organic borderlands between cultures and economic status that define the state of New Mexico and the greater Southwest, and it explores the relationship of these invisible and visible boundaries.

Nineteen New Mexico photographers were invited to participate. Each photographer will show two images in SFUAD’s Marion Center and two in the Community Gallery. Exhibiting photographers include:

Tony Bonanno (Santa Fe)
Michael Borowski (Albuquerque)
David Bram (Albuquerque)
Lauren Greenwald (Las Cruces)
Kirk Gittings (Albuquerque)
Mindy Jean-Paul (Santa Fe)
David Michael Kennedy (El Rito)
Karen Kuehn (Peralta)
Greg Mac Gregor (Santa Fe)
Norman Mauskopf (Santa Fe)
Delilah Montoya (Albuquerque)
Patrick Nagatani (Albuquerque)
Teresa Neptune (Santa Fe)
David Robin (Santa Fe)
Sharon Stewart (Chacon)
Jamey Stillings (Santa Fe)
Martin Stupich (Albuquerque)
Carlan Tapp (Santa Fe)
Tamara Zibners (Albuquerque)

In addition to the exhibition, two free public lectures hosted by participating photographers will be offered to the community.

In/Visible Borders: New Mexico Photographers
Opening reception
Monday, Sept. 9, 4:30–6:30 p.m.
Atrium Gallery at the Marion Center for Photographic Arts
Santa Fe University of Art and Design
1600 St. Michael’s Drive, Santa Fe

The exhibition will run through Dec. 13, 2013. A complementary exhibition at the City of Santa Fe Arts Commission’s Community Gallery will open with a reception on Friday, Nov. 22, from 5 to 7 p.m. and run through Feb. 21, 2014.
Public Lecture: “Industrial Landscapes”

Featured speakers include photographers Martin Stupich and Jamey Stillings
Thursday, Oct. 24, 6 p.m.
Tipton Hall on the SFUAD campus
1600 St. Michael’s Drive, Santa Fe
Free and open to the public.

Public Lecture: “Environmental & Community Issues”
Featured speakers include photographer Carlan Tapp
Wednesday, Dec. 4, 6 p.m.
City of Santa Fe Arts Commission’s Community Gallery
201 W. Marcy St., Santa Fe
Free and open to the public.

About SFUAD’s Photography Department:
The Photography Department at Santa Fe University of Art and Design offers a comprehensive education in the theory, techniques, history and ethics of photography. This base, integrated with a strong foundation in other visual and liberal arts, provides students with the knowledge and perspective they need to pursue photography as a creative professional. The program, housed in the Anne and John Marion Center for Photographic Arts, encompasses both analog and digital technologies, giving students the chance to work in exemplary traditional and alternative process darkrooms and a state-of-the-art digital facility. Students also have access to the Beaumont and Nancy Newhall Library, an outstanding resource on the history, aesthetics and technology of photography.

About Santa Fe University of Art and Design:
Santa Fe University of Art and Design is an accredited institution located in Santa Fe, New Mexico, one of the world’s leading centers for art and design. The university offers degrees in arts management, contemporary music, creative writing, digital arts, graphic design, film, performing arts, photography and studio art. Faculty members are practicing artists who teach students in small groups, following a unique interdisciplinary curriculum that combines hands-on experience with core theory and prepares graduates to become well-rounded, creative, problem-solving professionals. As a Laureate International Universities Center of Excellence in Art, Architecture and Design, the university boasts an international student body and opportunities to study abroad, encouraging students to develop a global perspective on the arts. Santa Fe University of Art and Design is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association, http://www.ncahlc.org.

White House Photographer Eric Draper on New York Times Lens Blog

Eric Draper: Oval Office, January 26, 2001

Photo Editors Who Made a Difference

"Today and tomorrow on Lens, photographers recall and pay tribute to the photo editors who most influenced their careers. The people who pushed, pulled and occasionally strong-armed them into producing exceptional work. The people who believed in them when nobody else did — who recognized the photographer’s strength and took the time to develop it."

 

By YUNGHI KIM and KENNETH JARECKE

Via The New York Times Lens Blog, full post here.

Eric Draper

"Mike Davis hired me to work for the Scripps Howard afternoon daily, The Albuquerque Tribune, in 1990. It was my third newspaper job since college and my first real photo editor. I learned more from Mike in two and a half years than I did in my entire early career. Every photo editing session with him was an intense experience. We would sit at the light table and Mike would look at the images, just breathing in and out, and without small talk. He taught me to shoot strong photo stories. I learned layout and design. And with Mike, no assignment was too small to learn something important.

In 1992, he handed me my most challenging assignment ever up to that point. While watching my hometown of Los Angeles burn on television after the Rodney King verdict, Mike called to send me “back to L.A. to tell a personal photo story.” It worked. We produced a 12-page special section called “Seeing Through the Flames.” It was a profound experience, and I also won Scripps Howard Newspaper Photographer of the Year.

In 2001, I became the chief White House photographer for President George W. Bush. I didn’t skip a beat in asking Mike to join the team as my photo editor. We worked closely on the images of the events of 9/11, and we traveled the world with the 43rd president. Mike made me a better photographer in the president’s first term, and I am grateful. I will never forget what he told me during those early years in Albuquerque: “Never underestimate yourself.” I never did."

 

Tina Hager, courtesy of the George W. Bush Presidential Library and MuseumChief White House photographer Eric Draper, left, with his senior White House photo editor Mike Davis inside Draper’s West Wing office in 2003.

Magnificent Obsession: Robert De Niro on the Set of Raging Bull, Photos by Brian Hamill

Brian Hamill: De Niro, as LaMotta, screams aggressively, accusing his brother of sleeping

 with his wife.

Via Time LightBox

"If Robert De Niro never acted in any other movies besides those he’s made with his frequent director and collaborator, Martin Scorsese, he’d still be a film legend. Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The King of Comedy, Goodfellas — the list goes on and on. Add to those his performances in movies as diverse as The Deer Hunter, The Godfather: Part II, Midnight Run, Cop Land and Silver Linings Playbook, and the scope of the man’s accomplishments comes into formidable focus.

Here, on the occasion of De Niro’s 70th birthday — he was born Aug. 17, 1943, in New York City — TIME presents a fittingly iconic portfolio of pictures by photographer Brian Hamill, made on the set of Raging Bull in 1979. De Niro’s riveting and at-times harrowing portrayal of world middleweight boxing champ Jake LaMotta won him a Best Actor Oscar, and raised the bar for onscreen Method performances when the actor famously gained 60 pounds to play a bloated LaMotta late in life."

--Full post with slideshow here.

Cirque du Soleil pulls Tiananmen image from China shows after 'collective gasp'

Via South China Morning Post



 

Cirque du Soleil has removed a photo of the Tiananmen crackdown from its show in China after surprising an audience of 15,000 in Beijing with the iconic "tank man" image, which remains banned and highly controversial in the country. Full article here.

A photo of the show shared by a member of the audience. Photo: SCMP Pictures




Jeff Weidener/AP
A lone man stops a column of tanks near Tiananmen Square, 1989 Beijing, China