Since last Monday, we’ve been in Macon, Mo., for the 62nd annual Missouri Photo Workshop. Calin and I are this year’s co-coordinators, and after we moved in to our headquarters late Saturday night because of yet another wedding that conflicted with our plans, everything is now up and running and we are having a great time with the locals, the workshop photographers who came in from all over the world and the faculty and crew that we are working with.
There’s little time left besides the workshop duties, and most of the participants, crew members and faculty members will probably rack up a total of no more than 20 hours of sleep during the entire week. But being the nerds that we are, we spend even the little spare time we have with our cameras in our hands. And so it doesn’t come as a surprise when you step outside the workshop headquarters to smoke a cigarette and find faculty member Peggy Peattie flat on her back in the grass waiting for the right allignment of clouds, flags and the antler-less elk to immortalize the scene on her memory card. Of course, as a responsible MPW family member, it is a must to make a picture of Peggie making her picture…
September 28, 2010
Yesterday I joined Paul, Valeria and her cousin Mary on a visit to the cemetery where both Valeria and Mary have buried a child. Both Valeria’s daughter Angela’s birthday and the death anniversary of Mary’s son are in July. Below are some of my selects of that day:
Paul and Valeria hold hands on their way out to the cemetery.
Valeria unfolds an old drawing and a letter that her granddaughters Dreisha and Drejanay had put on their mother’s grave.
July 18, 2010
A few shots from our roadtrip to visit Calin in Chicago:
When you cross the border to Illinois at Louisiana, Mo., this is the first general store you will see. I really like their offer: “Eat here. Get worms.”
Driving into Chicago.
The John Hancock building is the second highest building in Chicago. It offers a great view over the city and some pretty expensive coffee and beer…
July 15, 2010
Last week I went to Los Angeles with the other POYi graduate coordinators as part of my assistantship with Pictures of the Year International to help arrange the Awards and Education program at the Annenberg Space for Photography. We had a fabulous time there and it was a great opportunity to meet and chat with some of the most accomplished photojournalists of our time. After the daily programs, we usually hung out in the hotel lobby and grabbed a few drinks with photographers from all over the world. I truly believe there’s nothing more fun than a bunch of equally obsessed photo nerds perched together in the same place with a lot of beer. Thanks Craig Walker, Tomas van Houtryve, Paul Hansen, Tim Rasmussen and all the others who were there for an amazing week!
After our work was done, we had a day to relax and explore L.A. and decided to go to the Getty Center. Situated on a hill between Santa Monica and Beverly Hills, the Center is one of the most impressive works of architecture I’ve ever seen. The breathtaking views, beautiful gardens and the spectacular all-white stone buildings all work perfectly together. Unfortunately, I’m not a very gifted architecture photographer and the shots I have of the museum aren’t really worth showing here. But to get an impression of the place, check out some of the pictures here.
After touring the museum, we took a break on the grass in the courtyard. Calin used the opportunity to roll himself down the hill so that he could tell people at home that he rolled down Mr. Getty’s very own lawn. It didn’t take long until the rest of us followed suit, and soon we were all tumbling down the hill in every possible position.
After the Getty, we went to the Hollywood Bowl to see a string of live concerts. One of the performing bands was the legendary Buena Vista Social Club. It was an amazing experience to hear them live. I didn’t even know that they were still playing, with Ibrahim Ferrer and Compay Segundo – two of the major figures of the Buena Vista Social Club – no longer alive. But here they were, and they sounded as great as ever…
My longest lens was a 90mm, so I really didn’t get a good shot of the actual members of the band, but I still like the feel of this one.
The British band Goldfrapp was the headliner of the evening, although I still don’t understand why. Nothing against Goldfrapp, but they definitely don’t compare to the Buena Vista Social Club. But, of course, that’s just my opinion…
June 29, 2010