Contact Photography Festival

I was going to go to Newfoundland for a week in May but I think we've decided to go in August when my wife has 2 weeks off. That frees up my week in May to go to Toronto and check out the Contact photography festival, which I have missed the last 3 years while living here.

http://www.contactphoto.com/

It's a month-long photo exhibit across the entire city, it's probably close to impossible to see all the exhibits. There is also the Magnum workshop, which is probably be impossible to get into. Last year Larry Towell and Bruce Gilden were among the photographers overseeing it. This year it's Bruno Barbey, Chien-Chi Chang, David Alan Harvey, Alex Majoli, Peter Marlow and Mark Power. I think it's for students only, but I could be wrong.

If you're in Toronto during the month of May I strongly suggest you check out the program (I don't think it's been released yet but it will show up on the site once all exhibits have been finalized).

The Contact website has been updated for this year's festival.

Link

More than 1000 artists over 220 venues across the city for the month of May.

Exhibitions Link

And Fernando, it's not too late to apply for the Magnum workshop! A bargain at $1250

Magnum Workshop Link

I wish I could go but I won't be able to get off work.

And I do consider the $1250 a bargain considering I have paid $800+ for courses that turned out to be utterly useless to my profession.

I wasn't being sarcastic. $1250 for a 5-day course headed by Magnum photographers is a bargain.

Looks like the slots filled up fast.

Magnum also requires a portfolio submission and they'll only give to seats to those they deem worthy.

Yah, but they'd take you on reputation I'm sure.

Yeah right. What reputation?

This is exactly why I want to concentrate on building a good body of work instead of just making random photographs all the time.

You and me both, buddy. You and me both.

I just can't seem to motivate myself into a project or multiple projects.

TVO is once again showcasing some great photo docs during the run of the festival, including the entire 6-part BBC doc "The Genius of Photography"

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/mmnr/tvo/may2009/

I guess now would be a good time for me to get a PVR.

Manufactured Landscapes is good too, as well as the Ansel Adams one. I haven't seen any of the others.

The Genius of Photography BBC documentaries are really good. I found the first and last episodes are somewhat boring. The first one deals heavily with the historical origins of photography. The last one deals with photography in its current state; the collector's market, law/copyright issues and a bit about digital.

The Eloquent Nude is the one I'm looking forward to. Charis Wilson herself (Edward Weston's model and lover), now 90, recounts her time with Weston. I don't particularly like Edward Weston's photography that much but I've always thought he was an interesting person. He was in Mexico in the 1920's with Tina Modotti, who herself was a photographer (and model, actress, communist revolutionary, etc.). Tina Modotti hired an assistant - Manuel Alvarez Bravo, one of my favourite photographers, who eventually took over Modotti's studio when she moved back to Europe. In the 1930's, HCB travelled to Mexico and befriended Manuel Alvarez Bravo and they held a joint exhibition there. Some of HCB's best work was in Mexico during that time. Always been fascinated by the Mexico of the 1920's and 1930's - for better or worse, it was a leftist's and anarchist's paradise that we'll likely not see again. Anyway, Weston's time with Charis Wilson came later, during the Great Depression. So there probably won't be anything dealing with Mexico. There still a lot of that artist/vagabond/playboy/outlaw romanticism surrounding Edward Weston that should make the documentary interesting.

Reminder that the Genius of Photography Part 1 is on TVO tonight at 10:00 PM.

I watched the Leibovitz on the other night and the Genius part 1 last night.

Didn't actually know much of Leibovitz's oldest work, was that ever inspiring.
I started looking at my 35mm.... hmmm.