Some more new resources for photographers
I recently spent five short days in Vietnam. I will be blogging about that soon, and posting a pod-cast exploring my reactions to that country. I want a few days to digest my experience in terms of blogging and few weeks to make the multi-media piece. In the mean time, I wanted to share some information and a few web sites that I came across recently. The connection to Vietnam is that although I was well into the developing world there, because of the Internet, I was able to keep up on many things happening in the world of photography.
One thing that was weird in Vietnam was that the government blocks Facebook. I know this because I was trying and trying to update the The Wells Point Facebook page and I could never get onto Facebook. I checked with my host in Vietnam and on the Internet, and sure enough, the government blocks Facebook. The irony is that Vietnamese young people are on Facebook constantly and they have no problem getting around the government’s attempts top block the site.
In terms of new web resources to look at, in no particular order:
Photolucida, which runs portfolio reviews for photographers, has released the fourth edition of the “Photolucida Review Festival How-to Guidebook,” which is filled with great information on how to make the most of portfolio reviews. That is at: http://www.photolucida.org/images/photolucidabooklet_2009.pdf It is free! So, you ask, what are these portfolio reviews? To borrow from the Photolucida site:
Gallery owners, curators, critics, collectors and publishers representing small, mid-sized, and major venues from all over the US and abroad, gather in one place to review work. Photographers at the mid-career level register for one-on-one meetings with the reviewers of their choice. Each review session lasts for 20 minutes. It’s a great way to network. Numerous photographers have walked away with opportunities to exhibit, publish and sell their work after attending the portfolio reviews.
To see a list of some of the many portfolio reviews/fine-art promotional opportunities, start looking at: http://thewellspoint.com/about/resources-fine-art-promotional-venues/ and scroll down to Festival of Light, FotoFest Meeting Place, Review Santa Fe, Rhubarb-Rhubarb, etc.
A new program called the “Regional Reviews” will take place on Saturday February 20, 2010 at The Center for Photography at Woodstock, in Woodstock NY. As their site says:
They are bringing together photographers, curators, gallery owners, editors, agents, collectors, and more for a motivating and inspired day of portfolio reviews capped by a Portfolio Walk during which the general public will have the chance to see and purchase for the first time on a large scale.
You can read more about that at:
http://www.cpw.org/SpecialEvents/RegionalReview/2010/pages/reviews.html
Here is an interesting new way to get your work in front of a potentially important audience without being there (and without paying an entrance fee.) Do this by submitting work for the Palm Springs Photo Festival slide show contest. Read more at: http://2010.palmspringsphotofestival.com/info/call-for-entries-no-fee-slide-show-contest/
An interesting “Call for Entries” came my way recently from the Yellow Wall Gallery at the Midtown Scholar Bookstore in Harrisburg, PA. The information noted:
The Yellow Wall Gallery, located in the Midtown Scholar Bookstore, is now accepting submissions for the upcoming exhibit, “Summer in Winter: A Visual Escape”, February 5 – March 26, 2010. This exhibit will showcase a diverse range of imagery that evokes a desire for an escape from the cold, dark and dull winter. For more information about the gallery and the Midtown Scholar Bookstore, visit http://www.midtownscholar.com or http://www.yellowwallgallery.blogspot.com
On another note, as a full-time professional photographer I spent a huge amount of time perfecting my workflow. Part of the reason it took so long was that I am a slow learner and I want things to be just my way. The other reason was that too many of the resources available on the subject used to be primarily driven by individuals or companies trying to sell you something. One of the best, which I did utilize in building my workflow is found at: http://thedambook.com/
Yes, you have to buy the book, but other than that, no hard sell, only good advice! Another great resource was recently released and it is well worth looking at. I have not made my way all the way through the site but I have been impressed by what I have found so far.
As the folks who built the site say:
dpBestflow is the new guide for every aspect of digital imaging technology from ASMP, the leader in education for the professional photographer. The purpose of dpBestflow is to create guidelines for refined production workflows, archiving methods, and best practices for digital photography based on a variety of capture methods and intended image use in order to publish the dpBestflow as a website open to the public.
You can read more about that at: http://www.dpbestflow.org/
Also on the topic of the business of photography, the Illinois photographer, Jeff Curto, gave a useful presentation at the Photo Plus Expo trade show/conference in New York City on “podcasting and social media for photographers.” The great thing is that even if you missed that talk, you can get most of that talk from Jeff’s page at: http://www.jeffcurto.com/photoplus/
Finally, a bit of self-promotion! The second of three articles exploring the use of New Media and Multi Media by photographers, including me was recently posted. You can read the entire piece starting at: http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/cp/olympus/technology/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1004054501