Lise Sarfati

Sasha and Sloane #21 Oakland, CA, Oakland, CA, 2003 © Lise Sarfati

Four years ago, French photographer Lise Sarfati traveled across the United States, photographing young adults, and published them in a book called The New Life. The photographs are dramatic, while ordinary. She portrays her subjects in a highly charged light - even if they seem bored, the photographs are anything but boring. She attempts to examine the complex emotional states of mind of her subjects.

Lise was born in 1958. Sloane was somewhere between 15-17 years old in these photographs. Do you think the photographs would be different if someone her own age was the photographer?

Sloane #30, Oakland, CA, 2003 © Lise Sarfati

In an interview with the British newspaper The Guardian, Lise talks about her process of photographing, as well as this particular image.

"I didn't hang out with any of the girls [who she was photographing] for too long. If I spent too much time with them I would create a moment that didn't exist. So I just watched what Sloane was doing, and when I saw something I liked I stopped her where she was. Then I shot her with a Leica 35mm camera, with a 35mm lens, and just natural light, as always.

What interests me is the way people regard themselves. When we are 15, we all feel as if we are beginning to become somebody else. When I first met Sloane she was very shy, and she was wearing a wig. She seemed already to be creating a new personality for herself. She was very pretty, but she looked like she was hiding herself. She didn't like her body much: she thought she was too fat. Her surroundings were all very melodramatic - she had an almost religious way about her.

I like the fact that this image is quite mysterious. I can look back at it, years later, and notice new things that I had not seen."

© Lise Sarfati

Lise is now working on a series of photographs of Sloane and her mother. Above is one of the new photographs of Sloane.

Which Famous Photographer Are You?

For those of you who love taking quizzes (you know, which Sex and the City character are you? and the like) this is a quick and easy one that figures out which famous photographer you are! I, apparently, am Henri Cartier-Bresson. Not too shabby.

Alicante, Spain, 1932 © Henri Cartier-Bresson

Click here to find out who you are!!

Summer Summer Summertime!

Untitled #213-04, 2004 © Richard Misrach

Some of my most favorite photographs seem to have been made in the summer. All year long I wait for the days to grow longer, for the flowers to bloom, and for all the people to head outdoors and to the beach so there are more exciting scenes to photograph!

Why not take a photography class this summer? There are hundreds of opportunities for teenage photographers across the country. Here are just a few:

ICP's TEEN ACADEMY (NYC)
ICP's Teen Academy program offers a range of opportunities for teenagers to begin and further develop their knowledge of photography. In-class sessions range from ten-week classes in black-and-white and color instruction to a yearlong intensive program focusing on professional applications. For more information, call (212) 857-0061.

MAINE PHOTOGRAPHIC WORKSHOPS
Take a summer course in photography in Maine! The Workshops offers a unique opportunity to come to a beautiful remote environment and join a community of other passionate imagemakers and storytellers - all gathered to become better artists. Besides photography, they also offer courses in filmmaking, screenwriting and final cut.

© Diane Arbus

SANTA FE WORKSHOPS
Black and White Photography for Young Photographers
July 20 - July 26, 2008
http://www.santafeworkshops.com/workshops/calendar-detail.php?workshop=193

THE LIGHT FACTORY (CHARLOTTE, NC)
The Light Factory offers summer camps in traditional darkroom, digital photography, experimental photography, filmmaking and digital technology. Camps are broken into categories by grades. We offer camps to rising 3-5 Grades, 6-8 Grades and 9-12 Grades. Click on the link above to see the full listing of summer camps for all grade levels.

WESTCHESTER ARTS WORKSHOP
Westchester Art Workshop offers summer and after-school art classes for children and teens. The program offers a broad range of classes in photography and the visual arts for students from 6-15 years of age; classes meet once a week, Mon.-Thurs. for two hours. They provide a friendly and creative environment, highly experienced teachers, and fully equipped art studios.

© Rineke Dijkstra

THE JCC IN MANHATTAN PHOTOGRAPHY & DIGITAL MEDIA

Next Step Teen Photography: 14–17 Years

Cultivate a critical eye and express it through your photography. View the work of well-known photographers during in-class slide lectures and gain from critiques and class trips. Advanced printing techniques will also be covered. Basic photography experience required.

Beginning Film and Digital Tween Photography Institute: 10-13 Years

Learn to use your 35mm film and digital cameras to cultivate a critical eye and capture the images you want to make. Develop a photographic style through lighting strategies, composition, and printing techniques in the darkroom. Use the digital lab to download, retouch and print your digital photos. View the work of well-known photographers during in-class slide lectures and gain from critiques and class trips.

RISD (RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL OF DESIGN)
Creative Portraiture - Age Range: 12-17
Date(s); 06/24/08 - 07/29/08
How does the professional photographer inspire awe, dread or an air of sophistication with only the human face as subject? How do we alert the viewer to the subject's character? In this intensive digital photography course, students gain hands-on experience with the studio lighting techniques that professional photographers use to capture the portrait image. Along with an introduction to strobe photography, students learn to add special effects with hot lights, light painting and natural light, along with diffusion and a subtle touch of Photoshop. Props and fashion are also considered as students look for ways to capture the viewer's attention. By the end of the course, expect to have an incredible array of images to add to your portfolio.

MN CENTER FOR BOOK ARTS
Book Arts Intensives for Teens
A combination of instruction and open experimentation, these week-long workshops are designed to give talented high school artists a chance to explore book arts in a professional studio environment with high-quality faculty and materials. Teens will learn advanced techniques usually only taught at the college level, and then use studio sessions to experiment and delve into those techniques. Help your teen get started building an exceptional interdisciplinary portfolio. Open to students ages 14–18.

Teen Printing Intensive
Monday–Friday, June 23-27, 9:30am-12:30pm; studio sessions Tuesday & Thursday, 1-4pm
Get acquainted with the letterpress! Students will create editions of prints using a variety of printmaking processes including pressure printing, linoleum block relief printing, metal and wood typesetting and more.

Artists Books: Books Without Boundaries
Monday–Friday, August 11-15, 12-3pm; studio sessions Tuesday & Thursday, 3-5pm
Explore some of the infinite possibilities of the book form! Learn a variety of bookmaking techniques and then use studio sessions to experiment, combine, and create. Click here for more information.

PHOTOGRAPHIC RESOURCE CENTER @ BOSTON UNIVERSITY

Summer Photo Camp : The PRC is pleased to offer a variety of fun and educational summer photography camps for children ages 8-14.

Each weeklong and age appropriate camp session is designed to stimulate creativity and self-expression while fostering an understanding and appreciation of photography. All Camp sessions are full day and lunch is supervised, however students should bring their packed lunch. The PRC will provide digital cameras for use during camp, however students are welcome to use their own cameras. Students will also learn how to print pictures digitally. No previous photography experience is necessary. Students’ artwork will be exhibited at the PRC at the close of Photo Camp.

CAMP SESSIONS
KIDS TODAY
11-14 Year Olds
July 21 - July 25 9:00am - 4:00pm
$280 Members/$360 Non-members/$20 materials fee
Students will consider their lives, their city, and their concerns as subjetcs to create a book of their own photographs. They will learn about street photography, portraiture, narrative and constructed imagery, and other photographic approaches, as well as how to make and edit images for a book and write the accompanying text.

OUR STORIES
11-14 Year Olds
July 28 - August 1 9:00am - 4:00pm
$280 Members/$360 Non-members/$20 materials fee
Working in small groups, students will learn how to create both photo-journalistic and constructed or imaginary photo stories. They will spend part of the week developing “news” stories while learning how to create documentary images. They will also learn how to fabricate imaginary stories using a variety of photographic techniques. Students will investigate potential stories and subjects, photograph
those subjects, edit and sequence their stories, and publish them in a finished book.

For more Information on the 2008 Summer Photo Camp please click here or on the flyer above. You may also contact Michael Christiano, Education Manager, at mchristiano@prcboston.org.

Have you taken a great summer photography-related class somewhere? Let us know by posting it in the comments!

Tina Barney

Jill and Polly in the Bathroom, 1987 © Tina Barney

Tina Barney began photographing her family and friends in the mid 70's. She was born to a wealthy American family on the East Coast. Her images are a cross between a candid moment and a staged photograph. She uses a large format 8x10 camera, which requires a tripod and therefore restricts her in moving around as much as she could if she used a 35mm camera. Tina directs her subjects - sometimes telling them exactly what to do, and sometimes just asking them to repeat a gesture or movement.

The result is that some of her images feel as if we are viewing a very private moment, and that the people in her pictures don't know that we are there. Others are very direct portraits where we get to make eye contact with the subject, and they stare right back at us, sometimes confrontationally.

Marina's Room, 1985 © Tina Barney

The thing that I love about Tina's photographs is that they are just as much about the rooms and homes as they are about the people who live in them. The little details, like the patterns of the wallpaper and the color of the lampshades, tell us something about the subjects.

Recently, a film called Tina Barney:Social Studies, aired on the Sundance channel as part of a week-long series of documentaries about photographers (you should see them if you can). You can watch a few minutes of it here. It's kind of neat because she flips through her book and talks about the people in her pictures.

Two Students #354, 2001 © Tina Barney

When people say that there is a distance, a stiffness in my photographs, that the people look like they do not connect, my answer is, that this is the best that we can do. This inability to show physical affection is in our heritage.
— Tina Barney

TGP Feature #2

PHOTOGRAPHER: JULIA, AGE 15

©The Girl Project

In light of my post the other day on Lauren Greenfield and specifically her work devoted to body image, I think today's TGP Feature is the perfect addendum. Much like Lauren's exploration of the consuming struggles that young women in our culture face, Julia, a young TGP photographer from California similarly used her camera to investigate the issue on a very personal level. The pictures she took are truly beautiful... and at the same time, for me anyway, very sad. Julia devoted 27 frames to this important subject, stating "I feel that body image is something that cannot be truly expressed in words". In a sense I think she may be right. Her pictures are powerful and would be difficult to convey, as she said, "in words". That said, be sure to read Julia's statement below on her work... pretty amazing.

©The Girl Project

"When I took the pictures, I was watching myself and other girls go through a very rough time dealing with body image. One of my friends had recently been struggling with an eating disorder and I was unsure how to make her feel better about herself when I myself was surrounded by negative influences. These photographs proved to be somewhat therapeutic, because I was able to face the issues at hand head on without having to talk about what I was feeling inside and witnessing in others. So, to me, they represent every girl's attempt to improve everyone else's perception of them by sacrificing their own image of themselves. I know it sounds ambitious, but I feel that body image is something that cannot be truly expressed in words. The media and schools always talk about it and try to convince everyone that they are perfect the way they are. However, telling a girl she is beautiful once won't convince her or give her lasting confidence. She needs to find that within herself and leave behind what society inflicts. Body image is a very intimate feeling that can never be fully understood, but can be partially exposed by self-reflection. These photos were my form of self-reflection and looking back at them, I am confronted with my own image of my body and the controversy of these images. I sincerely hope that at least one girl can see herself in these photographs and realize she is not the only one trying to figure out how to fit the mold and she doesn't need to fit." - Julia

©The Girl Project

©The Girl Project

Lauren Greenfield: Girl Culture

© Lauren Greenfield

If I didn't mention Lauren Greenfield on this blog, then I would not be doing my job.

Lauren has been investigating the lives of girls through her own photography for years. Her first book, Girl Culture, is a look into all of the issues that girls face in today's society. Her photographs deal with body image, popularity, men gawking at women, sexuality, insecurity and identity. Each picture feels very personal, and totally speaks to the viewer directly.

Here is just a short piece from Lauren's artist statement:

"...I am a normal American girl. My introduction to the body culture and the paramount importance of image for women was typical, and relatively benign by today’s standards. A teenager in the 1980s, I grew up in the pre–Britney Spears world, where I wore a long, white, frilly dress to my prom, rather than a skimpy minidress or two-piece, stomach-revealing gown as is the style nowadays. While it was important to be thin, the fashions were not as demanding as today’s midriff-baring T-shirts, navel piercings, and low-riding jeans. Although I was a compulsive dieter at times, I never had a full-blown eating disorder.

In this work, I have been interested in documenting the pathological in the everyday. I am interested in the tyranny of the popular and thin girls over the ones who don’t fit that mold. I am interested in the competition suffered by the popular girls, and their sense that popularity is not as satisfying as it appears. I am interested in the time-consuming grooming and beauty rituals that are an integral part of daily life. I am interested in the fact that to fall outside the ideal body type is to be a modern-day pariah. I am interested in how girls’ feelings of frustration, anger, and sadness are expressed in physical and self-destructive ways: controlling their food intake, cutting their bodies, being sexually promiscuous. I am interested in the way that the female body has become a palimpsest on which many of our culture’s conflicting messages about femininity are written and rewritten. Most of all, I am interested in the element of performance and exhibitionism that seems to define the contemporary experience of being a girl."

For you girls interested in diving a little deeper into issues surrounding body image, you can rent Lauren's film for HBO called "THIN". It is a fascinating, Emmy award winning documentary following the stories of women undergoing intense inpatient treatment for eating disorders at the Renfrew Center. Lauren gained unprecedented trust and access from these women and manages to share their struggle in this deeply moving and at times very disturbing film.

Her newest film, Kids + Money, is screening nationwide (and in Canada) through June 23rd. You can find a calendar of screenings here.

Lauren is participating in the New York Photo Festival this weekend in Brooklyn. She is giving a presentation about her work on Saturday, May 17th at 12:30pm, and one of her films is screening at 8pm. For more info, click here.

UPDATE: Kids + Money screened at the NYPH on Saturday night. It was really exciting. Definitely go see it if it comes to your hood. calendar of screenings here.

©Murakami + Louis Vuitton

An installation shot of ©Murakami. The walls are wallpapered with little colorful flowers.

I thought that after writing all about Brian Ulrich and how much we consume, my next post should absolutely be about ©Murakami, the exhibition that is turning heads at The Brooklyn Museum.

If you have never seen Takashi Murakami's work, you absolutely should. If nothing else, it will make you smile. His work is brightly colored, fantastic, happy (at least on the surface), and, at times, overwhelming. But for me, what is interesting is not necessarily the art that he makes (I can't believe I am saying this) but the way he markets it. Murakami has been compared to Andy Warhol repeatedly.

Like Andy Warhol, Murakami takes items from pop culture, repackages it, and exhibits it in galleries and museums in the fine-art world. Then Murakami takes this Warholian idea and brings it to the masses, by selling his work to the general public in the form of paintings, sculptures, videos, T-shirts, key chains, mouse pads, plush dolls, cell phone caddies, and $5,000 limited-edition Louis Vuitton handbags.

Speaking of Louis Vuitton, arguably the most exciting part of the exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum is a functioning LV store, smack in the middle of the museum. Seriously.

The LV store inside the Brooklyn Museum

Another pretty cool thing is that Murakami designed the cover of Kanye West's latest album, Graduation, and so Kanye performed at the Murakami's opening at the museum. Can you imagine something like that happening at the Met?? You've got to hand it to Murakami for succeeding in pushing the boundaries and being controversial.

Left, Graduation's cover. Right, Kanye West's earlier promotional art.

If you are interested in hearing what an art critic has to say about Murakami, check out this video shot on location at the Brooklyn Museum’s ©Murakami exhibition. The New York Magazine critic Jerry Saltz calls Murakami's work “eye candy." The show is up until July 13, 2008.

Brian Ulrich: Copia

Edinburgh, UK 2003 © Brian Ulrich

One of the photographers included in the New Suburban Landscapes show at the Walker is Brian Ulrich. Two photographs from his Copia series were there. I would have chosen two different ones, (the ones hanging are not my faves), but I think his inclusion in the show was a good idea.

© Brian Ulrich

Brian (who lives in Chicago) has been photographing in huge chain and thrift stores as a commentary on the way we consume in today's world. The project includes shots of all the stuff we buy stacked in aisles lit with bright florescent lights, as well as shots of people browsing and scrutinizing the stuff. I prefer the photographs that include people. You get to see how dazed people are as they shop. In Brian's pictures, we all turn into materialistic zombies.

He writes:

In 2001 citizens were encouraged to take to the malls to boost the U.S. economy through shopping, thereby equating consumerism with patriotism. The Copia project, a direct response to that advice, is a long-term photographic examination of the peculiarities and complexities of the consumer-dominated culture in which we live. Through large scale photographs taken within both the big-box retail stores and the thrift shops that house our recycled goods, Copia explores not only the everyday activities of shopping, but the economic, cultural, social, and political implications of commercialism and the roles we play in self-destruction, over-consumption, and as targets of marketing and advertising. By scrutinizing these rituals and their environments, I hope that viewers will evaluate the increasing complexities of the modern world and their own role within it.

© Brian Ulrich

You can see more of Brian's photos on his website, and you can also check his blog for updates.

What do you think? Do we shop too much? Have we become an overly-materialistic society? Or have we always been this way? You can post your thoughts in the comments.