A Week (or More) In the World of DC Photography

Image from Heather Goss

First off, a special shout out to a couple photographers I recently met, Stirling and Rachel Elmendorf, Frank Salieri, and Russell Hirshon. If I forgot anyone, put me in check and shout right back in the comments!  Stirling and Rachel are a power-duo in events.  Frank is a master of flexibility, managing head shots for the Junior League of Washington.  Russell is one of the most helpful photographers for other photographers to know during events.  All four are talented, energetic and fun to know! 

Second - DC Shot List has a fan page and a group page on Facebook.  Check 'em out!

Now, on with the latest in photography news...

I'm With the Band at Dahlak EXTENDED, New Critical Mass Update and Flaunt Runway Show
from Heather Goss of Ten Miles Square...

NEW DATE! Celebrate Critical Mass on Saturday, May 15th (And celebrate the birthdays of Heather Goss and Jayme McLellan!!!)
EXTENDED! I'm With the Band at Dahlak
Don't Miss Flaunt Runway Show on Saturday, June 6th

Ann Curry Darfur Photography on Display at Washington School of Photography
from Patrick of Metroblogging.com...

Daily DC Item: Ann Curry Explores Darfour Through Photos
I learned via Ann Curry's twitter feed that the Washington DC School of Photography opened a new exhibition of photos taken by Curry. ...

Fotoweek's FOTOBAMA Winning Shots Up at Newseum
from Alison McSherry of Roll Call...

Newseum Photos Snap Obamamania
... features the winning images from a photo contest sponsored by the Newseum and FotoWeek DC, a nonprofit organization that promotes photography. ...

Celebrate International Year of Astronomy with Smithsonian Photography Initiative
from Art Daily...

Smithsonian Photography Initiative Celebrates the International Year of Astronomy in May and June
WASHINGTON, DC.- During May and June, the Smithsonian Photography Initiative offers three ways to celebrate both the International Year of Astronomy and the ...

Architecture Photography Exhibition at The National Building Museum
from jasmine of We Love DC...

Architecture of Authority=DC
The National Building Museum has a photography exhibition up right now called Architecture of Authority that explores exactly those kinds of “powerful ...

Founder of Association of International Photography Art Dealers Closes Her Doors
from Jessica Dawson of The Washington Post...

Doyenne of DC Photography to Close Her Gallery
By Jessica Dawson In 1976, when a 28-year-old Kathleen Ewing ditched her National Gallery of Art job and decided to sell photographs instead, photography ...

The Many Colors of Joshua Yospyn 

Article and Interview by Betsy Spruill Clarke.  Photography by Joshua Yospyn...NATCH!

What do flying tortoises, crushed food and fashion have in common?  Well, besides being the key elements of an insanely mad, yet couture-savvy chef's dream, they are also the lucky subjects of Joshua Yospyn's photography.  His signature recipe--vivid color and straight-forward angles, mixed with a dash of occasional conceptual cropping--pops with drama while complimenting the viewer's imagination. 

Currently exhibiting with John Ulaszek, Meahgan Gay and Steven Goldenberg in "Flaunt: Photography & Fashion Collaboration" at Anacostia's Honfleur Gallery, Josh is also a virtual resident of Heather Goss's Ten Miles Square.  And, if you regularly read the Washington Post, you can also see his photojournalist side.  

Very open to discussion on his photography experience, Josh is also laid back, yet, quick with the wit.  Through the following interview, as he shares his thoughts on exhibiting in Anacostia, color and concept, and flying tortoises, we get to see the multi-faceted side of Josh that is, much like his art, very prismatic...

DCSL:  How did the idea for FLAUNT come about?
JY:  I think a trifecta formed between Ten Miles Square, Honfleur Gallery, and Project Beltway.  Months ago they probably banged heads and came up with an idea to showcase locally made portraiture and fashion.  FLAUNT aside, I met Amy Cavanaugh with the Honfleur Gallery during FotoWeek last year and she sold me on Anacostia.  That part of town doesn't get enough attention from the D.C. arts community.  It houses fewer galleries than 14th Street, but they make up for it with temporary exhibitions and art fairs inside vacant buildings.

DCSL:  The use of color in your work is outstanding and the creative "subtraction" or cropping out of certain aspects of your images is absolutely interesting as it all seems to work together.  Can you shed some light on how you develop your concepts?
JY:  Thank you!  What's a concept?  But seriously, I'm a minimalist.  I keep it simple and do my homework.  When I shoot models in remote cities, I'll get there hours ahead of time and drive around looking at the sides of buildings.  Or locally, I'll spend hours taping origami paper to the wall.  Or I'll spend half a weekend and rearrange my house to paint pieces of plywood.  When I'm done I'll say, "ok, I need a subject."  Then the process begins again.  Can she also bring her two cats?  Would she mind vacuuming? 

Are those blue eyes?  Can we also use her wiener dog?  Do you have orange lipstick?  Would you mind smoking this cigar?  Where can I get a red snapper?  It doesn't always work.  But I keep trying new ideas and moving through the process.


DCSL:  Did you study photography your whole life?  How did you get into it?
JY:  I didn't discover it until a few years after college (I'm 32 now), when I dated a photographer/painter for four years.  I started shooting and got hooked.  Before I met Kristen I used an Advantix point-and-shoot.  Do they still make those things?  I got a Canon A40, shot some 35mm with her dad's F3, bought a Nikon 990, a Mamiya AF, a D100, so on and so forth.  Immediately after college I was building websites and pretty good at Flash, but my interest there waned as I found photography.


DCSL:  Is there anyone in specific who inspires you?
JY:  The painter Nuno de Campos.  He placed in the National Portrait Gallery competition a few years ago and I saw him speak during the exhibition.  His "Magnet #3" is brilliant and I began to think more anonymously.  He succeeds with a brush where I attempt with a camera.  Other heavy influences include Annie Leibovitz's DVD inspiring me to buy the Mamiya RZ67 Pro II and Richard Avedon's American West.  The digital cameras I want are ridiculously expensive, so I've returned to shooting and scanning medium format film.  And I've never been happier.

DCSL:  Flying tortoises...I love it, but where did this come from? 
JY:  The flying tortoises began in the summer of 2005 after I took a picture of a farm field in Mt. Airy, Virginia.  It's this empty field with hay bales and a red barn in the background.  It bored me and I thought about adding something in the foreground.  So I stitched helicopter blades on a helmeted tortoise and their invasion began.  In general I avoid shooting landscapes because there's not enough subject matter to grab my interest.  But if I add some turtles...  One day I'd like to a make a children's book with them.  My sister is an editor and a mother, so I'd like to make it a family project.

"Fascinated by what one cannot see, he captures faces and poses with something always crucial missing from the frame, whether it is something physical or an emotional connection between viewer and subject. Vibrant colors create impact, but as an empty messenger of what should really be there."
--Ten Miles Square 

DCSL:  Looking forward to it as I know a niece and nephew or two that would absolutely love a book like that.  What was your inspiration behind the crushed food - which is BAD ASS!!!
JY:  The crushed food was the first project I ever did with a ringflash.  My original intention was to take close-ups of a grapefruit.  It wasn't working.  Grapefruit is a very reflective and glossy surface, plus its rind wall is white.  The entire image was blown out and I wasn't getting any detail.  So I gave up, crushed it, took a picture, and drank the juice.  Julia Childs said, "The grand thing about cooking is you can eat your mistakes."  In this case I photographed my mistakes.

DCSL:  Okay, now I'm craving French food.  In addition to artist, you are also a photojournalist.  Are there other areas of photography that you work in?
JY:  I'm one of those nerds who has a 200mm macro lens on a tripod and will sit for 30 minutes in front of a flower, waiting for the wind to calm.  I get excited about dogwoods blooming, magnolia trees, lotus blossoms, asparagus beetles, ladybugs on queen anne's lace, etc. 

Much of my color influence comes from this type of work.  You can't beat nature's palette.

Photography by Joshua Yospyn, listed from top to bottom:  "Guardian Angels 38," (self portrait); "Sara 30;" and "Malinda 31."

Looks Like Somebody's Got a Case of the Mondays

Article and Photography by Betsy Spruill Clarke

I terribly apologize for not posting anything, yesterday.  I fell into a bit of a busy hole that I couldn't climb out of.  And I'm sure...at least I hope...that many of you are looking forward to a "Flaunt" wrap-up.  And I'm workin' on it!

This isn't a cry out for pity.  But I'm hoping that the photo of the pig will soften you up just a bit, though, no?

Let's face it, May is quite a busy month for almost anyone, especially in DC.  I'm an event photographer, who temps for a local association's meetings director.  So, you can imagine, that May is going to be quite a blur, by the time June 1 comes around. 

That being said, here is what I promise to you that I'm doing in an attempt to combat any productivity slope on the blog:

More Interviews
I'm reaching out to local photographers to put them in the spotlight.  I hope that I'm asking the questions that you would want to know.  However, I really am open to suggestions of photographers to interview, as well as suggestions for questions! This is also true for gallery owners and exhibit producers.

Photo of the Week
Why do you think I'm asking for your flickr pages?  I really want to spotlight a photo (or two) every week, with encouragement for critiquing.  So send me those links and let me check out what you have!

Upcoming Calendar Items
Please keep sending me your press releases and heads ups on stuff around the area.  I love it and you never know what I will post.  I mean, of course if it has to do with local photography, then it's pretty much a shoe-in.  However, I also recently posted HABATAT Gallery's John Kuhn Piano upcoming arrival.  And why not...that piano is sweet!

Ideas? Thoughts?
Please fill in the blanks.  I'm open to any ideas because a blog should be constantly evolving.  So please, shoot me any thoughts on the areas that matter to you.  Or, even better, maybe you're interested in submitting to DC Shot List...by all means!  I would love it!

Here is what you can look for this week:

More calendar listings, including one for Critical Exposure, this Friday. 

An interview with Flaunt's Joshua Yospyn

A wrap-up piece on Flaunt

Maybe even the first photo of the week

Please stay tuned...it can only get better from here!

Discover Amazing Photographic Art Work Through Ten Miles Square

Article and Photos by Betsy Spruill Clarke

The Managing and Arts Editor for DCist is a busy woman. Just earlier this month, Heather Goss, opened I'm With The Band at Dahlak, featuring the concert imagery by Kyle Gustafson (shown in image to the left), Nestor Diaz and Martin Locraft.  (And if you haven't been yet, you have till May 3rd, so you better get crack-a-lackin if you want a tasty combination of rockin' photography paired with an Eritrean dinner and washed down with a $3 Stella).  And, this Saturday night, Heather does it again with the opening of  "Flaunt: Photography & Fashion Collaboration," at the Honfleur Gallery.

Produced in association with Rachel Cothran's Project Beltway, Flaunt features four outstanding photographers--Joshua Yospyn (shown on the left in image on the right), John Ulaszek, Meaghan Gay, and Steve Goldenberg--paired with four local fashion designers--Dana Greaves, Taimur Baig, Lara Akinsanya, and Will Sharp--creating an ultimate combination in the visual arts.  This exhibit also appropriately includes a fashion show on June 6th, so mark your calendar.

Because of people like Heather, Rachel, as well as Philippa Hughes (The Pink Line Project), DC is discovering how rich it's art, fashion and photography scene truly is and many local, up-and-coming artists are finally getting the platform and exposure they deserve.  Not to mention, those who would love to indulge in the hobby of art collecting, now have a true starting point.

Having covered visual art in DC for DCist, since 2006, Heather also created and now organizes their annual Exposed Photography Show, which has exhibited at Warehouse, Civilian Art Projects and Flashpoint.  Through this experience, she discovered an opportunity.  Recognizing the amazing amount of unknown talent in DC, Heather created Ten Miles Square and uses an unconventional formula that appeals to present times:  promoting local photographers through independent businesses, while fostering a new generation of art collectors by offering genuine pieces at affordable prices--a similar method that also works for Philippa Hughes (shown in photo on left).

Even though she doesn't market Ten Miles Square as a mentor program, she often finds herself treating it as a mentorship.  Pricing, for example, can be quite a mystery for many a modest artist.  Heather encourages pricing to sell, but discourages undervaluing, as well.  This basis for pricing speaks more to the reality of today's economy, rather, than the opinion of the art peice.  "It's not a discussion of how great your work is," Heather explains.

Heather's efforts show that it's not necessary to spend $10K, say, on a work of art, just to be a "true" art collector.  However, spending $50 on a framed photo at Pier 1 or IKEA doesn't count, either.  Going to these artshows and exhibits is a great way to find out what moves you, meet the artists, visit with other art collectors, and maybe even get something original and meaningful to you at an affordable price.

Many who want to start collecting are intimidated, at first.  They are often a bit worried about what others may think of their opinions, tastes, etc, when, in fact, that is not the case, at all.  "It's good because you say it's good.  It's good because you bought it," advises Heather.

As for artists who are interested in working with Ten Miles Square to showcase their work, Heather suggests getting out more often and going to these and other shows to discover more work, get your name out there, visit and network with other artists and find inspiration in their work.  She also advises shooting often, while keeping an eye on what you like.  Finding the niche, so to speak.  "Take one picture that you like and find what you like about it and keep shooting like that." 

Plus, she says getting on Flickr and contributing to things like DCist is also a great way to get noticed.  One of the reasons why Heather is so great at what she does is her visual memory and she browses Flickr, all the time. 

Heather admits that she is also a photographer, but not to the degree of the photographers she represents. When asked what her niche is, she laughs and says "My niche is  to organize these shows!"

Let's not forget that her niche also includes writing about art, which she loves to do and it shows.

Heather's experience puts her in a prime position to advise both artists and collectors.  Considered one of DC's top experts in photography art, she has been a guest on the Kojo Nnamdi Show, speaking on the topic of art in the metro area and, in addition to DCist, her writings have also appeared on the Washingtonian web site.  Most recently, for the first annual FotoWeekDC contest, Heather was chosen to sit on a jury panel that included Pulitzer Prize winner Deanne Fitzmaurice and Joyce Tenneson, who is the 2005 Fine Art Photographer of the Year.   Top all of this off with a day job working as an attorney at a large law firm in downtown DC, and you have what could be one of the busiest Washingtonians of today.

Honfleur Gallery Presents FLAUNT: 

Photograph by Joshua Yospyn
Photography & Fashion Collaboration,
A LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION AND RUNWAY SHOW
April 25, 2009 - June 13, 2009

This spring, The Honfleur Gallery will premiere Flaunt: Photography & Fashion Collaboration, a special exhibition showcasing emerging local talent in photography and fashion design. To highlight the synergy between the two mediums, the show will feature two events:  an opening launch on Saturday, April 25, 2009, and a runway show on June 6, 2009. 
 
Flaunt, produced in association with Ten Miles Square and Project Beltway, LLC, will feature new fashion portrait work by photographers Joshua Yospyn, John Ulaszek, Meaghan Gay, and Steve Goldenberg.  The work is the result of collaborations with local fashion designers Dana Greaves, Taimur Baig, Lara Akinsaya, and Will Sharp, who will showoff their talent as their clothes grace the runway.
 
An artistic experiment of sorts, Flaunt aims to challenge and explore the notions of what constitutes fashion photography. "This unique visual event revolves around the concept that the beauty of art is its lack of fixed rules and definitions," says Heather Goss, founder of Ten Miles Square. "Each photographer captured the essence of high fashion in their own terms, as did each designer."
 
The show is meant not only to ignite discussion about fashion photography as a genre, but also to remind DC residents and artists of the ongoing need for a strong artistic- and affordable- voice in the community. "Creativity is something we can't afford to lose in this economy, but unfortunately so many designers are limited by what sells," says Rachel Cothran, founder of Project Beltway, LLC. "This show in many ways is about the artists and their explosive creative vision; visions that should not be hindered by a desire to sell, but rather embraced for their desire to create works that define their style."
 
The opening exhibition and runway show promise an outstanding soundtrack further promoting local artists including DJ Felipe. The Honfleur Gallery is located at 1241 Good Hope Rd. SE within Historic Anacostia, between the 11th Street Bridge and Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., SE. Free and Open to the Public- Don't miss out on this first-time collaboration.
 
The Honfleur Gallery exhibits & represents both fine contemporary arts & artists, while also incorporating non-salable, socially-minded exhibitions & installations. Honfleur aims to provide better access to The Arts for residents "East of the Anacostia River," D.C., Affordable Artist Workspace and a diverse range of Artistic Opportunities for Washington D.C. www.honfleurgallery.com  

Ten Miles Square is a venture to promote local photographers through independent, art supporting businesses, while also nurturing a new generation of collectors by offering real art at affordable prices. www.tenmilessquare.com
 
Project Beltway started as a local street-style blog and has evolved into an insider resource for all things fashion in D.C. www.projectbeltway.com