Sharing at Photolucida

Almost three weeks without writing here....April has been the cruelest month. But with reasons enough for two months.

The picture below was taken last week at the public portfolio walk duringPhotolucida Festival, a four day extravaganza of portfolio sharing and networking that happens every other year in Portland, Oregon. For the past month I've been cloistered in my studio printing the portfolio I showed there. Then, for the past week, I was cloistered at the Benson Hotel in Portland with appointments all day and night with curators and gallerists and photographers, discussing and sharing pictures.





Exhilarating. Exhausting. A marathon of photography intensity. But now it's back to regular life, which means that there's less time to look at and talk about photographs, and that the focused drive that took us there in first place has to get in line again behind doing the dishes, helping the kids with homework, and preparing for teaching class (or for whatever day-job supports your work in photography).

Photolucida is an organization that supports photographers in many different ways. It's based in Portland, Oregon but has an international scope. The Photolucida Review is a four-day portfolio sharing event where photographers show their pictures to professionals in the field—curators, critics, gallerists, writers, and other photographers. It's part of the Festival of Light, a global organization that supports large, international events of this type. But there are many other (shorter) review events that happen on local and regional levels throughout the year. As you progress in taking and printing your photographs, and as you learn to understand your motivations and intentions, you might consider setting this goal for yourself—dedicate your energies to polishing a cohesive body of work and sign up for a one day (or one morning) review. The conversation and feedback you get will charge and challenge you, perhaps pushing you into an orbit that you never expected.

The first picture above was taken at an impromptu moment of portfolio sharing with Matthew Baum in the lobby of the Benson Hotel. As Matt opened his portfolio case we both noticed the sparkling sun-medallions refracting through the huge cut glass window panes behind us, and took a second to enjoy the spectacle before beginning to look at his photographs. The dancing sunspots reminded me immediately of the work of one of my favorite photographic influences, Abelardo Morrell, whom (in one of those magical synchronicities that these events can precipitate), I'd been able to meet and speak with just met a day earlier.