Did you ever wonder what happened to those instant cameras that were all the rage in the 1970’s and 1980’s? Do you remember all those great commercials with James Garner and Mariette Hartley? Me too!
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Several years ago, I watched a documentary that has fascinated me, and haunted me for years. The 2011 documentary, directed by Trisha Ziff is The Mexican Suitcase. It tells the story of the recovery of over 4,000 film negatives of the Spanish Civil War captured by photographers Robert Capa, Gerda Toro, and David 'Chim' Seymore. The negatives were considered lost since 1939 so their discovery in a suitcase in Mexico in 2007 is quite the story. I know the documentary is available to rent through Amazon, and is well worth the rental fee.
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September 16 was the birthday of Jack Cardiff. Cardiff was a painter, photographer, and movie director, but he is probably best known for cinematography. If you love the visual lushness of old Technicolor movies, chances are good that cinematographer Jack Cardiff was probably responsible.
Cardiff’s career began as a young boy in the silent film days (certainly no Technicolor back then) and rose through the film making ranks for the next fifty years, ultimately receiving an Honorary Oscar in 2001 for his contribution to cinema.
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The 2018 hurricane season officially began on June 1st, so, of course, our book for June had to be Isaac’s Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by one of my favorite authors, Erik Larson.
I am a Gulf Coast gal, so reading about the hurricane I grew-up hearing stories about, seeing the few buildings that withstood the destruction while the building next to it was destroyed … well, I was all in as the saying goes. And, I had no doubt that Larson would reward us with a well researched, and detailed story.
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Let’s add another strong, independent, talented, female photographer to our Artist Spotlight for June. Today is American photographer, Margaret Bourke-White’s birthday (6/14/1904 - 8/27/1971). I remember hearing Margaret Bourke-White's name in photography courses, but I do not remember that her work was shown. Nor do I remember that her life, accomplishments, and work were discussed at length. I decided to remedy that for myself by actively seeking out books and other information about Bourke-White.
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Our Artist Spotlight for May is American photographer, Richard Avedon. I have shared a few blog posts about Avedon this month (Featured below), but now it is time to bring it full circle with our book for the month. I searched for biographies and books that somehow related to Avedon and/or his work. I finally settled on Avedon at Work by Laura Wilson. While this book is not our typical “read”, I think it is an important glimpse behind the scenes that, in many ways, makes it more important than reading a 400-page biography.
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For those of you reading along with me, this month’s book was The Man Who Stopped Time by Brian Clegg. For those of you who are not reading along but are curious about who Eadweard Muybridge is, I wrote a birthday blog about him earlier this month (HERE).
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Did you read Artful Lives: Edward Weston, Margrethe Mather, and the Bohemians of Los Angeles by Beth Gates Warren? I have to admit, I was expecting a small book and a quick read. I am still amazed that the postal employee CRAMMED the tome into my small mailbox - with damage, of course. I am sure my neighbors got a laugh if they happened to watch me pry my latest read from the confinement of the mailbox. But I digress...
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Welcome to the February book party! Did you read Short Night of The Shadow Catcher: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis by Timothy Egan? What did you think? Is that a story or what? I wrote a blog post last year that you can read HERE and a recent "birthday" post HERE. I really enjoyed this book. I found the whole story heartbreaking from the treatment of the Native Americans to a man who was so focused on his mission that he lost everything... his marriage, his business, his income, his health...
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I am a confessed bibliophile. I love to read and I love to share books, and suggested reads, with fellow readers. After relocating to Central Texas a few years ago, well... I miss being a member of an active book club that discusses books. This is where you come into the picture. If you enjoy reading, have I got an idea for us.
As a way to encourage each other to read more books in 2018, let's meet here on the last Thursday of each month to discuss books we've read and books we are reading. I will put together a list of books to read to get us started but feel free to make some suggestions. Most of all, add your comments and join the conversation.
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American artist, John Singer Sargent, was born 162 years ago today (January 12, 1856). John Singer Sargent was apparently THE portrait artists back in the day. The photograph captures the artist in his studio. However, if you look closely at the painting behind him, you will get a glimpse at the portrait that probably brought him the most notoriety. Why this portrait? Well, the subject of the portrait was Virginie Gautreau. Madame Gautreau happened to be the "it girl" of Paris in the late 1800s. But the subject herself was not the reason the painting was famous.
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Here we are in week three already. Last week was all about Dorothea Lange’s transformation from portrait and studio work, to documentary work with the Farm Security Administration (FSA). The FSA terminated Lange January 1, 1940 and completely disbanded in 1943. Many of the FSA photographers considered their time at the FSA a highpoint of their career. This was particularly true for Lange who took her termination hard and continued to search for projects that would be like the FSA work. This week, we will discover that she used her camera to document another group of Americans whom she hoped to aid with her images.
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