Recent projects: underwater images by Jose d’Ornellas

doteditions — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 18:20:49 +0000

Long-time friend and client of Dot Editions, Jose d’Ornellas recently came to get his latest series of images scanned and prepared for output from his underwater photography adventures. During his latest trip he traveled to Indonesia for scuba diving and underwater exploration with his camera.

all images © Jose d'Ornellas

Jose was born in Peru and educated in England, and has traveled to distant areas of the world, including the Red Sea, the Galapagos Islands, and the Solomon Islands on diving and photography excursions.

all images © Jose d'Ornellas

Currently he is involved in the development of a book devoted to the history of scuba diving; his work is represented in private collections around the world.

Photos from our discussion on New Options for Portfolios

doteditions — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 16:58:19 +0000

Below are some photos from last Wednesday’s event discussing new printing choices and custom binding options for photographers’ portfolios. Thank you to Maggie Soladay, for putting in her two cents on what works for her when calling in photographers’ portfolios as a photo editor, and to Judy Ivry for displaying her wonderful book bindings. And thank you for everyone who came out to the studio in the downpour!

Maggie discussed her experience as a photo editor, from calling in books to working with various photographers. Looking at printed portfolios allows her to easily see the quality of imagery that a particular photographer is capable of producing.

Photographers looked at portfolios that were printed with a digital, short-run press. Finally, there is an affordable option to using plastic sleeves or printing your portfolios at home on your desktop printer.

Judith Ivry, a bookbinder with twenty-five years experience, brought samples of books that she has bound for various artists. Working with a bookbinder yields hand-crafted, custom choices for photographers who really want their book to stand out.

Rocky discussed the printing options that we now have available for photographers. He is holding a page from a portfolio we recently printed for Michel Leroy, who replaced his plastic sleeved portfolio pages with prints from the digital short-run press. He was able to use the existing post-binding portfolio covers he already had invested in, and produced five outstanding new portfolios for an affordable price.

If you missed this event, and you’re interested in seeing some portfolios options yourself, please contact us at the studio! We want to help more photographers GO SLEEVELESS!

20 Questions for Haik Kocharian

doteditions — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 14:49:35 +0000

This week we are featuring Haik Kocharian, a photographer who came to Dot Editions for exhibition printing for his project with African Services’ Positive Kids 3. The exhibition was a benefit event for African Services, a grassroots organization that provides HIV services in Ethiopia. To read more about his experience with this project, go here.

The images included below are from his project, Part of the Past.

What is your earliest memory of making art?
I was born into an artistic family, both my parents were professional theater actors, my father was also a painter so I guess art or experience of art has been with me since day one.

What is your first experience with photography?
A friend of mine gave me an old 35mm photo-camera and said “do you want this, I found it in my garage?” I was 17 years old, the rest is history.

What is the greatest lesson you have learned about your art practice?
That art must serve a larger purpose of inspiring others and improving the lives of those in need of help.

From whom did you learn it?
No one really, just started walking around New York and shooting everything and with time I stared to develop my own sense of style.

How did you learn photography?
I studied photography in Brooklyn College.

How did your career start?
I accidentally met a art dealer and showed him my portfolio, he liked it and offered to do a solo show at his gallery, just like that.

What were your difficulties starting out as a photographer?
Developing a voice, a style, a signature, something that can be recognized as my own. That takes a lot of effort and time. Nothing in art happens over night.

How did you develop your style?
Shooting a lot, everything, people, objects, building, streets, landscapes, everything, and slowly developing a sense of what works.

What artist do you most identify with?
My early influences include Henri Cartier Bresson and Robert Frank

What is the most important idea in your art?
Touching people’s hearts.

What qualities do you think makes a good artist?
Love and devotion towards their work

Do you take photographs every day?
I think about the project everyday, preparing in my mind all the logistics, both creative and technical, then I start shooting which can take somewhere between 1-6 month or longer.

Do you ever find yourself in a creative block? If so, how do you get out of it?
No, I’ve never experienced creative block.

What turns you on creatively, spiritually, or emotionally?
My inner drive, my internal conflict, my sense of the world around me.

What turns you off?
Fear, laziness, dependence.

What is your biggest shortcoming as an artist?
I don’t have time to think of that, too much to do and learn.

How has your work changed due to the photography industry’s evolution?
It made it easier, I love computers as much as I love darkroom.

What has been your most difficult learning curve as an artist?
Developing the inner strength to succeed.

What advice do you have for emerging artists?
Just create, and have fun with it, the rest will come.

What have you been working on recently?
Currently I have completed my next exhibition proposal titled “Release” which was photographed in India and revolves around the subject of cremation.

20 Questions: Mining the artist’s mind, featuring Joao Carlos

doteditions — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 16:01:54 +0000

Dot Editions has invited the artists who we’ve worked with us or who have participated in the studio’s events to answer some questions about their artistic processes. In the coming months, we will post artists’ profiles weekly.

This week we are featuring Joao Carlos, a world-traveling, award winning photographer with a rock-star attitude. He was a guest speaker at our premiere Show & Tell event.

What is your earliest memory of making art? What is your first experience with photography?
I have always been passionate about The Arts and my first artistic endeavour was the constant painting of this hallway in my parents home; it was a massive canvas to me. I must have drawn, scribbled and painted it two or three times and every time my father and mother would scold me and paint over my “ART” and then I would repeat the deed. The first Christmas present I ever asked for at the age of five was a camera. My sweet mom gave me this box-like toy camera and I kindly said thank you and gave it back to her, stating it didn’t have a flash and I wanted a real one!

My dream in grade school was to be a automobile designer, then in Junior High I wanted to be a comic book illustrator and in High school I played the guitar (I was, and am still, terrible!) so my dream was to be a rockstar. Then collage came around and I wanted to be a painter: a ‘real’ Artist. Then my idea was to live a bohemian life, but I am far too practical for that. Halfway through my second year (after already having some solo and group shows) I was going to have my first big solo show at a local Municipal Museum and I needed to have my paintings photographed and a buddy of mine, a local family photographer, was going to charge me a small fortune to do it. I was 19 and broke. So I did the only thing I could do, I sold my guitar (my Fender Stratocastor) and purchased my first camera. That is how it all got started; I immediately fell in love with the art form. I switched my major from Fine Arts with a minor in Art History to Photography.

What is the greatest lesson you have learned about your art practice?
Practice makes perfect. Well, at least practice make you discover that you need to practice more….

How did you learn photography? How did your career start?
My career started I guess when I became an assistant for Joao Palmeiro, a big advertising photographer in Portugal. He was my biggest influence and I worked for him little over 3 years and did everything and anything that was needed or asked of me.

I moved on to opening my own studio with a buddy of mine, Pedro Davim. We opened Milkman Studio Productions in April of 2002. I still assisted other photographers for about three years and I worked for various production companies on a free-lance basis. This time period was crucial having contact with big productions and working with some well established photographers. I worked with more than thirty photographers, such as Horst Diekgerdes on shoots for UK Vogue, Frederic Pinet and Thomas Strogalski shooting for Audi and Mercedes. I was always working on my own projects too, and having my own studio so early on meant I would come home from a 12 hour shooting day and then jump into my work for another five or six hours. I don’t sleep much, I never have, and this helped me hone my skills. Since then I have moved on to developing a client list with advertising agencies, magazine editors and apparel and beauty companies.

What were your difficulties starting out as a photographer?
Discovering my style and creating my place in the market.

How did you develop your style?
To be honest a big part of my style comes from years of visual stimulation. I don’t think I have a defined style…I enjoy the Romantic and fantasy. My style is in constantly evolving.

What artist do you most identify with?
I take inspiration from all types of sources. There are so many artists that inspire me, but sometimes it may just be a single image. If I have to name some I guess this would be the list: Meisel, Klein, Roversi, Solve Sundsbo, Mario Testino, Lebowitz, Weber, Ritts, Demarchelier, Avedon, Newton, Adams, Sabastiao Salgado, and it goes on and on. My biggest influences are from Cinema such as Kubrick, Godard, David Lynch, Hitchcock, Roger Deakins, Janusz Kaminski, Christopher Doyle and the Great Painting Masters such as Caravaggio, Sorrola, Gustave Courbet or Vermer, just to name a few…but the list is almost endless.

What is the most important idea in your art?
I like to tell stories through photographs, to reveal the people, their attitudes and their emotions. This is what makes photography something that is alive and intense.

What qualities do you think makes a good artist?
Innovation, dedication, an ability to convey an emotion or concept via the art medium and above all not to be constrained by the idea of ridicule.

Do you take photographs (or sketch, write, etc) every day?
To quote Avedon: “If a day goes by without my doing something related to photography, it’s as though I’ve neglected something essential to my existence, as though I had forgotten to wake up.” So I work constantly, everyday, because I have to.

Do you ever find yourself in a creative block?
Sometimes.

How do you get out of it?
I immerse myself in visual stimulation and culture.

What turns you on creatively, spiritually, or emotionally?
I draw influences form the Baroque, Neo-classical and Romantic creatively. Freedom to create whatever I want creatively is the biggest turn on for me.

What turns you off?
Limitations on my creativity really turns me off…restrictions are the biggest turn off!

What is your biggest shortcoming as an artist?
I’m blissfully unaware of my shortcomings!

Has your work changed due to the photography industry’s evolution?
Yes, it has…post production has a bigger factor in my work now. Before I would pride myself on completing the image in camera…being true to the film or polaroid. But now, my work has evolved and I have the capabilities to create different things because of those developments.

What has been your most difficult learning curve as an artist?
Patience and perseverance to continue with my art.

What advice do you have for emerging artists?
Be true to yourself, be true to your vision and have patience in your art form and your growth.

Thank you, Joao, for sharing your thoughts and insights with us!

Approaching deadlines

doteditions — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 19:27:49 +0000

A gentle reminder about some upcoming and extended deadlines for photographers:

Friday June 4: Humble Arts Foundation’s “The Collector’s Guide to New Art Photography”

The Collector’s Guide to New Art Photography: Volume Two is a 228-page annual guidebook distributed complimentary to key collectors, gallerist, curators, and various art professionals. It publishes some of the most challenging and innovative new photographic work from 100 photographers internationally, and aims to extend Humble’s mission by connecting early-career photographers with decision makers in contemporary art.

Friday June 4: Applications for The Eddie Adams Workshop

The Eddie Adams Workshop is an intense four-day gathering of the top photography professionals, along with 100 carefully selected students. The photography workshop is tuition-free, and the 100 students are chosen based on the merit of their portfolios.

Saturday June 12: Present Tense: 15th Annual Photographic Competition Exhibition

The Photo Center is pleased to announce our 15th Annual Photo Competition Exhibition, Present Tense and our esteemed juror, Denise Wolff, of Aperture. Selected entries will be exhibited in Seattle, WA at the Photo Center during the months of August and September 2010. The exhibition title, Present Tense, refers to state of the medium today. In recent times, we have heard intense debate about the direction of photography: questions about the future of the medium, fears surrounding the decrease in magazine production and funding for content, the threat of potential extinction of the physical book, cynical commentaries that originality is a thing of the past…now is the time for photographers to take stock of their work and their vision, to take risks, rather than play it safe.

Monday June 14: Foto8 SummerShow 2010

After the enormous success of the previous years’ Summer Shows, Foto8 and HOST Gallery are pleased to announce the call for entries for the third-annual Foto8 Summer Show: a photographic award, exhibition and print fair. The show will follow in Foto8’s tradition of supporting and encouraging work by contemporary and independent photographers.

And a couple more deadlines that are farther off but you should be aware of:

Wednesday July 14: Aperture Portfolio Prize

The purpose of the Aperture Portfolio Prize is to identify trends in contemporary photography and specific artists whom we can help by bringing them to a wider audience. In choosing the first-prize winner and runners-up, we are looking for work that is fresh and that hasn’t been widely seen in major publications or exhibition venues.

Thursday July 15: Women in Photography 2010 WIP- LTI / Lightside Individual Project Grant

Women in Photography is pleased to announce the 2010 WIP- LTI / Lightside Individual Project Grant, funded by LTI / Lightside Photographic Services with guest judge Karen Irvine. The $3,000 grant award will provide funding to one female photographer to support project costs. In addition WIPNYC is excited to announce the 2010 WIP- LTI / Lightside Materials Grant, funded by Kodak. This grant provides $1000 in artists choice of Kodak materials and will be awarded to one female photographer.

Special guests announced for our New Options for Portfolios discussion!

doteditions — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 16:56:51 +0000

After perfecting new production techniques for photographers’ portfolios, we are ready to show off some samples. Please join us on June 9th at 7pm for an informal discussion on the state of the photographer’s portfolio in the digital age, and to see some samples of printing and binding for yourself.

We are excited to announce that we will have two special guests for our round-table discussion:

Photo-editor/photographer/Salaam Garage workshop leader Maggie Soladay will offer her input on what she looks for when hiring photographers for editorial assignments. As a photo editor, Maggie sees hundreds of portfolios, both online and in print. As a result, she can offer useful insight into aspects of producing portfolios that every photographer should consider.

Bookbinder Judith Ivry will also join us, to show varieties of custom bookbinding and portfolio boxes that she has produced. Judy has been an independent bookbinder for over 25 years, offering the highest standards of binding for her clients. She works out of her studio in Manhattan, as well as teaching and lecturing about binding techniques.

From Judith Ivry's bookbindery

Please RSVP for the event here!

Directions to the studio, 119 8th Street (bet. 2nd and 3rd Aves in Brooklyn): We are located 2 blocks from the F, G, M or R trains at the 4th Avenue/9th Street stop. Upon exiting the subway station, walk down the hill on 9th street and turn right on 3rd Avenue. Walk one block and turn left on 8th Street. We on the right hand side of the street, at 119 8th Street, almost all the way at the end of the block towards 2nd Avenue. Dial 210 on the buzzer.

Point.Shoot.See! – Exhibition at the Brookly Academy of Music

doteditions — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 14:49:35 +0000

We were happy to catch Klaus Schoenweise’s project, “Point.Shoot.See!” at BAM this weekend. The work displayed was shown in conjunction with BAM’s ‘Dance Africa 2010′ in the Opera House Lobby.

Klaus traveled to Zambia in 2007 to teach a photography workshop with kids living at the Chishawasha Children’s Home, an organization that cares for children who have been orphaned by the AIDS crisis. He partnered with Kids with Cameras, which sponsors photography workshops for disadvantaged children around the world. Read more about his Zambia Workshop in Smithsonian Magazine.

It was wonderful to see his work during BAM’s Dance Africa festival, and to see so many people taking in the work and the gravity of the project.

From Klaus’ website:

We’re delighted about the invitation to show at this world-reknown cultural venue. The occasion couldn’t be better as this year’s ‘Dance Africa’ Festival performances at BAM shine a spotlight on Zambia. To compliment his recent photography workshop with young members of a fabulous community dance program at the ‘Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration’, Klaus Schoenwiese proudly presents his Zambian workshop student’s best photographs – giving participants, festival guests and the general public alike opportunity to learn more about life in Zambia.

All proceeds from this project go to benefit the Chishawasha Children’s Home and the Zambian Children’s Fund. Click here to see some of the projects that are being funded there now!

20 Questions: Mining the artist’s mind, featuring Adrian Mueller

doteditions — Tue, 25 May 2010 16:01:07 +0000

First up is Adrian Mueller, who spoke at our second Show & Tell event, when we featured some artists selected for PDN’s 30 2010. Adrian grew up in Lucerne, Switzerland, and currently lives in New York with his wife and son. He is part of an international collective of photographers and retouchers called Fabrik Studios, and has garnered recognition from Luerzer’s Archive, American Photography 25, Cannes International Advertising Festival, and other institutions of advertising photography.

Dot Editions: What is your earliest memory of making art?
Adrian Mueller: I have always focused on the aspect of craft, not art. I truly believe that if the craft is exceptional, the art behind it will shine all by it self. I’ve only recently been satisfied with the way some of my craft has developed. My earliest memory of making art is therefore quite recent.

What is your first experience with photography?
Photography and travel were always inextricably linked when I was younger. My first experiences with taking pictures were always connected to vacation. I guess that is the reason why I sometimes still don’t feel that I am actually working.

What is the greatest lesson you have learned about your art practice?
It takes time.

From whom did you learn it?
Trial and error…

How did you learn photography?
A mix of school, assisting and shooting.

How did your career start?
One step at a time.

What were your difficulties starting out as a photographer?
Getting people to take a look at the portfolio and hiring me.

How did you develop your style?
I had no preconceived concept on how it should look. I guess it evolved organically.

What artist do you most identify with?
Anybody who is dedicated to a particular field and doesn’t get swayed by changes of trends and fads.

What is the most important idea in your art?
It needs to be authentic and the craft needs to be good.

What qualities do you think makes a good artist?
Persistence and passion.

Do you take photographs every day?
Almost everyday.

Do you ever find yourself in a creative block?
Yes.

How do you get out of it?
First, I turn photography completely off. I do something very different. Once I feel I have removed myself enough from photography, I step back into it.

What turns you on creatively, spiritually, emotionally?
Good food, good travel, good companionship.

What turns you off?
‘Can you move it ever so slightly to the left?’

What is your biggest shortcoming as an artist?
Sometimes when working with clients, I should be more assertive.

How has your work changed due to the photography industry’s evolution?
I experiment more.

What has been your most difficult learning curve as an artist?
I am like a pitbull. Once I put my teeth into something, I hardly let go (in this case, photography). The problem is, I have no patience. This can make my progress seem too slow at times.

What advice do you have for emerging artists?
‘It takes 10 years to become an overnight success’. If you keep that in mind, you won’t stress out as much if things don’t seem to go in your direction at times. If you are faster, congratulations!

Thank you, Adrian, for taking the time to share your opinions and experiences with us!

What is the state of YOUR printed photography portfolio?

doteditions — Fri, 21 May 2010 19:38:53 +0000

We are busy preparing for our June 9 discussion in the studio about new options for printing photography portfolios.

We are excited to announce that photo editor/photographer/workshop leader (for SalaamGarage) Maggie Soladay will be a guest speaker, to offer her input on the state of the printed photography portfolio in the digital age. If you’ve given up on your portfolio in lieu of your website, think again. Print is king in the virtual age, and art buyers and photo editors know it.

Until June 9, we’re wondering: What is the state of YOUR portfolio? Are you endlessly revamping it? Printing it yourself? Using plastic-sleeves? Letting it gather dust while you post new projects on your website or blog? Do you have one precious copy, or multiple copies that you constantly send out to editors? Please leave a comment below!!!

RSVP for the discussion here!

Photos from Show & Tell #3

doteditions — Wed, 19 May 2010 17:01:06 +0000

Last night’s Show & Tell was another smashing success! We had a great turn-out, despite the rainy weather, and all four of our speakers were each incredibly inspiring and articulate about their work.

Christina Paige discussing how she went from being a social worker to photographer.

Julia Gillard presenting her American Holidays and Feast projects

Gabriela Herman talking about her self-portraiture, and her new series, portraits of bloggers.

Manjari Sharma wrapped up the talks with her beautiful Shower Series images, and talked about how it lead to her first major advertising campaign.

Thank you to our four wonderful speakers, we wish them continued success! And thank you everyone who came, we hope to see you at the studio again soon. Here are more photos; thanks to Joanne Chan!