ASMP Los Angeles

ASMP LA Brain Trust Webinar Recording

Sej Saraiya — Wed, 21 May 2025 18:16:33 +0000

BE PART OF AN ASMP LOS ANGELES PHOTOGRAPHER’S BRAIN TRUST

REPLAY THE BRAIN TRUST INFO WEBINAR TO FIND OUT MORE AND CLICK HERE FOR A BRIEF QUESTIONNAIRE TO HELP US CREATE A GROUP TO SUIT YOU.

Brain Trusts have been a long standing and popular part of many chapters of the American Society of Media Photographers. Think of a Brain Trust as a small peer group for feedback, exchange of information, and support.

Participants meet on a regular basis, in person or online, to discuss photo related issues and connect with each other. Photographers of all specialties generally mix within a group, although participants have input as to how they organize. As some other chapters have done, ASMP-LA may form a separate group for photographers focusing on fine art and personal projects.

In our webinar discussion to learn how ASMP-NY makes it work, we hear from Frank Rocco, photographer and longtime Brain Trust participant from the New York chapter of ASMP. He’s joined by Laredo Montoneri, fellow brain trust participant and LA chapter board member. The discussion is moderated by Yulia Morris and Clay Larsen, also on the LA board of directors, with an introduction about ASMP by LA chapter president Nancy Kaye.

Make sure you’re on our mailing list to keep up on how this new program progresses. Joining and forming groups continues on an ongoing basis.

The post ASMP LA Brain Trust Webinar Recording appeared first on ASMP Los Angeles.

Protect Your Work in 2022: Links to Event Recording and Discounts

ASMP — Wed, 12 Oct 2022 15:10:35 +0000

The recording of our recent event, “Protect Your Work in 2022: What You Need to Know About Copyright Registration” brought to you by ASMP National, ASMP Los Angeles, and RightsClick, is available to everyone until till October 31.

If you’re not currently an ASMP Member (and we wish you would be by clicking here to sign up), you can view this program until October 31 by following this private link: https://vimeo.com/theasmp/protect-work-2022-webinar.

If you are an ASMP Member, you can view the replay of this program in the ASMP Academy Powered by Sony, in the Other Videos tab (found under “Courses and Curriculums” in the nav bar). This will be available on-demand along with the hundreds of hours of other videos available to you as a member!

For all ASMP Members and all attendees of this webinar, RighsClick is offering an exclusive discount. To get the discounted rate of $5.95 / mo., sign up at RightsClick with the invitation code MYWORKASMPMEMBER.

Thank you for being a supporter of ASMP!

The post Protect Your Work in 2022: Links to Event Recording and Discounts appeared first on ASMP Los Angeles.

ASMP-LA Board Meetings Open to All Members

Yulia Morris — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 23:59:16 +0000

ASMP-LA CHAPTER BOARD MEETINGS VIA ZOOM OPEN TO ALL ASMP MEMBERS OR THOSE INTERESTED IN MEMBERSHIP

Curious about how we organize events? Do you have an idea or suggestion to share with us? Or would you like to meet the board members, get involved, and perhaps join us?

The ASMP Los Angeles chapter board meets via Zoom the first Monday morning of each month from 9:30 to 11:00 AM. Contact Nancy Kaye at asmplaevents@gmail.com for further information.

Pop in and say hello – we’d love to meet you and welcome your participation. Together we can reinvigorate our chapter! Together we can do great things!

If you’d like to become a member and learn more about the benefits of ASMP membership, click here. Please contact us with membership questions or join ASMP here.

* * *

In recent months, ASMP-LA’s Board of Directors has undergone changes and eagerly look ahead to creating a thriving chapter. Our mission is to provide an inclusive and vibrant community that offers to our membership creative and professional opportunities in all media. We’re pleased to announce our 2022 board members:

Nancy Kaye, President @nancykayephotography

Emily Sandifer, Vice President @emilysandiferphoto @ladyemilytravels

Unique N. Halpert, Treasurer www.uniquenicole.com

Mykle Parker, Secretary @mykleparkerphotography

Sej Saraiya, Board Member www.sejsaraiya.com

Jasen Laks, Board Member https://www.jasenlaks.com

For more information about our board members visit: https://www.asmp.org/losangeles/contact/

The post ASMP-LA Board Meetings Open to All Members appeared first on ASMP Los Angeles.

A World At Home: Connecting Outer Lives and Private Spaces

Yulia Morris — Thu, 09 Jul 2020 19:18:35 +0000

A Group Photo Exhibition Documenting the First Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Nancy Kaye, Curator

In early spring 2020, the world was hit with the novel corona virus pandemic. Around the globe, people turned inward to stem the spread of the highly contagious COVID-19, reducing their worlds to their homes.

In response to our open call, ASMP-LA received pictures and written statements from across the U.S. and as far away as Japan and London that collectively illustrate this unprecedented moment in modern times.

Restricted only by the requirement that images were shot in 2020 and include text to connect the image to the theme, our group exhibition captures a wide range of personal stories and common concerns.

While the sense of isolation was profoundly apparent, the ways of coping were varied and creative. Juggling family and work life was a common theme, as was seeing the new limitations and routines through the eyes of children.

Viewed as a group photo essay, the narrative flows from the emotions of isolation, to managing unexpected challenges, to juggling family and work, and finally to the pull of the outside world.

Our exhibition A World At Home shows the talents of:

Nancy Kaye is a professional photographer, photo teacher, and curator in Los Angeles, with a background in photojournalism. She serves on the ASMP-LA board as treasurer, and organized their exhibition With Water, Without Water for The Annenberg Space for Photography Presents Photoville LA, last spring.

©Nancy Kaye, COVID-19 Hope, March 21, 2020
Though the streets are empty, people seek to connect with each other during this time of Los Angeles County’s stay at home order.

©John Lee, World at Home 1, Virginia
Another night of insomnia, waiting for COVID-19 to be declared a pandemic. As a dystopian science fiction writer, it is part responsibility and part morbid fascination to keep an ear open for news of any mysterious virus. I began following news of ‘Wuhan virus’ in December of 2019. I shot this looking out past my backyard around 3 a.m. on February 26, 2020.

©Molly Peters, Night Walk, Burbank, CA, May 7, 2020
Subconscious anxieties take form in a shadow on a nighttime walk through my neighborhood. A figure emerges, stretching across the street. I’ve walked by many times, but this is the only time when the shadow from trees and street lights took this form.

©David Zentz, Watching the Days Go By, May 16, 2020
My 1-year-old son passes the time looking at the neighborhood from his bedroom window. In many ways I’m glad all of the recent turmoil is occurring while he is too young to be aware. Nevertheless, we worry about so much isolation at a time when he would otherwise be learning to interact with other children and beginning to experience the world.

©Yulia Tregub Morris, Kira at home, Los Angeles
Kira was photographed via a video call as part of my series Virtual Photographs During the Stay at Home Order.
I have virtually visited homes of people in several countries including France, Russia, Indonesia, Armenia, Ukraine, and multiple states in the USA. I never thought of doing remote photoshoots, but as a creative person and an artist in my soul, I am happy I found this outlet.

©Tracy + David, Stuck At Home, Los Angeles
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, parents had to find creative ways to entertain their children without leaving their home and backyard. Weeks in, a child sits in the window watching people walk by the house, yearning to go outside and play, but feeling limited by the inability to leave.

©Yulia Tregub Morris, Nancy and Spencer, Santa Monica
Nancy and Spencer were photographed via FaceTime as part of my series Virtual Photographs During the Stay at Home Order. I directed them how to set up their phone outside their house and asked them to stand inside. I am glad I found this outlet to practice my creativity as well as stay connected. We are staying at home and no matter how far apart, we are all united and together in this extended period of isolation behind our windows and screens.

©Jeff_Gottesman, Together But Separate, Los Angeles
The 2020 Pandemic has pushed us into our hermetically sealed living spaces. Being forced to move life into our small cocoons, we can be living close to people and yet not know that others exist in close proximity. Together in proximity, but otherwise far apart.

©Nicolas Bates, Looking Back at the World, Los Angeles
Daniela takes a break from normal quarantine procedure to climb atop her rooftop in Silver Lake to stare back at the city she’s almost forgotten about. Daniela was a barback and student, but lost her job due to COVID-19. Frustrated with being bound to her apartment, she climbs on to her rooftop to escape it all. Shot May 2020.

©Denise Crew, AFTER the ANGRY, Silver Lake, Los Angeles
This was shot in my home where my son ripped all the books off his bookcase and threw things around in a rage of anger and frustration with quarantine. We’ve been teaching him that it’s OK to express his anger. He slammed the door of his room then he started throwing things. I looked in to remind him that it’s OK to be angry but we must still have respect for our belongings and not injure himself or anyone else. And I shut the door to let him do his thing. This was the aftermath, the exhaustion and release of getting his anger out. He took everything off of his bookshelves and bed… then lay on top of it.

© Drew Endicott, Cumulus Mediocris Meditation
Kipp Normand—artist, junk collector, armchair historian…misanthrope. Kipp’s main studio is in the Harrison Center in Indianapolis but his home is a wonderland of rare objects, antiques, books, historic materials, and a studio in a converted garage with a vintage letter press machine and a myriad of art-making materials. “A World at Home” during COVID-19 is no sentence of imprisonment for Kipp Normand; he never runs out of ways to be creative or entertain himself.

© Paula Rae Gibson, cross of hope, London, May 2020
This is a photograph of my daughter. I wanted to show her strength as she relies on her inner world, and realizes at this young age that your life and how you react to what happens to you is your doing. I’m amazed by her resilience and how she is studying online, grabbing this time to learn instead of travelling as was planned for her gap year.

©Deborah Hart, “After Covid. Who will be missing from my table?”, N. Hollywood
I captured this on May 12, 2020 in my backyard at the table my family and friends have gathered around for years. I’ve been documenting how different life is outside of our house. As spring approached, I started documenting all my flowers in the yard. I find myself sad to think that no one else will get to appreciate them this year and some might not make it back for our family meals.

©Susan J. Chen, Time Goes By
This is a still from my video ”Time Goes By,” a reflection on the slow passing of time spent at home through the beautiful bending of light around spaces and memories of home. The work was shot while in lockdown during April and May 2020 in Irvine, California. Watch the video here: https://vimeo.com/412569120

©Kim Maroon, Untitled, Boston
A handful of nights battling insomnia, I noticed the glow from my neighbors’ windows. I was immediately drawn to capturing them and reflecting on voyeurism, and the idea of being inside, looking outside to look in. These windows act as portals into the lives of people in my near physical space, yet all of which are unknown to me. My home has taken on many forms as my personal and work life have blended. Here my space becomes a vehicle from which I can view others’ spaces discreetly and attempt to escape mine for a brief moment.

©Mateo Guevara Lemeland, 2019 Flashback, Southampton, MA
This scene is an unmolested remnant of a party held in 2019 and, to me, it represents so much of my desires in this moment — to escape, to have fun again, to “fly away” from this, at times, nightmarish situation. I found so many things about it—from the sombrero as a symbol of my Mexican-American identity, to the single set of darts as a symbol of aloneness, to the “Learn to Fly” sign—to be very fitting in the current circumstance. It was taken in my basement in late April of 2020.

©Sej Saraiya, When Void Comes For Tea, Los Angeles
After being alone for a long period of time, human beings start to experience a void. We’re social animals by nature and community is a big part of our lives. We tend to fear the void. Living in a world where we’re constantly fed with information, we’ve forgotten how to live with the silence, forgotten the Tao concept of simply being, which is an essential aspect of one’s spiritual development. My second visitor was the Void. And instead of busying myself with yet another book, I decided to invite the void in for tea and conversation. This photo was shot in May 2020 in the backyard of my home.

©Sej Saraiya, Loneness, Los Angeles
Loneness is the first of a series of nine photographs created during the quarantine. The series demonstrates the metaphorical “visitors” I had during the lockdown period when having company over wasn’t allowed. The photographs testify to the various emotions a majority of the people felt during these unprecedented times. The first visitor was: Loneliness. It was shot on a beach in Los Angeles on June 5, 2020 after the ban was lifted.

©Ian Spanier, Bree, Los Angeles, April 24, 2020
This was part of a “safe shoot” where both subject and I met safely after a quarantine period. As a commercial photographer, I wanted to showcase my ability to shoot at home if needed, as an early anticipation/adaption of quarantine life. We played with the idea of a piece of fabric in homage to an Herb Ritts image we tried this set-up. Ironically it represents a bit of this new world we are living in, with something between our skin and others.

©Jeff_Gottesman, Corona Groceries, Los Angeles, May 29, 2020
Me: No, Instacart, cheesecake is not a good substitution for charcoal.
Me: No Instacart, you may have delivered the groceries, but it was not to my house.
Me: No Instacart, you will not find eggplant with the plants or the eggs. It’s purple, looks like a football and will be in the produce section.

©Alyce Henson, Puzzle Time With Grace
During a week in April 2020 I took care of my niece, Grace while both of her parents were working full-time. They hadn’t fully worked out childcare since her mom started a new job and Grace wasn’t in school during the day. Even under the strangest of circumstances during COVID-19, as an Aunt it was a treat for me to have this time with her doing puzzles, helping with homework, and brief trips to the park to play.

©Alyce Henson, Hive Inspection, Logan Square neighborhood, Chicago. May 22, 2020
Vicki Capalbo and Blake Beckstrom, backyard urban beekeepers for eight years, open hives to inspect the health of the colony. Beekeeping is one of the few things they could continue to enjoy while complying with the required social distancing practices.

©Kevin B. Jones, Pandemic Beekeeping, San Francisco, May 7, 2020
Despite the stay at home lock down orders, I and other beekeepers still need to prepare our bee hives for stationing. Bees are the primary pollinators for the majority of the plants grown here in California. At the end of the day there is no food source without them.

©Denise Crew, Gardening, Los Angeles, January 13, 2020
Our family started gardening during the quarantine. This was shot at my home in Silver Lake in Los Angeles. My family always had dreams of gardening in our yard but we never had the time. So now we have the time! And we also needed good projects for home schooling a 5 year old. This is my son attending to his seedlings of lettuce in the windowsill.

©Molly Peters, Regrowth, Los Angeles, May 3, 2020
After years of not owning plants due to my travel schedule, I’m now moving various plants throughout the day to maximize their exposure to the sunlight in my apartment. Like many people, I’ve been experimenting with regrowing vegetables from scraps while staying home.

©Gail Fischer, Flowers for Hope, Massachusetts
“Images of Hope, During COVID-19, “ came about from the hopeless feeling of not being able to do anything to help others. Using flashlights, color gels, and plexiglass shapes in my basement I created light drawings of pretty flowers. I posted the “electric flowers” to social media as a way to cheer other people —and made cards for the ER staff at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

©Denise Crew, Mani Pedi, Los Angeles, January 13, 2020
My son Axel paints my toenails. It’s always been a fun thing for us to do together — going to get a mani pedi before the quarantine — so now I’m letting him express his artistic skills on my toes instead.

©Tracy + David, Zoom Dance Party, Los Angeles
When COVID-19 hit the area, people started finding creative ways to socialize from home. Zoom happy hours and dance parties became the new normal. Crystal says the one benefit is that she gets to see her friends from all over the world more frequently now than she did previously, as they gather online at least once per week to socialize.

©Kaveh Sardari, Love In the Time of Corona, April 12, 2020
As we learn to deal with the unknown aspects of COVID-19 and its transmission, we need to re-think our previous concepts of safety and intimacy. This image explores our need to balance the risk of being exposed to the virus with our need for seduction and intimacy.

©Jonathan Mark Hedrick, Uncertainty, 7 Days Asunder, Los Angeles
The series “7 Days Asunder” was shot over the course of seven days during the pandemic. I converted a room in my apartment into a camera obscura and invited friends and family to pose with me for 2 minute-long exposures. The nature of inverse imaging from the technique lends itself to the feelings of an upside-down world and the darkness of isolation and depression. “Uncertainty” from the series, “7 Days Asunder” was shot during the first month of the coronavirus pandemic. This depicts how being isolated from the rest of the world can allow someone to be uncertain about their established reality, in contrast to an idea that things are “okay”.

©Alexandra Olsufiev, Bortsch, Paris
I got locked down in Paris where I had already started being vegan for 47 days. Confinement helped me be even more creative and travel through food. This is one of a Russian bortsch. I am a French asylum lawyer with Russian and Romanian origins and lived close to 10 years in Moscow. I miss the excitement and my amazing friends. This soup reminds me of the dinners I was hosting. It is a traditional Russian recipe from a 19th century book, with some French chef influences and my own touch.

©Tracy + David, Athlete Adapting, Orange County, California
When pools and gyms were closed due to COVID-19, athletes had to figure out creative ways to stay in shape and continue pursuing their sports, even when they couldn’t practice as a team or use facilities. Swimmers had to find creative ways to stay in shape, including using bungee cords to create resistance to make use of a small backyard pool.

©Tracy + David, Volleyball Practice With Dad, Orange County, California
When gyms closed and sports teams stopped practicing, kids were unable to finish the spring season of their sport. Here, a dad plays volleyball in the street with his two daughters using a makeshift net, as a way to help them continue progressing in their sport and to stay in shape.

©Victor Villegas, No Tennis, Los Angeles, March 26, 2020
With an interest in tennis both as a player and as a photo subject, and having curated an exhibit about African-American tennis professionals at Museum and Library, I was aware of how the pandemic limited ways we could exercise. Us tennis players had to take a long break. Courts were closed in late March and not reopened until late May. As of 6/2/20, players have to play singles, and doubles is not allowed yet. These locked courts are in Marina Del Rey.

©Jim Krantz, Neighborhood Downtime Portrait Series, Los Angeles, May 1, 2020
Great friends Alison and Garret, like the rest of us, hanging in there and making the most of it together. Shot in the Beachwood Canyon neighborhood, this is part of a series from the neighborhood during the days of isolation due to coronavirus.

©Katie Addo, Scout and Daddy at Dinner, Buffalo, NY
This was taken in April in our kitchen at home. We have been enjoying the ritual of dinnertime together and look forward to it each day as it signals the close of these seemingly endless days. This was a moment of Scout being goofy and Greg savoring this moment of joy.

David Zentz, The New Work-life, Los Angeles
Under stay-at-home orders my wife has been fortunate to be able to continue working, usually occupying what is normally my home office in order to maintain focus away from our 1-year-old. Of course, he manages to find her from time to time. Despite the distraction she’s enjoying the extra time working from home allows her to spend with the family.

©Denise Crew, Work From Home, January 13, 2020
I shot this at our home in Silver Lake in Los Angeles, California. This is my family: my husband, two sons and Sheepadoodle dog, Lola. This is what working from home looks like during the quarantine with two kids. My husband was trying to work and have a morning espresso but the kids also needed a lot of attention.

©Mara Zaslove, Outside Office
Those that are fortunate enough to still have a job have adapted to working from home. Taken while walking in my neighborhood during the week, this man and his dog soak up the sun while multitasking. Besides companionship, it seems that pets have been enjoying more attention from their owners being housebound.

©John Lee, World at Home 2, Virginia
Colin Sapsford draws a reminder of the COVID-19 lockdown. It has been two months since the president declared COVID-19 a pandemic but social distancing warps perception of time; it seems as if it’s been two years. Shot this outside my house on May 14, 2020

©John Lee, Hand Sanitizer, Virginia
As some states begin to ease back on the COVID-19 quarantine policy, here in Virginia, Collin Raetz dutifully applies hand sanitizer. My hands are very dry from being washed so frequently. I shot this on my back deck at 6 p.m. on May 22nd, 2020.

©Tracy + David, MBA From Home, San Juan Capistrano, California
When COVID-19 hit, schools were closed, and Ryan had to finish his graduate school semester doing classes on Zoom from the dining room table. Often in the evening, after working all day, he sits at the table studying or working with classmates online, while his kids do their homework at the table next to him.

©Leo Vaucher, Family Survival Kit, Irvine, CA, May 15, 2020
Going out of the house for groceries or a walk is now impossible without a mask, no matter what the mask is made of. Some fight online for a chance to find a mask—others make their own and innovate. But gas masks work as well…

©Edward Crandall, Foyer, Saga, Japan, May 14, 2020
When the children went back to school after weeks of stay-at-home, something new appeared in our foyer: a small table with a box on top that contains masks, antiseptic hand wipes, and a thermometer. These items have become a necessary part of going to school every day. How long will they have to remain in the foyer?

©Rob Aft, Essential Worker, Los Angeles, CA, April 4, 2020
The COVID-19 crisis has radically changed our conception of what makes workers essential to our daily lives. This woman’s job is to sanitize the surfaces that multiple people might touch along the Walk of Fame on Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, CA. She spoke no English (I speak Spanish) and likely is not well paid, but she had a cheery attitude. I like to think that this is because her work is valued in this new era.

©Rob Aft, Patriots?, Los Angeles, May 1, 2020
On May Day I checked out the Anti-Lockdown protests at City Hall. It was interesting to try to figure out what drove these people. It seemed to be a vague idea of “freedom” and a belief that there was an organized effort to take theirs
away. There was a lot of anger and fear but mostly a sort of party atmosphere — blowing off steam on a beautiful afternoon in downtown LA.

©Roger Wyan, Wait Here, California, April 2, 2020
Like many people during these trying times of COVID-19 I’ve taken on new projects around the house. Amid the COVID-19 outbreak social distancing became the new normal. Stores like Lowe’s in Merced, California reminded customers checking out where to stand, maintaining the necessary six-foot distance to remain safe from spread of the disease. Home improvement stores were very busy as people like myself took on home projects to pass the time during the pandemic.

©Roger Wyan, Social Distancing in an Elevator, California, May 21, 2020
This is an important picture for me because I have underlying health issues, which bring me to Stanford Health Care in San Jose, California once a month for treatment. A crowded elevator is a source of stress for some people depending on their own health issues. This woman turns her face into the corner in an effort to further protect herself from airborne coronavirus germs.

©Rob Aft, Mariachi, Los Angeles
Mariachis represent more than just music to the Mexican-American community. They are a vital connection to culture and celebration. Los Angeles is blessed with some of the best Mariachis north of the border, but their livelihood is threatened by COVID-19. They still wait for gigs in Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights where this picture was shot on May 8th. I thought this man projected strength in the face of adversity while also representing the silence. Harmonies are crucial to Mariachi performance, and, in the most simplistic terms, the virus has silenced their voices.

©Rob Aft, Grandma’s Pandemic Birthday, Los Angeles, May 4, 2020
The neighbors asked me to take a family portrait at the grandmother’s birthday party on their front lawn. We waited for the grandson to arrive, and he forgot his mask. This is the moment when the group scolded him in unison, his sister clung to their mother, and the father rushed to secure his mask. It was funny to shoot a socially-distanced portrait of the family.

©Roger Wyan, Auto Mask, California, April 2020
This image fits the theme “A World at Home” because I see my house and the surrounding community as my extended home. George Regalo of Merced, California displays a sense of humor during the pandemic outbreak. Mr. Regalo handmade an N95 mask for his classic 1958 BMW Isetta automobile. Using his sewing machine at home he stitch the extra large mask and said he enjoyed watching people smile when they saw his car. On the back he strapped down a six-pack of toilet paper for additional laughs.

©Roger Wyan, Drive Thru HS Graduation, California, June, 2020
The family of a graduating senior at Golden Valley High School in Merced, California makes lots of noise during the quick drive-through ceremony held in the parking lot of the school. This image is important to me because my own daughter graduated this year from college and the event we so looked forward to for many years was not to be.

©Mara Zaslove, Staying Positive, Los Angeles
Since the start of the virus, I have rarely been in my car. The other day, when taking my dog to the Vet, I passed by a sign that seems to be posted many places in Los Angeles. Here, in Santa Monica, the homeless are a part of our community experience. Often, while driving, if I see something interesting I find myself turning the car around to try and capture it photographically. This man was happy to pose for me.

The post A World At Home: Connecting Outer Lives and Private Spaces appeared first on ASMP Los Angeles.

ANNENBERG SPACE FOR PHOTOGRAPHY CLOSING

Nancy Kaye — Wed, 01 Jul 2020 20:38:27 +0000

Showcased Visual Storytelling, Created Community, and Brought Photoville to LA Where They Sponsored Our Exhibition

Written by Nancy Kaye

Philanthropist Wallis Annenberg who founded Annenberg Space for Photography, which was always free to the public, explained in a release, “…It’s been a joy and a privilege to share my favorite art form with the Los Angeles community for these ten wonderful years. Because a great photograph does so much more than capture what’s in front of us. It captures what’s deep inside us—the trials and the triumphs the naked eye rarely sees. That’s why the Photo Space has been so meaningful to me.”

It also meant a lot to over a million people who attended the Annenberg’s thought-provoking photo exhibitions, films, lectures by the exhibiting photographers, educational programs, and public concerts. The loss of such a vital and wonderful hub of photography sent shock waves throughout the photo community.

ASMP-LA in particular feels the loss as we gratefully recall the significant role the Annenberg had in mounting the photo festival Annenberg Space for Photography Presents Photoville LA in spring 2019 — an event also free to the public. Our group exhibition With Water/Without Water, which included the work of 22 ASMP members, was among 55 photo exhibitions displayed outdoors in photo cubes, banners, and repurposed shipping containers. Photoville—after nearly eight years in New York City—made its debut in Los Angeles, in great part with the generous support of the Annenberg Space for Photography.

The LA photo community will feel the loss of the Annenberg’s closing, but we’re grateful to it for recognizing the importance of visual storytelling, bringing the world to us through photography, and giving people the opportunity to more fully appreciate the way photography enriches our understanding of ourselves. We give our heartfelt thanks for what it gave over the past decade.

Going forward, the Annenberg Foundation plans to focus its philanthropy on aid to those affected by COVID-19 and to combating social injustice.

Past exhibits, archives of interviews, and audio tours of the Annenberg are still accessible through social media and at annenbergphotospace.org

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ASMP-LA Group Show With Water/Without Water at first Photoville L.A.

Nancy Kaye — Fri, 16 Aug 2019 06:30:08 +0000

Written by Nancy Kaye

This spring New York-based Photoville made its Los Angeles debut, transforming the outdoor space adjacent to The Annenberg Space for Photography into a photo festival rich with visual storytelling and inspiration. ASMP-LA was pleased to be a part of it with an exhibition entitled With Water, Without Water.

For two consecutive weekends, April 26-28 and May 2-5, 2019, the free photo festival Annenberg Space for Photography Presents Photoville LA spread out on the grassy area by the Annenberg in the heart of Century City. Fifty-five photo exhibitions were displayed in modular repurposed shipping containers, on vinyl sheets forming photo cubes, and with a variety of other creative displays.

ASMP-LA’s walk-in cube exhibited a juried group show comprised of 46 images. ASMP members nationwide were invited to submit photos that focused on the theme of California’s dependency on water. The show With Water, Without Water presented the work of 22 members whose images illustrated many facets of California’s water issues and the consequences of water scarcity, collectively telling the story of the importance of this vital but limited resource. While the state has a plethora of coastline that people flock to for recreation, freshwater is less abundant. Although California leads the nation in agriculture, its farm production is threatened by limited freshwater. At the same time, California is the largest state in population, which also results in a high demand for water.

The photography exhibition, curated by ASMP-LA board member Nancy Kaye, was designed with Molly Peters, the ASMP-LA president. The Annenberg Space for Photography had the photos and text printed on high quality, outdoor, weather-proof vinyl sheets, creating six panels each 6’ x 6’ in size. ASMP-LA is storing the vinyl sheets and looking for other venues to display With Water, Without Water.

Additional events included night time lectures and slide shows, daytime classes and activities, food trucks, and a beer garden. During Photoville’s education day, Amy Tierney, Molly Peters, and Nancy Kaye helped middle school students better understand the process of creating and curating photos to tell stories.

Photoville LA—which provided a unique opportunity for the local photo community to come together and share knowledge, stories, and inspiration—had more than 28,000 visitors.

ASMP Members featured in With Water / Without Water are:

Alex Sher                   Amy Tierney    Caleb Knueven
Chris Sattlberger   David Zentz   Denise Crew
Dennis Keeley   Gerard Burkhart    Grant Moxley
Ian Spanier   J. Michael Tucker   L. Aviva Diamond
Logan Miller    Maggie Shannon    Matthew Anderson
Melissa Roldan   Molly Peters    Nancy Kaye
Roger Wyan    Sonya Naumann    Stefanos Metaxas Valerie Kim

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Event Recap: Presenting Personal Projects @ The Leica Gallery

Logan C. Miller — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 18:50:13 +0000

Written by Nancy Kaye

On March 17th, ASMP-LA hosted Connecting With Personal Photo Projects at the Leica Gallery in West Hollywood. This was the first of what will be an ongoing forum for sharing photographic works!

Based on a call for entry, I selected five photographers working across a variety of genres to show 20 images that told stories ranging from documenting a place to a humorous take on the proliferation of dock-less “Bird” scooters to issues related to being an immigrant. Submissions were open to both members and non-members.

Eight photographers were also chosen to have 5 images from their project shown in a slide show that looped during the socializing portion of the event. All participating photographers are listed below along with photo documentation taken by event co-chair Logan Miller and me, who chaired the event.

Each full presentation included the photographer reading his/her artist statement and projecting the photos which was followed by a moderated discussion, focusing on how the photos reflected the photographer’s intent. The audience asked many questions and gave thoughtful feedback that the photographers appreciated.

ASMP-LA Membership Board Chair Aimee Santos provided invaluable technical help in collating the work and running the projector. Other board members in attendance, Angela So and Amy Tierney were helpful in seeing that the event went smoothly.

It was a creatively inspiring afternoon with the photographers not only connecting with an audience but with each other. The lovely ambience of the Leica Gallery and its current show of work by Michael Muller was enjoyed by all as well.

The five presenters and their projects:

David Zentz: The Birds
Mark Indig: Ohi-Yo River
Natasha Rudenko: Bodily Confessions
Nino Rakichevich: Plight of the Gypsies
Monica Leal Cueva: Our Lady de Guadalupe in Los Angeles: A Mexican Searching for her Mexican-ness

The eight photographers who had excerpts of their projects in the slide loop were:

Dawn Bowery: California Dreaming: Real Life Stories of Brits in LA (water shot)
David Green: The Other Side of the Lens
Ian Spanier: Right Next Door
Justine Bursoni: Amicus Mortis
Larry Brownstein: Hollywood
Paula Rae Gibson: Hear it in my Spirit
Stefanos Metaxas: People in their Moment
Zoe Aparicio: Baggage

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Event Recap – What It Takes: Building a Creative Career

Logan C. Miller — Thu, 21 Feb 2019 18:01:09 +0000

Article and Images by: Logan C. Miller

Feb. 21st, 2019

It has been about a year now since I moved to Los Angeles and I still get excited to drive across town despite excruciatingly heavy traffic. I’ve noticed that I get particularly giddy right as you cross the bridge from Atwater Village into Los Feliz. Seeing the city sky line sprawl out across the valley gives me inspiration and hope. It is a reminder of why I came out to Los Angeles in the first place and why many make the pilgrimage to California. We came out here to find a better life and start our careers. In pursuit of this dream, I had the pleasure of attending “What It takes: Building a Creative Career” a presentation by ASMP National board member Barry Schwartz.

My destination for the day took me right in the center of Hollywood. The Los Angeles Center of Photography is located right off the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Wilcox Avenue and is surrounded by a plethora of coffee, bars, shopping and the occasional guy dressed up as Spiderman. I prepared myself for a full day of documenting and learning. The air was electric with anticipation as professionals and amateurs alike shuffled through the front doors to socialize inside, quickly becoming a full house. The event had a scheduled run time from 9 am till 4 pm, and many came equipped with pens, notepads, questions, and audio recorders to absorb as much information as possible. Once introductions and the first round of coffees were finished, everyone settled in for the presentation.

Over the course of the event, we talked about the importance of a well-organized and thorough digital workflow, making sure you develop your people skills and how to use them in your business, and making sure you have a strong web/social media presence especially in today’s market. Barry’s comprehensive coverage certainly resonated with me, which led me to ask a few of the attendees what their takeaways were from the experience.

Andrew Amani: Well, I came here with the mindset of “I don’t know anything” because I want to be an open book and absorb as much as possible. There was plenty of good information that was really specific and really just broadened my horizons so much, and you can’t beat the price. It was worth the investment to come out (to LACP) and coming here really solidified that answer. It’s a really great place.

Ellen Friedlander: I came for any tidbits that could help me be more focused on my journey. Platon, the little video he shared… that was remarkable because when I go shoot a portrait I will remember what he said, like how he talked to (President Bill) Clinton and how all of a sudden, he got that pose. Just little things like that. I liked the idea that he interwove little clips of real people living their dream, and that’s what I’m doing. I’m living my dream, and it’s all possible.

I reached out to Barry after the presentation and had a few questions of my own to ask him:

Logan: Where does your passion for photography come from?

Barry: Like so many photographers, I started taking photos seriously in my teens, tried to quit many times, and failed routinely.

L: What motivates you as an educator?

B: Teaching, first of all, is a give-back to all those people who helped me find my way, whether in person or online or in a magazine. It’s an old cliché, but true, that if you take it seriously, it will affect how you do your job – makes you stay conscious about the gig. Finally, it’s fun!

L: What do you believe are the biggest challenges in the photography industry today?

B: Separating oneself from the competition to show your worth, remaining excited about the job (true for every profession), and negotiating a fair fee.

L: What are the top 3 important take-a-ways from your presentation?

B: One – Working for yourself is as much – or more – about people skills than any other aspect. Two – Value your skills and talent and what you bring to the table. Three- Don’t devalue the importance of business basics – that’s what will keep you employed.

L: When was the moment that you realized that you had what it took to make a solid photography career?

B: No single moment, but repeated validation from clients, and then, later, after looking hard at more successful photographers, realizing I had the chops to do work just as good.

L: What information do you know now that you wish you could tell your past self?

B: Get more sleep.

L: Any final words of encouragement for emerging photographers?

B: Just keep going!

In summary, if you’re a photographer who finds yourself smack dab in the middle of your career, then “What It takes: Building a Creative Career” is a stunning and comprehensive learning experience. Barry Schwartz uses his insight from a successful career to share intuitive and comprehensive knowledge with a quirky sense of humor along the way. You can find the links that Barry talks about in his presentation here: http://barryschwartznotbarryschwartz.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/WORKSHOP_RESOURCES_DOWNLOAD.pdf

A great big thank you/shout out to Barry Schwartz, the Los Angeles Center for Photography team, our wonderful ASMP and LACP members who made it out to the event, and our very own board of directors, who helped organize this wonderful event.

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Event: Canon Motion Photography Workshop

abtierney — Thu, 06 Dec 2018 20:59:27 +0000

Published by Amy Tierney.

On December 4, 2018 Canon’s Burbank location generously hosted a “Motion Photography Workshop” event for our members that I was happy to Chair. I hope the following photos captured by our ASMP-LA Board member (and Co-Chair for the event) Logan Miller inspire you to come out to one of our next events. Expand your network and empower your business! (After the photos read about what skills the workshop offered).

It was an evening of networking and exploration. We took a look at the current lineup of Cinema (the C200), mirrorless (Canon EOS R) and DSLR cameras from Canon and talked about the art of motion photography. There were 4 demonstration areas where attendees could learn about cameras, sound, and workflow production and post, as well as ask the pros at Canon about shooting 4K video for narrative or documentary storytelling. If you were there – we’d love to hear your feedback! And if you weren’t there, we hope to see you next time!

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Member Spotlight: Rainer Hosch

fluidframe — Fri, 28 Sep 2018 00:13:32 +0000

Rainer Hosch is a portrait photographer and documentarian of modern life. His photographs are a testament to an a unflinching and curious eye. He has spent the last year working on a personal project that documents the beach near his home in Topanga. The Topanga Beach Series marks a new creative path for Rainer. This large format series of images focuses on the landscape – that is the sand, ocean and water – as the subject for a new body of portraits.

How did you start this project? What was your inspiration?

The intersection of the Pacific Coast Highway and Topanga always felt like the final frontier in my mind, where America ends and a new horizon begins. My journey from Vienna to New York City and finally to Los Angeles lead me incrementally closer to the beach. The project started when my family moved to Topanga Canyon, a relatively short distance from the coastline. Every time I made the turn from Topanga Boulevard onto PCH in my car, I would pull over, admire the view and celebrate my arrival to a place that I had dreamt of for so long. I started taking pictures on my iPhone, which became a diary of my visits to the beach. I knew I wanted to focus on the culture of Topanga Canyon and its eclectic community. Intuitively the beach felt like the perfect location and after reviewing the images I had already taken, I realized the project began before I formally started.

How often do you shoot at Topanga? Do you always go at the same time?

I try to shoot every day but have to make adjustments according to my work and travel schedule. Some days I arrive but find nothing worth documenting so I’m just happy enjoying the view.

I don’t always shoot at the same time of day because I want to capture different atmospheric elements like the shifting clouds and changing tides. I first began shooting in the winter when the beach was empty. As the weather got warmer more people appeared. Initially, I was frustrated when I discovered crowds of people on the sand because I thought I would not include people in the photographs. I then realized that it was part of the story of Topanga Beach.

Do you frame it exactly the same every time or is it always a little different?

I always place the horizon at the center of the image. The framing can change based on which lens I decide to use. There’s an area about 20 feet wide that gives me an unobstructed view of the beach, then I decide where to set my camera based on what I see that day and I always place the camera straight ahead.

What gear do you use?

I use a Cambo SC 8×10 Large Format Camera with a Fujinon A 240mm f9 and a Schneider G-Claron 305mm f9. I’m also working with a Medium Format Mamiya RZ Pro II using an M 65mm f4 L-A lens and a 75mm f/3.5 KL lens.

How did you make the choice to shoot 8×10?

At the inception of the project, I knew that I wanted to shoot on film and that I wanted the images to be as large as possible. I chose 8×10 because the format offers the best detail for large-scale prints. In the process of shooting, I realized it has limitations. Due to its slower speed, I wasn’t able to properly capture people moving on the sand or crashing waves. I realized I needed to include Medium Format which provides a speed which is simply not possible with the 8×10.

This is very different from your commissioned work. How does this inspire or influence that work (or vice versa)?

The photographic process doesn’t change whether it’s a commissioned work or a personal project. In my commissioned work I mainly get hired to work with people, portraiture being my specialty. The beach is now the subject of the work but I approach it with the same curiosity as a traditional portrait. One big difference is that commissioned shoots always involve a level of collaboration, especially on bigger productions. With a personal project, I have the power to make all the decisions and I go out on my own to find what speaks to me. The opportunity to have full artistic freedom creates a balance that is crucial to my practice.

https://www.rainerhosch.com/

Instagram

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