I’m delighted that my photo Night Thoughts won the Havana Times 2014 Photo Contest in the Cuba by Night category. This sixth annual contest had over 550 entries that went through three rounds of evaluation by 20 jurors. Thanks to Circle Robinson, editor of the Havana Times, for conducting the contest.
Night Thoughts – Havana, Cuba
Category: Photography
Day of the Dead – Nazareno Etla
A surreal procession wends its way through the dimly-lit streets of Nazareno Etla, Oaxaca, at nightfall during the Day of the Dead celebrations. Here are some images that I captured during this event in November 2013, after the final day of a workshop with Ernesto Bazan. The first image in the slideshow was also included in Aline Smithson’s Lenscratch Trick or Treat Exhibition.
Feature Shoot Subway Photos
The public transit systems provide a fascination location for candid photography. Whenever I step into a subway station it feels as though I have entered a magnificent theater with a diverse cast of characters performing in an unscripted play on an ever-changing stage. I’m delighted that two photos from my Metro series are included in the Feature Shoot article 35 Voyeristic Photos of People on Public Transport Around the World. The show was judged by Travis Ruse, Photography Director at Inc. Magazine, and includes images from 15 locations by 25 photographers.
Metro Line 3 near Coyoacan, Mexico City
Linea 1 near Museo, Naples
Surviving the Facebook Black and White Challenge Virus
The following is a recap of my five-day ordeal with the Facebook #BlackAndWhiteChallenge virus where I posted five images from my series Eiffel Tower from Trocadero Plaza taken in 2009.
October 27 – Day 1
Autumn has arrived and it’s now the cold and flu season. Unfortunately, I’ve been infected by the dreaded Facebook #BlackAndWhiteChallenge virus which I caught from Alex Brikoff after logging on to my account.
According to epidemiologists, the best way to stop this scourge is to isolate infected individuals and to trace anyone that they may have had contact with. I intend to avoid using my camera during the five days that I’m posting images. I also promise not to nominate any of my friends to post their images in order to diminish the spread of this plague.
Eiffel Tower from Trocadero Plaza (2009) – Leica M8, 35mm Summicron ASPH f/5.6, ISO 400, 1/250 sec, lens cap on.
October 28 – Day 2
Lens cap problem discovered and my solution is progressing nicely.
I remain in quarantine, firmly determined not to pass this insidious virus on to any of my friends. Ironically, today is Dr. Jonas Salk’s 100th birthday. Oh, if he could only help us now!
Eiffel Tower from Trocadero Plaza (2009) – Leica M8, 35mm Summicron ASPH f/5.6, ISO 400, 1/60 sec, removing lens cap.
October 29 – Day 3
Lens cap problem fully solved. My temperature is normal, and I’ve been avoiding direct contact with anyone that has a Facebook account and a camera or cell phone.
Ironically, today is the 110th anniversary of the opening of the IRT subway line in New York City, where the #BlackAndWhiteChallenge virus has been festering, albeit in a much less infectious form, since 1938.
Eiffel Tower from Trocadero Plaza (2009) – Leica M8, 35mm Summicron ASPH f/5.6, ISO 400, 1/60 sec, lens cap finally off.
October 30 – Day 4
Oops! I dropped the Leica lens cap on the ground. That small piece of plastic costs $29.95, and of course I bent over and pick it up.
Coincidentally, today marks the 107th aniversary of the invention of Bakelite, a phenol-formaldehyde polymer that was the world’s first fully synthetic plastic, by Leo Baekeland. In 1894, Baekeland also invented Velox Paper, the first paper suitable for black and white contact printing.
Eiffel Tower from Trocadero Plaza (2009) – Leica M8, 35mm Summicron ASPH f/8, ISO 800, 1/90 sec, lens cap dropped on ground.
October 31 – Day 5
Success at last! I’ve finally captured this photo of the Eiffel Tower from Trocadero Plaza. Unfortunately, it appears that some camera settings were inadvertently changed when I bent over to pick up the lens cap. Luckily, I was shooting RAW, so it was possible to recover lost details in post-processing. Although some may think that this image is slightly overexposed, I prefer to believe that it vividly demonstrates the illusive Leica Glow.
Eiffel Tower from Trocadero Plaza (2009) – Leica M8, 35mm Summicron ASPH f/2.8, ISO 1250, 1/2 sec.
I’m pleased to report that this ordeal is finally over and that I haven’t transmitted the #BlackandWhiteChallenge virus to anyone else. I’ve also developed permanent immunity to any future infections by that virus. I’m now eagerly awaiting an invitation to the White House so that Barack can give me a hug and reiterate that we are not a nation ruled by fear.
Phinney Center Gallery Exhibition
I’ll have two prints in the Phinney Center Gallery Northwest Fine Arts Competition Exhibition juried by Jody Bento and Dionne Haroutunian. The show will run from October 8 through November 7 with an opening reception on Friday, October 10, from 7 to 9 pm.
Young Couple, Bosque de Chapultepec – Mexico City
Metro Line 4 near Château d’Eau – Paris
The artists featured in the exhibition are: Jo Braun, Brittany Faulkner, Susan Gans, Stephen Gilbert, Bill Hodge, Gay Jensen, Jessica Jorgensen, Gail Larson, Anita Lehmann, Stan Raucher, Susan Rotondo, Amy Smith, Dara Solliday, Melissa Wax and Lee Withington.
The gallery is located in the Phinney Neighborhood Association, 6332 Phinney Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103.
Phone 206 783 2244. The gallery hours are Monday-Friday 9 am to 10 pm and Saturday 9 am to 2 pm.
PhotoWorld 2014 Exhibition
I’m honored to be a finalist in the PhotoWorld 2014 Exhibition in the Documentary category with six prints from my series The New Promised Land. The exhibition opening reception will take place at The POWERHOUSE Arena on Friday, September 26, from 6-8 pm, on the opening day of the Dumbo Arts Festival, and it will be on display through November 10.
Featureshoot Article – The New Promised Land
Much thanks to Alyssa Coppelman for her wonderful article and interview in Featureshoot on The New Promised Land, my documentary project on Los Israelitas, an evangelical group living deep in the Amazon rain forest. Thanks also to Photolucida Critical Mass where Alyssa saw the first stage of this work in 2013, and to Karen Davis of the Davis Orton Gallery in Hudson, NY, where twelve prints from this project are on display until August 30. Most importantly, thanks to my friend Ernesto Bazan, whose adventurous spirit help to make this project possible.
A Sabbath Prayer
ISLA – The Cuban Trilogy by Ernesto Bazan
My copy of ISLA by Ernesto Bazan arrived this morning and I’m amazed by its beauty. The book, the last part of Bazan’s Cuban Trilogy, contains 83 black and white panoramic photographs taken during the many years he lived and worked in Cuba. The images are presented in a subtle yet compelling sequence which is augmented by occasional salient quotes. There is also a ten-page essay and interview by Marlaine Glicksman that provides an insightful capstone to Bazan’s Cuban Trilogy.
The 182 page large format book, 17 by 10 inches, has a lovely linen cover, letterpress title and inset print. The paper and print quality are among the finest I’ve seen anywhere. The limited edition copies come with a sturdy presentation box, covered in the same manner as the book, and a signed silver gelatin fiber print.
Copies of ISLA, as well as the first two books of the trilogy, Bazan Cuba (2008) or Al Campo (2011), are available directly from Bazan Photos Publishing.
Exhibition at Davis Orton Gallery
Twelve prints from my series The New Promised Land will be on display at the Davis Orton Gallery from August 1 to August 30, 2014. This series documents Los Israelitas, an evangelical Christian sect living deep in the Amazon rain forest, whose beliefs and practices harken back to biblical times. The group was founded in 1958 by Ezequiel Gamonal in Peru. Gamonal proclaimed that he had been chosen by God to inaugurate the new Israel, and he declared the Amazon rain forest to be the New Promised Land. I took these photographs during multiple visits to their remote community on the banks of the Amazon River in May 2013 and June 2014.
The Davis Orton Gallery is located at 114 Warren Street in Hudson, NY, and is open Friday-Sunday from Noon to 6pm and by appointment. Phone 518 697 0266.
The New Promised Land
A lengthy journey down the Amazon River leads to a remarkable discovery that harkens back to biblical times. Los Israelitas, an evangelical sect that blends early Christian beliefs with the pageantry of Hollywood cinema, live in small agricultural communities scattered along the banks of the river. The group, officially known as Asociación Evangélica de la Misión Israelita del Nuevo Pacto Universal (AEMINPU), was founded in 1958 by Ezequiel Gamonal in Peru. Gamonal, a village shoemaker from southern Peru who enjoyed the movies of Cecil B. DeMille, converted from Catholic to Seventh-day Adventist in the 1950s. Several years later, Gamonal proclaimed that he had been chosen by God to inaugurate the new Israel. He declared the Amazon rain forest to be the New Promised Land, and many of his followers left their homes throughout Peru to colonize these remote territories and begin a new way of life.
Los Israelitas observe the Sabbath on Saturday. A large copy of the Ten Commandments (La Ley Real) and a small ark are on display at the front of their sanctuary. Men do not cut their hair or beards, and women and girls cover their hair with headdresses. Their version of the bible includes both the Old and New Testaments. Like the Seventh-day Adventists, they do not observe Christmas or Easter, and there are no crosses or representation of Jesus, Mary or Saints to be found anywhere.
From Sunday through Friday, the men wear ordinary clothing and tuck their long hair under baseball caps while they fish, tend their livestock, and work the fields, the women care for their children or teach in the local school, and the children attend school, play with friends and tend to their chores.
There are elaborate celebrations on Saturdays for the Sabbath, and every month on the occasion of the new moon. Men dress in long, flowing robes and hold their well-worn bibles, women wear their finest garb, and young girls carry tambourines festooned with colorful ribbons. The day-long services, with men and women sitting on opposite sides of the sanctuary, include bible readings, sermons, and the singing of hymns accompanied by a brass band and shaking tambourines. After a break at midday when a hearty meal is served in the common dining room, the congregation returns to the sanctuary for more prayers, hymns and readings.
The priests then prepare and carry out an animal sacrifice, which may be a few small doves, a lamb or even a full-grown bull. The offering is carefully cleaned, rubbed with salt and anointed with olive oil. The priests construct a large pyre on the altar in front of the sanctuary, and place the offering on the flames while the brass band plays and congregation looks on and prays. These images provide a glimpse into the celebrations of this unusual community living deep in the Amazon rain forest.
