Vignettes

Blog Overhaul

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis Rito) — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 05:10:00 +0000

This blog has been inactive for a very long time after family life and a very painful crisis got in the way (we lost Nathan Angelo, our first born, last year). I hope I can find the courage to write about that experience someday.

Finally, I decided to move my blog to dennisrito.com/blog. I won't be deleting nor exporting my blogposts so that my new blog will be a totally new 'slate' to write upon.

In case you like to subscribe to my new blogs' RSS, please update your subscription. This will be my last post on dennisrito.blogspot.com.

EcoLOGIC Exhibit Opens today

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis Rito) — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 05:38:00 +0000

Some of my work in the Home Sweet Home series will be included in the EcoLOGIC Exhibit which opens today at baguio Museum. To bad I won't be present during the opening reception though. In case you're in Baguio, please feel free to drop by at the exhibit. The show is curated by J. Crisanto Martinez and will be up until April 29th.

Among the artist included in the exhibit are: William Antonio, Ral Arrogante, Aaron Bautista, JCrisanto Martinez, Wayan Narra, Andy Orencio, Christian Regis, Marga Rodriguez, and yours truly.

The Baguio Museum is located at the DOT Compound, Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, 2600 Philippines. For inquiries about the EcoLOGIC artworks and the exhibition, please contact Ms. Gemma Gardingan at (6374) 444.75.41, sms at (+63) 915.655.06.68, or thru email at baguio_museum@yahoo.com. Further inquiries about the artists and the artworks can be coursed thru sms at (+63) 922.331.41.08, or via email at info@jcrisanto.tk.

How to Deal with Infringements

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis Rito) — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 08:49:00 +0000

Rob Haggart of A Photo Editor writes a lengthy post on how to deal with infringements. Read more here.

Pepa Hristová's 'Sworn Virgins'

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis Rito) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 08:41:00 +0000

"Sworn Virgins" are women, who have sworn for a life-long virginity in order to fit into the role of men. This has nothing to do with transsexualism. Instead, it is about a rise in the hierarchy of the strictly patriarchal society in Albania; from there on they are classified as men. I was interested in the continuation of this ancient tradition for the preservation of the male domination in a country, which, belonging to Europe, is located no further than 1200 kilometres from the western educated world. Secondly I am very interested in the striking role change of these women, which also has a great impact on their psyche and physiognomy. Over the years their facial features hardens, their voice becomes deeper, outside the family they are not recognized as females anymore. Many of them were also saying that they have never experienced menstruation. They renounce every kind of sexuality for their entire life, which includes any kind of partnership and marriage. I have great respect for these women and the life they have chosen. I am fascinated by the power of this inner attitude.

Continue reading here.

See more of Hristová's 'Sworn Virgins' series here.

Thank you!

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis Rito) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 03:20:00 +0000

To all of you who had been following this blog for quite sometime now, thank you very much! Will be off to Antique Province for the Christmas and New Year. Will be back on the 3rd day of January 2010.

Felt a bit sad though that I have to postpone my trip to Albay province for next year to photograph some portraits (and Mayon Volcano which now is very active!).

Photo: filipino-foods.com

dennisrito.com

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis Rito) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 08:00:00 +0000

It took me a little while to decide between a custom-made and a template-based website. But due to budget constraints, I eventually decided to have a template-based website instead.

Indeed, my workshop with Peter Bialobrzeski and Espen Eichoeffer had been instrumental in helping me find my own 'voice'. I must admit that I was influenced by German photography and all the more I am being drawn to the conceptual approach.

I'll continue to challenge myself and work on several projects I am planning to pursue. Feel free to visit my website. Enjoy!

Dulce Pinzon

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis Rito) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 11:13:00 +0000

From her series 'Superheroes' which objective is to 'pay homage to these brave and determined men and women that somehow manage, without the help of any supernatural power, to withstand extreme conditions of labor in order to help their families and communities survive and prosper.'

“Superheroes” features Mexican immigrant in New York in a satirical documentary style featuring ordinary men and women in their work environment donning superhero garb, thus raising questions of both our definition of heroism and our ignorance of and indifference to the workforce that fuels our ever-consuming economy.

Dulce Pinzon's work seem to have a semblance with Marc Lathuillière's (which work 'France Face Lost' will be shown in an exhibit next year here in the Philippines).

Stella Kalaw: Cubao Series

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis Rito) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 12:52:00 +0000

I admire Stella's soft-lit and quiet interiors. Her images are quite inviting too. The chiaroscuro of light in some of her images (above) reminds me of the work of Flemish painters particularly Jan van Eyck.

Art Statement for Cubao Series...

I saw my grandparents once since migrating to America years ago. It was right after I graduated from school in California. My heart ached as I sat next to Lola (grandmother). I held her hand. She had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease and diabetes for years. Before I left, she was still vibrant and it was difficult to see her in this condition. Then Lolo (grandfather) came out from the dining room. I stood up and greeted him with a mano- (I took his hand and pressed it to my forehead). I don't know if he recognized me but I asked how he was doing. All he could mutter was "Ha?" He was hard of hearing. My Lola died in 2002 and my Lolo passed away a week after I took these photographs. Even when I was a child, I hardly knew them despite having spent many birthdays, holidays and vacations together. My memories are few but visiting Cubao resurfaced many that I had forgotten."

View the Cubao Series here.

Visit Stella's blog here.

On post processing

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis Rito) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:34:00 +0000

'Avedon's instructions to his printer' via - Monoscope

I can very well remember when someone posted a comment in one of my photo asking if the vignettes were done in-camera (and not in Photoshop). I replied that, no it's not done in-camera. And the guy posted in reply "Oh, I thought it was done in-camera"

I have nothing against post processing except that, like any other things, it must be done moderately and in a tasteful manner. Lest it'll turn out as a digital art and not a photograph.

'Last One Out, Please Turn On The Light'

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis Rito) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:56:00 +0000

This project, shot on 4"x5" film, documents London's remaining professional darkrooms. It is based on my nostalgia for a dying craft (there are no young printers). It is in these rooms that printers have worked their magic, distilling the works of photographers such as David Bailey, Anton Corbijn and Nick Knight into a recognisable 'look'.

From: 'Last One Out, Please Turn On The Light'

Warning: Facebook and MySpace Strip Photo Copyright Data

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis Rito) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:11:00 +0000

Some social media sites are less than helpful than others at letting photographers maintain control of their intellectual property, according to a new report. Photographers who take the time to label their photos with copyright metadata may find it's all for nothing, since Facebook and MySpace erase it anyway.

A report published this week by the American Society of Media Photographers examines the terms of service (TOS) for Facebook, Photobucket, Flickr, MySpace, YouTube and Twitter.

None of these social media sites claim ownership of user-submitted images, and all of their TOS agreements have been scrutinized before. But the ASMP report finds fresh reasons for concern.

Continue Reading here.

Related link:
Best Practice Recommendations for Social Networking Sites

Found via: The Click

Case Study Homes by Peter Bialobrzeski

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis Rito) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:18:00 +0000

Described as "one of the most significant movements in post-World War II architecture" , the Case Study House Program "included the building and design of 36 experimental modern prototypes single-family homes in Southern California." The Program's announcement stated that it was "important that the best material available be used in the best possible way in order to arrive at a 'good' solution of each problem, which in the over-all program will be general enough to be of practical assistance to the average American in search of a home in which he can afford to live." Case Study House No. 22, "L.A.'s original dream home", was made famous by photographer Julius Shulman. The houses in Peter Bialobrzeski's Case Study Homes are also "good solutions", affordable to live in, but they lack the cool and glamour of Case Study House No. 22.

Continue reading 'Review: Case Study Homes by Peter Bialobrzeski' over at Conscientious

I don't like Photography

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis Rito) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:31:00 +0000

I see fine art photography as hemmed in by three ‘P’s: painting, poverty, and Pentax. From its inception, photography established itself as art by trying to move into the space abandoned by painting.

Continue reading "I don't like Photography"

Found via Hippolyte Bayard on Facebook.

Fine Art Photographers

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis Rito) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:44:00 +0000

Importantly, though, these fine art photographers also have a mission and a sense of purpose based on craft, ingenuity and often a desire to experiment. Their work and the techniques they use to achieve their goals are often different from photojournalists'. I saw photos reproduced in traditional silver prints, chromogenic prints, large-scale inkjet prints, electron microscopy, gum bichromate-cyanotype prints. Their passion for what they do is every bit as strong as that of photojournalists. They, too, look for images they can freeze in time, but they do it differently. What they shoot is not necessarily of the moment. They spend time, sometimes hours, often days, searching for an image, unlike the immediacy that a photojournalist lives by when he or she is on the front lines, a battleground, a car crash, a fire or what is seemingly benign, a news conference or a sit-down interview.

Continue reading "Fine Art Photographers" by Ron Steinman (Digital Journalist)

Via: The Click

Rare Color Photographs from Farm Security Administration (FSA)

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis Rito) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:11:00 +0000

Photo by Jack Delano. Sharecroppers chop cotton on rented land near White Plains, Greene County, Georgia, 1941

I was surprised to see these 14 rare color photographs from the FSA published by PDN recently since most of the photographs I have seen in photography books and even in online archives are in black and white. It was interesting to note that these photographs were shot during the American great depression era, sometime between 1930s-40s.

It seem to me that some of these photographs have a contemporary feel in them and it seem hard to make a connection that these photographs were from a bygone era except for some visible signs (i.e. clothing/ hair style, etc). Some even argue that these photos were Photoshopped! You be the judge. Head on to PDN and don't forget to scroll down on the comments section for an interesting historical discourse.

Related links:
Farm Security Administration
Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, FSA-OWI Collection

As it is: A Collective Portrait

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis Rito) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

As it is, the collective output from Espen Eichhöfer workshop is now online. Espen Eichhöfer was invited by Goethe Institut – Manila last September, to conduct a photography workshop on portrait photography at Silverlens Gallery as its contribution to its regional project, City Scapes. Goethe Institut focused on the Philippines as it was the only country in the Southeast Asian region that enthusiastically responded to the first workshop.

My grateful appreciation to Goethe-Manila, Silverlens Gallery, Espen Eichoefer, Henry Bateman for helping me in crafting my artist statement, my co-workshoppers, my friends who had helped in linking me up to possible subjects and most specially to various individuals who had willingly participated in my project. Thank you so much!

Day Four

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis Rito) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:40:00 +0000

Dayfour is a magazine of personal work, mainly by photographers. Like any magazine, it has a variety of contributors, runs collections of (visual) articles, and is printed and published periodically. Some people call it a book, because, well, it looks like a book. In fact it is produced more like an album: issues are put out once a year, each one built around a theme. Dayfour magazine is printed digitally in a very small, numbered, limited edition (we don't have much money). It is produced annually so we can put lots of thought into each issue (and carry on with the day job). The worldwide publishing industry does a great deal of damage to the environment, and so dayfour makes a virtue of being small and an effort to be beautiful.

Online Symposium: Seeking Justice - Social Activism through Journalism & Documentary Practice

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis Rito) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 07:34:00 +0000

The Centre for Documentary Practice invites you to logon and join the world’s first online journalism and documentary conference on October 15th 2009, starting 12:01am (GMT).

Speakers include Paul Fusco, Ed Kashi, Jodi Bieber, Marcus Bleasdale, Shahidul Alam, Gary Knight, Robin Hammond, Adam Ferguson, Travis Beard, Michael Coyne, Masaru Goto, Jack Picone, Megan Lewis, and more to be confirmed.

On October 15th we will connect an international community of documentary practitioners and journalists for one day, to share stories, to stimulate discussion and debate about our discipline, and to inspire each other to continue the fight for justice.

Register now for this free online conference.

Deluge

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis Rito) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 03:55:00 +0000

Neither of us was spared from Ketsana's wrath last September 25 (Saturday). I was in Gil Puyat Avenue for a meeting with a supplier when I received an SMS from my sister asking me to go home and help them salvage our belongings. It was also supposedly the last day of our workshop with Espen Eichhoefer at Silverlens. I managed to take the MRT up to Cubao. On my way, I saw cars and buses sank in flood waters near Camp Crame, with some men still swimming near the Camp perimeter fence. What made worse was when I reached Cubao - I can't find a jeep and Farmers also is closed so there's no way for me to pass through to LRT Line 2 which will take me to J.Ruiz Station (the nearest station from where we live). With that, I decided to walk in flooded streets up until Partas Bus Terminal. Still, no jeep was in sight. I was gripped with fear as I failed to advise them (my wife and sister) to switch off the main fuse box. Feeling frustrated to go home, I managed to hitch on a motorbike (thanks to that kind-hearted man who was also rushing to be with his wife). Drenched in rain while clutching some prints (which was meant to be shown at the workshop), I reached the street corner which leads to our house - only to find that the street is flooded in 3-4 meter-deep floodwaters. I was feeling helpless as I am thinking what is happening to them. The creek nearby had its water spilled towards the street leading to the apartment building and the current was so strong it's impossible for me to get in. I stood by as the water level goes deeper.

Many of the older people are telling me that those flood is the most worst kind they had experienced in their lifetime (they were born and raised in the Barangay where I live). A little later, my brother in-law arrived, who walked from SM Megamall all the way to our place. We spent the night on the street walking to and fro waiting for the water to subside. Finally we managed to get in at 3am the following day, in a chilling chest-deep flood waters. We also found out through the marking on the wall that only 1-foot remained before the flood waters hit our ceiling. My wife and my sister was able to salvage my camera bag, books and a lot of other equipments (but not my film cameras). They told me that the water was quick so they weren't able to salvage all our personal documents, ref, books and some clothes. I am sincerely grateful too to our neighbors who helped out my wife and my sister.

Ad Board

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis Rito) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 03:55:00 +0000

An unknown bystander scans the various ads posted in a university bulletin board that is seemingly has a life of its own. This image was photographed in a commercial center inside University of the Philippines - Diliman.

This image was also featured in Black Snapper Magazine.

Serendipity

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis Rito) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 07:49:00 +0000

I was at the frame shop this morning and while waiting for the job to finish, I decide to hang around outside. At the back of my mind was the thought of the hanging deadline for the workshop. As if searching for a character for a movie, I scanned the multitude of faces – people from all walks of life - passing outside the shop. I almost catched the character I wanted but quickly slipped out of my sight. I waited. Then the same man, wearing long hair, a lot of tattoo and several studs on his face, came back. With a slight hesitation, I followed him and before he can make a turn on the other street, I hurriedly introduced myself and explained about my project. I was told to follow him on his shop and I obliged. He turned out to be a tattoo artist and has a shop near the area. We exchanged numbers and parted ways. I’ll be photographing him tonight.

Espen Eichhoefer: Family and Photographs

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis Rito) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 01:17:00 +0000

Kjell Und Vinai, 2003

The Silverlens Gallery and Goethe Institut invite you to an Artist Talk and Slideshow by visiting editorial photographer Espen Eichhoefer. Here in the Philippines on a grant from the Goethe Institut, Eichhoefer has been conducting a workshop on Portraiture in Silverlens Gallery. A workshop that received an overwhelming number of applicants.His talk will focus on photography of family. "Private family pictures always produce positive images, confirming that these people belong together", he says. "But what of the possibilities of different stories to contend?", he questions.

The talk is open to the public. RSVP required at 816-0044 (Leonore).

Workshop with Espen Eichhoefer

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis Rito) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 11:42:00 +0000

Last September 3 was the first day of our (portraiture) workshop with Espen Eichhofer held at Silverlens Gallery. I am grateful indeed that I am one among the nine participants who was accepted in the said workshop. Isa Lorenzo, Creative Director at Silverlens shared that there were 70+ who applied online however, workshop sponsor Goethe Manila set a limit and chose only nine.

After Espen shared some of his work and his way of working, each of us were given 10 minutes to do the same. On my part, I presented an initial edit of a personal work (serial portraits) which I started last June of this year. Since its a workshop on portraiture, it seems practical for me to continue on my serial portraits and have it finished as my output for the workshop.

My project was slowly taking shape now and I hope to finish everything on or before September 23rd.

Farewell, President Cory Aquino!

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis Rito) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 10:58:00 +0000

Black Snapper Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis Rito) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 11:52:00 +0000

The Black Snapper is a project created by designer Frank Kloos and documentary photographer Diederik Meijer, based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The Black Snapper aims to create an online community that will inspire photography professionals and photography enthusiasts worldwide.

Hope to see an eclectic mix of photography from 'unrepresented' regions of the world like the Southeast Asia.

You may sign-up for updates/ newsletter here.