Stella Kalaw blog

Quote 07: Alex Webb

photo@kalaw.com (Stella) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:15:00 +0000

"I only know how to approach a place by walking. For what does a street photographer do but walk and watch and wait and talk, and then watch and wait some more, trying to remain confident that the unexpected, the unknown, or the secret heart of the known awaits just around the corner."

Wandering 86

photo@kalaw.com (Stella) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:55:00 +0000

High Line Park. New York, NY.

Wandering is a collection of photographs from my occasional observations of everyday life. It is a means for me to reconnect to what drew me to the medium in the first place. And that's really all it is: my repeated attempts at recapturing that feeling which energizes me to continue taking pictures.

©Stella Kalaw

Wandering 85

photo@kalaw.com (Stella) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:19:00 +0000

Central Park. New York, NY.

©Stella Kalaw

Wandering 84

photo@kalaw.com (Stella) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:18:00 +0000

Central Park. New York, NY.

©Stella Kalaw

Wandering 83

photo@kalaw.com (Stella) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:14:00 +0000

Morimoto on 10th Avenue. New York, NY.

©Stella Kalaw

Wandering 82

photo@kalaw.com (Stella) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:45:00 +0000

Stand on East 24th Street. New York, NY.

©Stella Kalaw

Violet Isle by Alex Webb & Rebecca Norris Webb

photo@kalaw.com (Stella) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:58:00 +0000

At Ricco Maresca Gallery in New York, there will be two events this week:

Book Launch Party and Reception
Thursday, November 5. 6-8pm

Gallery Talk and Book Signing
Saturday, November 7. 4-6pm

Essay by Pico Iyer.

Publisher: Radius Books, 2009.
144 pp., 70 color ilustrations, 102/4x11¼"

Publisher's Description

This multi-layered portrait of “the violet isle”—a little-known name for Cuba inspired by the rich color of the soil there—presents an engaging, at times unsettling document of a vibrant and vulnerable land. It combines two separate photographic visions: Alex Webb’s exploration of street life, with his attuned and complex attention to detail, and Rebecca Norris Webb’s fascination with the unique, quixotic collections of animals she discovered there, from tiny zoos and pigeon societies to hand-painted natural history displays and quirky personal menageries. The result is an insightful and intriguing blend of two different aesthetics inspired by Cuba’s existence over the last fifty years in an economic, political, cultural and ecological bubble virtually untouched by the rest of the world, and unlikely to remain that way for much longer.

source: Photoeye

Wandering 81

photo@kalaw.com (Stella) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:09:00 +0000

Schnippers on 8th Avenue. New York, NY.

©Stella Kalaw

Connections

photo@kalaw.com (Stella) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:30:00 +0000

From the series, Born Among Mirrors: Lebanon 50 years After.
©Najim Joe Hakim

Altar. Manila, Philippines
From the series, Family Spaces
©Stella Kalaw

I met photographer Najib Joe Hakim over a decade ago when he worked at the San Francisco Business Times. I came in for an interview and we exchanged our information. We didn't see each other after that one meeting. Then two weeks ago, he was at Rayko Gallery and he happen to see the Family Spaces exhibit catalogue from the show at Silverlens Gallery, Manila.

It was wonderful to hear from him after all these years. In an email, he wrote:

One of your images resonated with a foto I made in Beirut after the last war at my Aunt’s apartment building. Funny how similar some cultural phenomena are even half way around the world!

I look forward to catching up and having coffee with him after the craziness at work subsides in a week.

Stay tuned for more information on the upcoming group show with John Mann, Anthony Marchietti and myself at Rayko Gallery in December.

Sunday morning fog

photo@kalaw.com (Stella) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:58:00 +0000

San Francisco Bay.

©Stella Kalaw

Wandering 80

photo@kalaw.com (Stella) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 22:04:00 +0000

The Great Hall at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, NY.

©Stella Kalaw

Wandering 79

photo@kalaw.com (Stella) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:39:00 +0000

Outside the Guggenheim Museum. New York, NY.

©Stella Kalaw

Wandering 78

photo@kalaw.com (Stella) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:06:00 +0000

San Francisco International Airport

©Stella Kalaw

Long Day

photo@kalaw.com (Stella) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:42:00 +0000

At work, I spent the entire morning sifting through past emails and reconciling information from an "official" list downloaded through the website. Technology is supposed to make work easier and more efficient but in this case, the people providing the information are quite disorganized. MP is saying one thing on email while the list is saying another. I am caught in the middle.

In the afternoon, I had to attend a mandatory meeting for two hours. The day was almost over by the time I returned to my desk. On top of everything else, I am supposed to check for daily changes from their website but the IT person I dealt with could not even give me the correct password to export the report. Emails went flying back and forth all day. It was close to 6:00pm by the time she responded with a partially correct information. I ended up guessing the user name by playing with the caps in case the letters were case sensitive. When I pointed this out to her, she was unapologetic. I had to finish the report before I went home this evening.

I am exhausted. Two more weeks of this craziness and it will soon be over.

Unseen: A Photographer's Salon

photo@kalaw.com (Stella) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 14:05:00 +0000

Earth, 2008. Photography by Elizabeth Fleming

Unseen
Curated by Ruben Natal San -Miguel
Ruben Scott Gallery
111 Front Street
Suite #204
Brooklyn (DUMBO), New York
October 22-November 21, 2009
Opening Reception: October 22, 6:30 -9:30 PM

Curatorial Statement

UNSEEN is an introduction to some of New York’s most promising, hard working, and creative minds in the photography field whose bold ideas, themes, and techniques work to transcend the history of photographic art.

Adam Krause, a third generation Holocaust survivor, creates portraits of Neo Nazis. Nicola Kast, a German, explores and deconstructs German History. Cara Phillips' Singular Beauty is a haunting social critique on modern surgical rooms, while Phil Toledano’s portraits of plastic surgery patients is a classic aftermath of the surreal. Portrait work by Chad States, Natasha Gornik, Eric McNatt, Richard Renaldi, Bon Duke, and Ryan Pfluger examine the notions of self and the other. Leah Oates and Megan Cump visit serene, painterly landscapes while Nadine Rovner sends us back to retro the seventies through feel and color. Elizabeth Fleming examines the simplicity of the moment in a child’s world, Clayton Cotterell documents his brother now serving in the US military, and Alex Leme searches random urban settings.

As an Art Collector, I address the challenge that most art lovers constantly face… the search of new art and the issues of acquiring work for small spaces. By using the salon style for this show I demonstrate different themes and techniques, presented in a very traditional manner, that work within a confined space. Space should not limit your desire for collecting…the sky is the limit!

-- Ruben Natal-San Miguel

Source: Artmostfierce , Tethered and Nymphoto

Mitch Epstein talks about two photographs from the Family Business project

photo@kalaw.com (Stella) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 02:41:00 +0000

Source: brooklynmuseum.org

I wanted to share this clip because it was such a delight listening to Mitch Epstein speak last night at PhotoAlliance. Not only do I admire his work, Mr. Epstein was articulate when he spoke about his creative process. I especially noticed how confident he was with silence. He made several pauses during his presentation for the audience to take in his images as he spoke. There was this cadence to his presentation that left me wanting to hear more. He was quite inspiring-- someone I would like to listen to on a long afternoon over a cup of coffee.

Wandering 77

photo@kalaw.com (Stella) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:50:00 +0000

Yerba Buena Gardens. San Francisco, CA.

©Stella Kalaw

The Inspiring Story of Herb & Dorothy Vogel

photo@kalaw.com (Stella) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 03:43:00 +0000

Source: PBS.org/Independent Lens

Fading light

photo@kalaw.com (Stella) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 03:42:00 +0000

Oakland, CA.

Thick gray clouds were forming in the sky and the wind was slowly picking up when I got on the bus this afternoon. The first storm of the fall season is expected to land in the Bay Area tonight. As the bus paused before making a turn on Market Street, I noticed the fading warm afternoon light on the window's reflection. I had only a few seconds to grab one shot. Luckily, I had my camera on hand and I quickly scrambled to compose this image.

Wandering 76

photo@kalaw.com (Stella) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:05:00 +0000

MacArthur BART Station. Oakland, CA.

©Stella Kalaw

Wandering 75

photo@kalaw.com (Stella) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:10:00 +0000

4th floor of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

©Stella Kalaw

Irving Penn: 1917-2009

photo@kalaw.com (Stella) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 02:20:00 +0000

A diary entry dated April 2, 1998, 6:05pm, New York City:

“Too much technical talk back here. Remember, the spirit is still the essence. Let’s not forget that. Have a good night.”

Irving Penn
(as told to two assistants and an intern as he left his studio.)

Thank you, Mr. Penn.

Wandering 74

photo@kalaw.com (Stella) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:05:00 +0000

Viewing Mark Rothko's No. 14, 1960
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

©Stella Kalaw

Wandering 73

photo@kalaw.com (Stella) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 02:54:00 +0000

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

©Stella Kalaw

Photo Alliance presents Mitch Epstein

photo@kalaw.com (Stella) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:30:00 +0000

Gavin Coal Power Plant, Cheshire, Ohio. 2003
from the series, American Power

Mitch Epstein
Introductory Presentation by Paul Schieck

October 16, 2009, 7:30 pm

San Francisco Art Institute Lecture Hall
800 Chestnut Street San Francisco, CA (at Jones Street)

$10.00 general admission
$5.00 students with ID--- tickets available at the door.

Source: Photo Alliance