There’s a common thread that ties together each of Gusmano Cesaretti‘s photography collections. Each collection displays his uncanny ability to capture a specific place and time, in a way that feels almost mythical, and yet also deeply personal. While each series, taken as a whole, paints a sort of romanticized portrait of the place in question, the idiosyncratic details of each picture tell a story of their own. The pair of collections currently being shown at Los Angeles’ Roberts & Tilton gallery– the first documenting 1970s East L.A., and the second depicting the harsh realities of Panamanian street life– put some of the most powerful examples of that particular talent on display.
Photography By Tiago Sperotto Written and Photographed By Tiago Sperotto
The sunset has always fascinated me, providing inspiration as a child. I used to admire the spectacle provided by nature, watching that huge fireball plunging into the sea or hiding behind the mountains. Since I started taking pictures the dusk was my favorite time of day for shooting. At this time the light becomes ideal, with colors ranging from orange to red to yellow. During the four seasons of the year, the colors of the sunset blend with the clouds, wind, and dust, creating amazing tones in the sky and water. Photography is drawing with light, allowing you to capture what you see with your own two eyes.
Photography By Lee JeffriesBiking through the pouring rain two nights ago I wondered what it would be like to be homeless, in the rain. Unimaginably difficult to merely survive without a roof or a place of rest, I tried to empathize with their constant struggle. But I won’t fool you and act like I understood. I couldn’t. All I could do was imagine. Fortunately there are those who have gone to greater lengths than I to understand their struggle. Capturing searing profiles of over 100 different homeless people, U.K.-born photographer, Lee Jeffries has recently showcased this stunning collection of photographs. And while the images within serve to capture a part of Lee’s efforts, I’d recommend checking out Lee’s flickr page to view the full scope of the project.
Utilizing photography as a means to empower children, photographer Raul Guerrero traveled to Tanzania this past summer to share the joys of photography with students. Giving disposable cameras to nine children, Raul let the students photograph their own environments, providing a unique glimpse into the children’s everyday lives. Hoping to create a photography book from the children’s photographs, Raul has created a Kickstarter to help fund the development of the book. Chatting with him about his experiences in Africa, Raul offered his insight into the challenges of the project and what he wants people to take away from his work.
Photography By Leonard NimoyYou know it’s funny, the concept of beauty and all. Who decides that kind of stuff anyways, and why do we seem to always abide by their definitions? It’s the television and magazines that do it to us. But we’re the ones that reinforce it.
I think we just need to have our own personal standards for shit. Our own set of values and what not. We don’t have to subscribe to the trends of the day, rather, we can create our own. I think that’s what Leonard’s getting at in this project. His photos challenge our general notion of feminine beauty, offering a fresh and pleasantly honest depiction of what beauty means to him.
“I asked them to be proud,” said Leonard. “A condition they took to easily. Having completed the compositions that were initially planned, I then asked them to play some music that they had brought with them, and they quickly responded to the rhythms, dancing in a free-form circular movement within the space. It was clear that they were comfortable with the situation, with each other, and were enjoying themselves.”
At the end of the day we just gotta be happy with who we are, and if we’re not, take on the responsibility to change. We got one life and one body. Much love to the big girls, the small girls and everyone in between.
Moms and dads are great. Well, some of them kinda suck, but mine were pretty awesome growing up. They taught me a lot, and gave me a lot, and I’m thankful every day for it. It’s always a trip meeting other people’s parents though. Sometimes it’s that lightbulb moment where the whole of that person’s personality seems to make sense, even after just one encounter. For better or worse, we take on just about everything they have to give — issues, quirks, funny looking facial features and all.
Terry, whose folks split up when he was just four, recently took the opportunity to celebrate his parents, in all their peculiar, idiosyncratic glory. His father Bob, once a famous fashion photographer, and mother Annie, a former Copacabana dancer and lover of Jimi Hendrix, both make compelling subjects, offering the audience an intimate look at a part of Terry’s story. Touching and candid, but not without Terry’s characteristic edge, these images will only be at Half Gallery in New York until Sunday, but feel free to buy the two-book box set here.
Photogrpahy By Rodrigo AbdI often find myself complaining about trivial situations. Not on a grand scale– trust me, life is good– but more so on the miniscule. The “fuck, I have to stay an extra 30 minutes at work,” kind of complaints. Those complaints that come from a warped perspective that befalls those that live this alarmingly pleasant American life. I think in a lot of situations money and status dictate what we complain about. It’s like certain people can afford to complain about certain shit. Only certain people can complain about Pandora not working on their smartphone. For others, the thought will never cross their mind.
Fortunately, images can serve to inform us while also providing insight into that which we don’t know. This recent photo exhibition by the Boston Globe on the Mines of Guatemala City does just that. Documenting the grueling work that many of Guatemala’s citizens endure to eke out a living, Associated Press photographer Rodrigo Abd reveals the challenges that many face just to survive. Digging through trash dumps for pieces of scrap metal to sell, a good day could earn a digger twice the daily minimum wage. A dose of perspective for your Tuesday afternoon.
There’s something incredibly eerie about these images. In a lot of ways, a project like this blurs the lines between art and photojournalism as well. Stumbling upon an abandoned psychiatric hospital, artist David Maisel found himself fascinated by what he saw, finding a tragic beauty in the surroundings. Most intriguing to him though, were these aging copper canisters, which contained the ashes of thousands of former patients, left unclaimed after their deaths between 1883 and the 1970s, when the hospital closed its doors. Capturing shots not only of the canisters, but also of the hospital and various found objects, Library of Dust encapsulates a haunting piece of lost history powerfully:
The approximately 3,500 copper canisters have a handmade quality; they are at turns burnished or dull; corrosion blooms wildly from the leaden seams and across the surfaces of many of the cans. Numbers are stamped into each lid; the lowest number is 01, and the highest is 5,118. The vestiges of paper labels with the names of the dead, the etching of the copper, and the intensely hued colors of the blooming minerals combine to individuate the canisters. These deformations sometimes evoke the celestial – the northern lights, the moons of some alien planet, or constellations in the night sky. Sublimely beautiful, yet disquieting, the enigmatic photographs in Library of Dust are meditations on issues of matter and spirit.
Photography By Robert HermanThe year was 1976. With a soaring crime rate, the birth of hip-hop, and an emerging street art scene in New York, photographer Robert Herman found himself in the midst of a burgeoning cultural renaissance. Armed with his Nikon, Herman set out to capture the environment around him, the city becoming his boundless photo studio. With his first published photographic book, entitled The New Yorkers close to completion, I had the chance to chat with Robert about his experiences as a photographer, his techniques, and the lessons learned from capturing strangers on the street.
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So take me back to New York in 1976. What brought to New York initially?
I was living on Long Island as a kid and my parents owned movie theatres in the city so I was always going into town to work with my father in Brooklyn. I ended up in Manhattan because I decided to go to NYU film school. And while I was in film school I decided to take some still photography classes as an elective. And that’s how I got started.
It was a by chance occurrence in 1975 that would chart photographer Hugh Holland’s course. Happening upon a group of skateboarders navigating the drainage pipes of Laurel Canyon Road in Los Angeles, Hugh knew instantly that he had found a compelling subject. Documenting the still infantile skateboard culture of Southern California for the next three years, Holland ventured everywhere from the San Fernando Valley to Venice Beach, and even Mexico; his purpose, to capture the essence of skateboard culture. The images within, part of Holland’s photography book Locals Only portray the carefree, whimsical nature of early California skate culture.
Harry Belafonte and Martin Luther King Jr.Is there anything better than hanging out with your friends? Probably not. Friends are just about the tightest thing in life, perhaps right behind family, although they oftentimes double as friends themselves. But like I said, we gotta utilize these weekdays and really get it in. These times won’t last forever. Amassing a colorful collection of famous faces, the pictures within capture celebrities of the past in some of their more candid moments. A settled reminder to take more pictures and enjoy yourself.
Photos by Rebekkah Castellanos
