Yesterday was a first for me: a solo trip into the city from start to finish. Normally, I like to bring a friend along, partly for moral support, partly because everything is better when you can share it with someone else. I even braved the weather, which was not in my favor. I managed to catch about ten minutes where the rain let up enough for me to snap a few pictures. I managed the subway system without any missteps, another first for me, but I cut my trip short as a result of the weather. It down poured the rest of the day. I just didn't want to visit the other stores and restaurants I scoped out ahead of time. I felt like a drowned rat and it was colder than I anticipated. Although I'm developing a new found love for the City, I do not love it in the rain. At all.
So what was so important for me to brave an area of New York I've never been to in the pouring rain? Check out this review:
The New York Photo Festival's Fall invitational presents a selection of images that capture the powerful relationship between photography and music in all its forms, be it solo musicians, bands, rock concerts, grand operatic productions, or intimate one-on-one sessions.
From Herman Leonard's jazz portraits, which defined an era of cool, to Pennie Smith's explosive shot of Paul Simonon smashing his bass. From Mapplethorpe's intimate portraits of Patti Smith, to the iconic photography of Anton Corbijn and Laura Levine, photography has long been instrumental in how we experience music.
Strip away the music, and what you have is an image that defines a moment, an emotion. An image that tells a story.
The photographs selected for "Audio/Visual" capture the unique relationship between photography and music - be it solo musicians, bands, rock concerts, grand operatic productions, or intimate one-on-one sessions.
"Audio/Visual: An exhibition of music photography" will feature over 100 photographs by 70 artists - on view at the famed gallery and event space The PowerHouse Arena in Dumbo (Brooklyn), from October 19 to November 3.
Is that not the perfect show for me? It's as though someone looked at my blog and saw the development of it over the year. I knew as soon as I read that write up, I had to make a trip into the city to see it.
Had I known about this exhibit ahead of time, I definitely would have submitted some of my images. I feel like both of these shots of the Eels from Williamsburg expresses that sentiment perfectly.
One of my all time favorites, Mr. Folds conducting the audience.
An old digital picture of Rufus Wainwright and his Superfan. This guy was thrusting his fist in the air and shouting, "YOU'RE NUMBER ONE, RUFUS!!!" It was so out of place for Rufus' style, I couldn't stop myself from taking this picture. Unfortunately, my high res copy of this picture was lost several years ago in a hard drive failure.
And one of my newest, this shot of Jon Brion. It was the emotional and musical crescendo of the show and I'm so proud of capturing the moment, especially from such a crummy position in the audience.
It was a great exhibit, and I'm really glad I went to see it, despite the miserable weather. I've only just started to look at the work of other photographers. I think I've always been worried about being influenced too much by what I've seen. I've developed my own voice as a photographer, so I'm not worried about that anymore. The main thought going through my head as I looked at the photos was, My work is just as good as this. I can do this. That might not be a surprise to some people, but that's a huge step for me.
I don't know if New Englander's are more subject to self deprecation. I definitely have the constant strive for perfection mixed with the realization that I will never achieve said perfection; classic Virgo. Throw in the Napolitano upbringing, I'm a trifecta of self doubt! It's taken many years for me to not hate my work. I used to be completely nervous before a shoot. I remember that I actually made myself sick right before the first big photo assignment I got for the newspaper. My photo editor later told me that he didn't even care if I got usable images, he just wanted me to work out the kinks. I don't feel those nerves any more. Now I feel excitement.
I'm definitely still learning and expanding my photography. I don't know exactly what I'm going to do with it. I'm not sure if I can support myself solely on that, but my confidence is growing. And for me, that is one of the biggest obstacles to overcome.
Maybe you'll be seeing more of my pictures in the future. I could be one phone call away from having my own exhibit. A series of photos of musicians shoes. You never know...
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