This Year at Photoville: A Celebration of PhotoShelter Member Photography & Expertise
We’re gearing up for the second weekend of Photoville and couldn’t be more excited to wrap up one of our favorite photo events of the year. Produced by our friends at United Photo Industries, this free event in beautiful Brooklyn Bridge Park features a modular village made from repurposed shipping containers. It’s oozing with masterful photography, business tips, workshops and opportunities to meet the who’s who of the industry. It’s also in its eighth year, which inspired us to switch things up a bit for 2019. Instead of hosting our customary one-day educational panel discussions, we decided to fully dive in, exhibiting incredible PhotoShelter member imagery in a 40’ shipping container while also recording episodes of our podcast Vision Slightly Blurred nearby.
The response from the Photoville community has been amazing so far. So many attendees shared their thoughts and stories with us and talked to us about how the work we showcased resonated with them. Here, we’re sharing that work with a broader audience, so you can experience it too. Each PhotoShelter member we selected for the exhibit was also asked for their best motivational advice for emerging photographers (many of whom attend Photoville) and we’ve included their insights below along with their images.
Special thanks to White House Custom Colour, one of our wonderful integrated print vendors, for the stunning prints! We couldn’t have done it without them.
Cover image by George Mackenzie Jr.
Daniella Zalcman
PhotoShelter Member since 2009
I urge photographers to identify early what kinds of stories they most want to tell, and make sure they’re setting aside time and resources wherever possible to pursue that work. It’s easy to get lost in the daily grind and in going after the assignments that will pay the bills, and those are important— but make sure you’re always nurturing the ideas you’re most passionate about. Eventually, you can figure out how to make those passion projects support and define your practice.
Stephanie Sinclair & Too Young To Wed
PhotoShelter Member since 2008
Take the time to develop relationships and invest in learning about the communities you photograph. The images you make will be far more nuanced and help unravel the layers of the complex people you meet.
Anuar Patjane
PhotoShelter Member since 2011
Break the mold and the imitation trend. Dare to create something new, even if unsure of the result, do it for your own inner necessity or drive. That is the photographic work that transcends.
Pete Kiehart
PhotoShelter member since 2006
Be proactive. Shoot personal projects and pitch story ideas to editors, writers, producers and other collaborators, if for no other reason than that waiting around for your phone to ring with an assignment is a terrible way to live. Get ready for rejection, and remember that getting a pitch turned down is not a valueless enterprise – you’re reminding editors who and where you are every time you interact with them, which will spark more work in the future.
Paulo Nunes Dos Santos
PhotoShelter member since 2007
When you have lost motivation, ask for criticism! There is great value in listening to what editors, curators, other photographers and your friends have to say about your work. Listen to them and respect their ideas about how to approach or present a story. Receiving feedback is important and can be encouraging. It can provide you with a fresh perspective and new ways to improve your craft. Learn to accept criticism and use it to better your work.
Tatiana Cardeal
PhotoShelter Member since 2007
It took me a long time to understand that photography was a conjunction of factors that went far beyond the details I believed I could control. I came to understand it’s all about creating connections between your inner world and the outer world. This is where photography makes sense to me. I now feel a great responsibility with the images I make, which in turn leads to respect, pleasure and purpose of work.
Gabriel Romero
PhotoShelter Member since 2011
I view photojournalism not as a profession, but a lifestyle. One must put their whole heart into the process. If you do not it will show. You must also be willing to at times put yourself at great personal risk to tell the story. This is what differentiates photojournalism from all other genres of photography. Remember, it’s not about you. Your job is to give voice to those that have none and share their story with the world.
Lori Hawkins
PhotoShelter Member since 2010
It doesn’t matter if it has been done before. Go out and shoot it with your eye, your mind, your voice and your heart.
Isabella De Maddalena
PhotoShelter Member since 2007
I think what makes the difference today in photography are the ideas they contain and the manner in which you decide to picture them. Choose a subject that you can approach with passion, dedication, curiosity and love. Try to get under the surface of it. Try to represent it in its most hidden sides and perspectives and to simultaneously become the “explorer” of your own story. Be surprised about it, so that you will be able to surprise your audience. All your passion, research and dedication will be reflected in the final work that you show. And the quality and depth of this insight is what will drive people into it.
Georgios Makkas
PhotoShelter member since 2008
Be prepared for the unexpected. When I met Aysha in Lesvos Greece where she arrived from Turkey on a small dingy, I would never have expected that a week later I would be with her in the Bavarian Alps. I decided at the last minute to follow her. I had very little money on me, no extra batteries on my camera and I was wearing summer clothes since it was still hot in Greece. I wasn’t prepared at all for that journey but I had to catch the opportunity.
Zay Yar Lin
PhotoShelter member since 2018
Ordinary can be extraordinary. Take your camera, follow the light, see it in a new perspective, and create your own photograph.
Whitney Curtis
PhotoShelter member since 2008
Approach each subject matter with an open mind and empathize with the people you’re photographing. How can we expect our audience to form a connection with the subject matter or persons if we don’t first do the same?
Kristin Lau
PhotoShelter member since 2014
Be present, shoot in the moment and become inspired by the rich, diverse cultures of the people that inhabit the world. Every day we are faced with environmental and societal concerns that challenge us to look inward, encourage us to re-evaluate our actions towards one another and inspire us to look closely at the world we reside in. Be true to yourself and follow your curiosity and passion.
Jen Edney
PhotoShelter member since 2008
I live by three simple rules: Always do your best, always do what’s right and always treat people the way you want to be treated. Work hard, play harder and laugh a lot. Be the energy that you want to attract. We are always going to be thrown challenges. A lot of wasted energy can go into wondering why, how, or what if? I’ve learned that when I redirect that energy and look at each situation, positive or negative, and find one thing to be grateful for, it changes my outlook and ultimately the energy I am directing towards others. That gives me peace of mind, keeps me charged and affects the energy I bring to work every day.
Lexey Swall
PhotoShelter member since 2012
Try to choose projects and say yes to work that is a bit out of your reach or comfort zone. Every time I have done this, my senses are heightened while shooting and I push myself harder to make compelling work.
Greg Funnell
PhotoShelter member since 2010
Constantly strive to be a little better, take small steps to improve and treat every job or photographic venture as a learning experience. Photography is a vocation and should be seen as a long-distance slog, not a race. Stamina and perseverance are the name of the game.
Photoville reopens on Thursday, September 19th at 4PM at Brooklyn Bridge Park. We’d love to see you at container #10! Out of town? Follow along on Instagram this weekend for more behind-the-scenes, advice from Photoville attendees and snapshots of some of our favorite exhibits.
Aloha!
Great article and photos! Thanks!
Robert Cravens
Honolulu, Hawaii
robertcravens.photoshelter.com
*****
Great content, very well done – enjoyed viewing this exhibition online, incredible images. Best comment for a photographer; “go out”.