Shadows Artists Talk

At the opening reception for CAL’s Shadows Exhibition, our curator, Shana Nys Dambrot used the photography term “Well Seen” as a compliment, which caught my interest. When I gave an Artist Talk on April 12th at TAG to discuss “Urbanity II“, I decided to talk about this expression and how it pertained to my work. 

During my preparation I came across the quote “The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera” by Dorothea Lange, which highlighted her belief that photography trains the photographer to observe the world more deeply, even when not actively taking pictures. I liked her quote and felt it is relevant, but only a part of what I was looking for.

Next I came across “The picture is good or not from the moment it was caught in the camera” by Henri Cartier-Bresson. While I am a big fan of his work, not so much of this quote. It emphasized that a photograph’s worth is determined instantly, focusing on capturing the “decisive moment” through intuition and composition. It seemed to disregard master darkroom technicians like Ansel Adams, who said “You don’t take a photograph, you make it.” He viewed the negative as the score and the print as the performance, emphasizing post-capture darkroom modifications to polish his vision.

While I may not have learned the history of Shana’s quote, I did learn something about my process and inspirations. “Urbanity II” was not taken in a touristy spot. It was not taken at a location on any best selfies social media map. It was taken where thousands of people pass by daily and don’t see the unique architecture or how the late afternoon sun casts wonderful shadows. It was taken at the entrance of an office building parking garage. The “decisive moment” Bresson’s spoke of, occurred when the subject strutted through the beam of sunlight cast on one of the columns. And my vision for the photograph was “made” complete with the modern day version of the same techniques Ansel Adams used in the darkroom.

The Artists Gallery 5458 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, California 90036
Open Wednesday to Sunday, 1 – 7 pm

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