nex·us | \ ˈnek-səs \ :  CONNECTION, LINK a connected group

Greetings to you during this bright time of year!

May you experience the light of laughter, the warmth of love,
and the joy of gratitude this season and beyond.

© Rita Silen

Rita Silen has won First prize in the Fotonostrum Julia Margaret Cameron competition in the Self Portrait Non Pro Single category. She also won Honorable Mention in Culture & Daily Life and Digital Manipulation & Collage.

Rita's work will appear in a major gallery showing in Barcelona in December 2024.

Up. © Frederick Fenyvessy

Fritz Fenyvessy's image, Up, is in an exhibit entitled "Photography of the Ordinary." I can think of no other photographer whose images exemplify this seemingly simple but deceptively difficult subject.

The PhotoPlace [Gallery] is located in the oldest remaining residence in Middlebury, Vermont. Built in 1799 as a residence for the foreman of the water mill on Otter Creek, the sagging, hand-hewn beams and lumber from virgin forest bespeak its age and charm.

View the Exhibit

Hand Standing. © Eric Smith

Congratulations to Eric Smith for winning Director's Choice in the Praxis Gallery Motion <Blur competition. The work is on display at Praxis Gallery until December 9, 2023.

(Eric created this image during the 2022 Havana Nude workshop.)

View the Exhibit

Looking for Messages. © Robert Bergstrom

Robert Bergstrom's "Window at Night" project can be viewed on ICMPhotoMag as part of their "New Beginnings" exhibit.

ICM is an acronym for Intentional Camera Movement and involves moving the camera to  create an abstract ‘painting’ rather than a particular emphasis on a subject. Robert is fast becoming a master of the process.

View the Exhibit

Moonlight at the Sea. © Richard Petronio

Kudos to Richard Petronio having three photos chosen for the prestigious 18th Annual Black and White Spider Awards.

Clockwise from the top image.

Honorable Mention
Abstract Category: Moonlight at the Sea

Nominees
Architecture: Long Portico

People: Italian Dining

18th Spider Awards

The importance of Susan's work, and the reason I am introducing it to you, is that she has eschewed literal photography, that is, the world that we see "out there," to photograph the world of her dreams. By choosing a single subject and mastering it, whether it is one's inner world or, for example, minimalist landscapes such as those created by Michael Kenna, you will eventually create a meaningful body of focused work that will speak to and influence others in a way that the "generalist" (i.e., those that photograph a variety of subjects) will never be able to do.

Susan Burnstine

Dong Hoi, Vietnam

Hanoi - Hoi An - Hue - Phong Nha - Hanoi

If you've been waiting for the photography
experience of a lifetime, this is it.

For more information, see 4 New Workshops at the end of this Nexus or visit my website.

Vietnam Photography Workshop

Michael Meade

This episode of Living Myth begins with an ancient Mayan myth about the first human ancestors being shaped from corn. Far from being random creatures, humans were created to bring missing ingredients to the world. The missing ingredients included: a conscious awareness of the wonder of creation, a sense of gratitude and thankfulness, and a potential for imagination and genuine vision.

Central to the role of humans was the capacity to be thankful for the gift of life. Thus, people all over the earth have created ceremonies and practices of gratitude and thanksgiving. The idea of giving thanks and the word thankfulness comes from the old root word grazia, which gives us gratitude as well as grace. In that sense, what we seek in giving thanks are moments of gratitude that can bring a sense of grace back into the world. And this can happen in small ways that do not require large gatherings, an abundance of food, or any pretension that everyone might agree on life's great issues.

Read More

© Michael Kenna, Photographs and Stories, Courtesy Nazraeli Press

Chris Pichler is the founder and publisher of Nazraeli Press, a widely respected publisher based in California. Founded in 1989 while Pichler was living in Munich, Nazraeli moved to the United States in 2002.

Besides publishing the books, Pichler personally edits and designs many of the titles that are put out by Nazraeli. He has worked closely with some of the most important living photographers: Alec Soth, Robert Adams, Edward Burtynsky, David Maisel, Stephen Shore, Martin Parr, Michael Kenna, Daido Moriyama … and many others.

Read the Interview

After friendship, there is no greater gift than the gift of art.

Brooklyn Editions is a digital print studio. They also maintain a print store where they support their clients online by selling their prints. When I came across their site I was impressed by the quality and variety of available work.

If you're looking for something totally unique for someone special that doesn't need another Advent Box filled with tea and tchotchkes, check out the Brooklyn Editions Store.

Brooklyn Editions Store

Since its first issue in June 2010, Toilet Paper has created a world that displays ambiguous narratives and a troubling imagination. Combining the vernacular of commercial photography with twisted narrative tableaux and surrealistic imagery, the magazine contains no text; each picture springs from an idea, often simple, and through a complex orchestration of people it becomes the materialization of the artists' mental outbursts. The result is a publication that is itself a work of art, which, through its accessible form as a magazine and through its wide distribution, challenges the limits of the contemporary art economy.

Toilet Paper Magazine

Getting proper exposure in photography consists of balancing three things: shutter speed, aperture, and ISO settings. You can start off by shooting in automatic or priority mode, but to get full control and shoot with manual camera controls you’ll have to understand the relationship between these three things that each directly affect the exposure and quality of your image.

ISO – Pronounced “eye-so,” this is (strangely) an acronym for the International Organization for Standardization. The ISO indicates how sensitive the sensor or film is to light. For darker scenarios, you’ll need to use higher or more sensitive ISO settings to capture light, such as 800 or 1600 ISO. Higher settings generally introduce more grain or noise into the image.

Aperture – This refers to the size of the opening in the lens diaphragm. Smaller numbers mean a larger opening and more shallow depth of field in your images. Larger numbers let through less light but make more of your image look sharp.

Shutter speed – This is the amount of time your camera’s shutter is open and the amount of time your sensor or film is exposed to light. Faster speeds can “stop” motion, while slower speeds let in more light and can capture blur and motion.

The relationship between ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speed can be seen in the Exposure Triangle, above.

If you have twelve images you're proud of, download this MattK template and create your 2024 calendar. You won't need to wait until February, when Hallmark calendars go on sale, to know what day it is.

Don't have twelve calendar-quality images? Time to take a workshop.

Calendar Template

Art Photography Awards 2024

© Julie-Annabelle Schimel

Deadline: December 13, 2023

The LensCulture Art Photography Awards 2024 continue their tradition of celebrating visionary photographers from around the globe. The competition invites all photographers to explore and present the unseen, the unheard, and the unspoken through their lenses.

There are no limits or definitions for these awards. All kinds of photography, from conceptual work and prints made for gallery walls to images from alternative processes to new forms and formats that speak to our digital age. What matters is your unique creative vision and your skills in translating that vision into exceptional and original work.

LensCulture

Deadline: January 5, 2024
(Open Competition)

With its unparalleled reach, the Sony World Photography Awards elevate the careers of photographers to the next level. Since the beginning, the Awards have championed inclusivity and access by being free to enter. Acting as an insight into photography today in all its diversity, the Awards spotlights photographers telling the stories of our time.

And it is free to enter.

Sony Awards

© MIsako Oba

Deadline: January 31, 2024

SlowArt Productions presents the twelfth Neoteric Abstract exhibition. This exhibition is exclusively for the abstract artist and will represent a full range of abstraction, from the geometric to the lyrical, from the precise to the raw. Entry is open to all artists working in any media.

The exhibition will be held at Limner Gallery in Hudson, New York, from April 4 to 27, 2024.

Neoteric Abstract XII

Deadline: December 15, 2023

Create! Magazine is an independent contemporary arts magazine, curators and platform focused on highlighting the work of talented emerging and mid-career creatives from across the globe. Create! has announced its next juried call for artists. Successful submissions will qualify for a custom-designed two-page spread in their publication (both print & digital) that will feature your artist biography, website, and two images of your artwork.

Call for Art

Hoi An at Night

Hanoi - Hoi An -Hue - Phong Nha - Hanoi

If you have been waiting for the photography
experience of a lifetime, this is it.

Prepare to immerse yourself in authentic Vietnam culture. With Hanoi as our starting and ending point, for ten days we will traverse the mountains and forests of the northern region of Vietnam. During that time, we will engage with the people of Vietnam in small towns and villages, photographing and experiencing their way of life.

From Hanoi, we will fly to the UNESCO World Heritage town of Hoi An and begin our way back through the beautiful Hai Van Pass to the imperial city of Hue. In Phong Nha, located on the Con River, we will have three days of homestay on a farm with daily excursions to photograph villages and the countryside. There will even be an optional day traveling the back roads on motorcycles (alternate transport will be provided for those who do not want to ride on a motorcycle). As a special treat, we will visit the spectacular Phong Nha Cave which has underground rivers, passages, and Cham altars from the 10th century.

And finally, back to Hanoi.

You may work with digital or film capture with any camera, from a cell phone to a DSLR. I can help you improve your photography with either.

NOTE: This is a small group workshop. If you would like to join don't wait as the workshop may fill.

Vietnam Photography Workshop

Red Ride. © Steve Anchell

September 6 to 8, 2024

Limited Enrollment

Sooner or later all artists begin to repeat themselves, their work, however good it might be, becomes predictable. When this happens, and it does for all of us, the way to reawaken your vision is to try something new.

Photography is dependent on technology, whether it is film or digital. Are you always using a Leica? Do you only use a Fujifilm digital camera? Are your images always sharp and in focus? Time to shake up your game.

In September 2024 we will spend one weekend photographing in the streets of Rome with a plastic Holga film camera. During the weekend we will develop the film using a Lab-Box and digitize it for enlarging and printing, creating images that are a melding of the best of film and digital.

You will be amazed at how this will change your vision and how much fun you will have.

As part of your tuition, you will receive a Holga camera.

The weekend workshop will be sponsored by ars-imago, a premier camera store in Rome. "Holga Weekend in Rome" is not yet posted on my website. If you are interested in attending send me an email as enrollment is limited.

Keep Me Posted

If you want to extend your stay in Italy and maximize your experience, immediately following HOLGA weekend, join me for 5 days of street photography in Rome

If you enroll in both the Rome workshop and HOLGA Weekend, you will receive a discount on both workshops. Street Photography in Rome is not yet posted on my website. If you are interested in participating, email me, as enrollment is limited.

Keep Me Posted

Street photography is a genre that records unmediated chance encounters and random incidents in public places. The very publicness of the setting enables the photographer to take candid pictures of strangers, often without their knowledge. Street photographers do not necessarily have a social purpose, but they prefer to isolate and capture moments that might otherwise go unnoticed. The street photographer is an outsider, a voyeur in the true sense, in that they watch and wait until the right moment occurs and capture it using a camera.

The workshop will begin Friday evening with a presentation that will guide you through many techniques and pitfalls for creating successful street photography, followed by a Q&A session. On Saturday and Sunday, we will visit two different areas of Portland to practice street photography with Steve’s guidance.

This workshop is sponsored by the Oregon Society of Artists.

Taking It to the Streets