Inside Photography: Issues, Practices & Perspectives
PHOTOPOLIS SYMPOSIUM
Saturday, October 25, 2014 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel, Sable Room A & B
This one-day symposium will explore various aspects of the practice, exhibition, publication and livelihood of photography providing the perspectives of interesting fine art photographers, photo-based artists, documentary photographers, photojournalists and commercial photographers. Discussions will also address the strength of photography in capturing social and environmental realities, shaping perceptions and influencing beliefs, behaviours and community identity.
Registration fees: Regular $75. Students $25 with student ID
Symposium Features
Registration & welcome. 8:15 – 9:00 am
Opening remarks. 9:00 - 9:15 am Heather MacLeod, Photopolis President and Symposium Chair
Life as a Photographer (9:15 – 10:45 am)
Four photographers will represent the diversity of ways of being a photo-based artist/photographer. They will talk about the type of photography practice they pursue, how they generated livelihood (grants, clients, contracts) from photography, choose subjects or themes for work, keep abreast of technologies, maintain a professional profile, develop strategies to inspire their photo practice and how they exhibit or publish work. Participants: Marisa Portolese, Montreal photographer/Concordia University photography faculty; Mark Schacter, Ottawa photographer/ author of the photo books Sweet Seas: Portraits of the Great Lakes, Houses of Worship and Roads; Carl Zimmerman, Cape Breton photographer represented by Toronto’s Stephen Bulger Gallery; and Eliot Wright, Halifax photographer/ photo instructor and recent NSCAD University graduate. Session chair: Adrian Fish, NSCAD University photo faculty.
Direct to the Public: Innovative Outdoor Photo Exhibitions (11:00 – 11:45 am)
Patrick Macaulay, Curator at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre, will provide the story behind two inventive outdoor photography installations at the Centre. The Exhibition Common, which was formerly a parking lot, has featured the large photo exhibits Nine River City and No Flat City which were both intended to foster the public’s environmental and geographical connection to the city. Patrick will discuss the significance of these outdoor photo exhibits plus the history and evolution of the Photo Passage Gallery at the Harbourfront Centre.
PhotoSensitive: The Story of a Photo Collective Addressing Social Change and Global Issues (1:15 – 2:00 pm)
For more than 20 years, PhotoSensitive has been capturing powerful images to achieve social goals. It all began when one afternoon, former Toronto Star photographer Andrew Stawicki dropped in on his friend, Peter Robertson, to let off some steam, and together they concocted a plan to change the world, one photograph at a time. They believed an excellent photograph has the potential to effect change, to make a difference, to expand a viewer's field of vision. And they wanted Canadian photographers to have an opportunity to take the time, to get to know their subjects, to reveal stories, together, in a way that might make the world a better place. Within a week, Andrew had recruited a diverse group of professional photographers, and PhotoSensitive was founded – Canada’s large and very influential photo collective. This session will profile their amazing story with Photosensitive founder Andrew Stawicki in conversation with interviewer Sharon Murray, NSCAD University History of Photography Professor.
Building Community through Photography (2:00 – 3:00 pm)
In this age of distraction when many people lack a sense of belonging, it is interesting to consider how specific types of photography strategies may engender a sense of community and connection to place. This session will explore how a number of photography ventures have resulted in building a sense of community. Hear the stories of Hannah Minzloff on her Community Portraits series, Eric Boutlier Brown on the community engagement initiatives of Halifax’s Viewpoint Gallery of Contemporary Photography, Sue Seri's photography projects with children, adolescents and the homeless and Juliet Wilson on the sense of PEI community and identity portrayed in her photo book A Great Day Fer Livin’. Session facilitator: Susan MacEachern, Halifax photographer/ former NSCAD Photography Professor.
The Art of Seeing in Contemplative Photography (3:15 – 3:45 pm)
Contemplative photography focuses on fully connecting to the visual richness of our ordinary, daily experience. It teaches how to be more open to and see our surroundings in ways that nourish our spirit. Drawing on Buddhist mindfulness practices and the insights of master photographers such as Alfred Steiglitz, Edward Weston and Henri Cartier-Bresson, Andy Karr, co-author of The Practice of Contemplative Photography. Seeing the World Through Fresh Eyes (Shambhala Publications, 2011) will present the visual language of contemplative photography and its approach to perception and being.
Screening of Photo Film (4:00 – 5:00 pm)
The Vivian Maier Mystery. The story of Vivian Maier portrayed in this film reveals fascinating details of her unusual life. With a secret passion for photography, this nanny in the 60-70's New York and Chicago was a prolific photographer shooting a role of film a day for decades. Her incredible body of work, only discovered after her death, lives on and has established her as one of the master street photographers. A BBC documentary.
PHOTOPOLIS SYMPOSIUM
Saturday, October 25, 2014 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel, Sable Room A & B
This one-day symposium will explore various aspects of the practice, exhibition, publication and livelihood of photography providing the perspectives of interesting fine art photographers, photo-based artists, documentary photographers, photojournalists and commercial photographers. Discussions will also address the strength of photography in capturing social and environmental realities, shaping perceptions and influencing beliefs, behaviours and community identity.
Registration fees: Regular $75. Students $25 with student ID
Symposium Features
Registration & welcome. 8:15 – 9:00 am
Opening remarks. 9:00 - 9:15 am Heather MacLeod, Photopolis President and Symposium Chair
Life as a Photographer (9:15 – 10:45 am)
Four photographers will represent the diversity of ways of being a photo-based artist/photographer. They will talk about the type of photography practice they pursue, how they generated livelihood (grants, clients, contracts) from photography, choose subjects or themes for work, keep abreast of technologies, maintain a professional profile, develop strategies to inspire their photo practice and how they exhibit or publish work. Participants: Marisa Portolese, Montreal photographer/Concordia University photography faculty; Mark Schacter, Ottawa photographer/ author of the photo books Sweet Seas: Portraits of the Great Lakes, Houses of Worship and Roads; Carl Zimmerman, Cape Breton photographer represented by Toronto’s Stephen Bulger Gallery; and Eliot Wright, Halifax photographer/ photo instructor and recent NSCAD University graduate. Session chair: Adrian Fish, NSCAD University photo faculty.
Direct to the Public: Innovative Outdoor Photo Exhibitions (11:00 – 11:45 am)
Patrick Macaulay, Curator at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre, will provide the story behind two inventive outdoor photography installations at the Centre. The Exhibition Common, which was formerly a parking lot, has featured the large photo exhibits Nine River City and No Flat City which were both intended to foster the public’s environmental and geographical connection to the city. Patrick will discuss the significance of these outdoor photo exhibits plus the history and evolution of the Photo Passage Gallery at the Harbourfront Centre.
PhotoSensitive: The Story of a Photo Collective Addressing Social Change and Global Issues (1:15 – 2:00 pm)
For more than 20 years, PhotoSensitive has been capturing powerful images to achieve social goals. It all began when one afternoon, former Toronto Star photographer Andrew Stawicki dropped in on his friend, Peter Robertson, to let off some steam, and together they concocted a plan to change the world, one photograph at a time. They believed an excellent photograph has the potential to effect change, to make a difference, to expand a viewer's field of vision. And they wanted Canadian photographers to have an opportunity to take the time, to get to know their subjects, to reveal stories, together, in a way that might make the world a better place. Within a week, Andrew had recruited a diverse group of professional photographers, and PhotoSensitive was founded – Canada’s large and very influential photo collective. This session will profile their amazing story with Photosensitive founder Andrew Stawicki in conversation with interviewer Sharon Murray, NSCAD University History of Photography Professor.
Building Community through Photography (2:00 – 3:00 pm)
In this age of distraction when many people lack a sense of belonging, it is interesting to consider how specific types of photography strategies may engender a sense of community and connection to place. This session will explore how a number of photography ventures have resulted in building a sense of community. Hear the stories of Hannah Minzloff on her Community Portraits series, Eric Boutlier Brown on the community engagement initiatives of Halifax’s Viewpoint Gallery of Contemporary Photography, Sue Seri's photography projects with children, adolescents and the homeless and Juliet Wilson on the sense of PEI community and identity portrayed in her photo book A Great Day Fer Livin’. Session facilitator: Susan MacEachern, Halifax photographer/ former NSCAD Photography Professor.
The Art of Seeing in Contemplative Photography (3:15 – 3:45 pm)
Contemplative photography focuses on fully connecting to the visual richness of our ordinary, daily experience. It teaches how to be more open to and see our surroundings in ways that nourish our spirit. Drawing on Buddhist mindfulness practices and the insights of master photographers such as Alfred Steiglitz, Edward Weston and Henri Cartier-Bresson, Andy Karr, co-author of The Practice of Contemplative Photography. Seeing the World Through Fresh Eyes (Shambhala Publications, 2011) will present the visual language of contemplative photography and its approach to perception and being.
Screening of Photo Film (4:00 – 5:00 pm)
The Vivian Maier Mystery. The story of Vivian Maier portrayed in this film reveals fascinating details of her unusual life. With a secret passion for photography, this nanny in the 60-70's New York and Chicago was a prolific photographer shooting a role of film a day for decades. Her incredible body of work, only discovered after her death, lives on and has established her as one of the master street photographers. A BBC documentary.
