Setting up for the public viewing
I have been back from Review Santa Fe for a couple of weeks now. I had been planning on writing a long entry on what learned, who I met, what I ate (the food in Santa Fe is the best), who reviewed my work, etc. I had read some other blog posts like this one and this one. I have not posted anything because I am still processing what happened and what was said about my work. One that was clear from the get go was the Center did a great job putting this all together.
The open road
When I got there I realized that many people came from a lot farther away than I did. That is when it hit me that this weekend was more than just another trip to Santa Fe. The level of work I saw was humbling.
Some of the other photographers participating in the review I met:
- Adam Ekberg
Allison Grant
Alejandro Cartagena
Amber Sowards
Chad States
David Leventi
David Rochkind
David Taylor
Eamon Ward
Edmund Clark
Ellen Rennard
Emily Shur
Hollis Bennett
Isa Leshko
Isabelle Pateer
J. Gilbert Plantenga
Jason Reblando
Jennifer Loeber
Jonathan Blaustein
Joseph O. Holmes
Katrina D’Autremont
Kelly Flynn
Landon Nordeman
Manjari Sharma
Matt Eich
Michael Forster Rothbart
Michael Sebastian
Morgan M. Ford
Nancy Newberry
Sam Comen
Rubi Lebovitch
Sarah Swajkos
Susana Raab
Taylor Glenn
Toby Morris
Yvette Marie Dostatni
I had the chance to spend some time with some other people too.
- Antone Dolezal
David Bram
Jake Mendel
Jim Stone
Lane Collins
Melanie McWhorter
Sam Protera
Stephen Crowley
One of the first things I did when I got to Santa Fe was to go by photo-eye. I have been writing some book reviews for them so it was good to say hello and spend a little money. It was there that I bumped into Dewi Lewis and others. I was also able to pick up the next few books I will be reviewing. I am not sure if I could live within 100 miles of photo-eye without going broke.
I managed to also eat a few good meals during the weekend.
Sheepherders Breakfast and a Pancake at Tecolote
Polsole with Red and Green Chili (Christmas style) at the Plaza Cafe
Allsup’s Beef and Bean Burrito outside of Santa Rosa, New Mexico
What do I take away from Review Santa Fe? The real work starts now. I am confident that the decisions about how I work, and the kind of work I am making is on the right track. Being myself is the key to success. It is up to me to keep in touch with those that reviewed my work and those that I met. Taking a voice recorder and recording the reviews helps, no matter how painful it is to hear my own voice. I always need to double check that my prints are in order before a review. Always. It is good to take packets. I need to process and think about what happened. All of this stuff is hard for a reason. The pictures are what matter. Moving up to a Mamiya 7II sounds good, but I am sticking with what I have for now.
Stephen Crowley had the quote of the weekend for me. As we were walking to dinner he asked me how the reviews went. I said good. ”Good is all I ever get out of you. At least you are laughing,” he said.