Years ago while I was in art school, one of my professors, the photographer William Gedney, praised a photograph, and he half-jokingly said, “it worked because there was a ladder in it.” The class declared that we should all carry ladders around with us; if a picture was not working out, we could...
Some things cannot be Zoomed. Despite fervent and frequent endeavors throughout the pandemic lockdown, our sense of community has taken a serious beating. But recently, a lively and joyous opening reception for “Five Years of Aspect Initiative” at Danforth Art Museum in Framingham, MA has paved the way to restoring...
Let April be your month for new discoveries! Here we have gathered the most engaging photography shows in and around Boston, arranged geographically for your planning convenience. As always, links to each show are included. Please be sure to check with venues about hours and health policies before you go, since...
Is everything old new again? The prevailing trend to digital imagery has been met with a small but strenuous movement in a different direction: renewed curiosity about alternative processes, some dating back to the origins of image-making. A host of contemporary photographic passions find their philosophical...
In the vast scope of human history, millions of human beings— with a few notable exceptions—were born, lived, worked and died leaving no visual trace of their existence. That changed in the late 19th century after photography’s invention. Enter George Eastman and the Kodak company, who, in 1903,...
If you like surprises, I bet you’ll like this. The Harvard Art Museums (HAM) in Cambridge, MA has mounted a display of stunning cameraless photographs, by turns mysterious, whimsical, and vivacious. Not your Photo 101 fare. And with them, the story of a complex 20th century German artist whose photograms...
What did you do last weekend? Aside from pushing the clocks forward, inching ever closer to springtime, I had the pleasure of reviewing portfolios at the online New England Portfolio Reviews (NEPR), co-sponsored by the Griffin Museum of Photography and the Photographic Resource Center (PRC). It was a privilege...
“If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere” sang Frank Sinatra about New York City. The city entices people who want to fulfill big dreams and ambitions. The rhythm of the city that never sleeps pulses at a frenetic pace, yet there are morning lulls and a vast park that provides a respite to millions...
March can be frustratingly chilly in New England as we anticipate the warmer days of spring, but there are plenty of new and ongoing photography exhibits to brighten your spirits! We describe them here, arranged geographically for your planning convenience. As always, links to each show are included....
"There was nowhere to go but everywhere, so just keep on rolling under the stars." ~Jack Kerouac, On the Road: The Original Scroll Frank Armstrong keeps rolling. During a two decade career teaching photography at Clark University, Armstrong would take long trips during the summers, often accompanied...
