Vanessa Marsh
Oakland-based photographer Vanessa Marsh‘s intricately placed people have me caught up this afternoon. Take a look at her fantastical, foreboding, tiny worlds.
Images from “Always Close But Never Touching.”
Check out her interview on photographer Klea McKenna and writer Nikki Grattan’s blog In The Make.
Vanessa’s work is on display until the end of the month:
Dreams of the Darkest Night; Works by Vanessa Marsh and Sean McFarland
The Nelson Gallery, UC Davis, Davis, CA
Opening March 29th from 5:30- 7:30
Show runs March 29th- May 27th 2012
The Somber Spaces of Kija Lucas
Root Division held their “Taste 2012″ event last week, encompassing some of the city’s best food and drink (hand-cut ice cubes anyone?) alongside room after room of phenomenal artwork.
Kija Lucas had this piece in the silent auction:
Hunting through her website, I found these beautifully dark, familiar-feeling images.
Tightly woven maps of light from “Origin Story.”
A First Exposure Student Visits Japan
Today’s article was written by 17 year old Mariana Castro: a member of SF Camerawork’s First Exposures program. Last Fall, Mariana had the opportunity to travel to Japan for the first time and brought her trusty film camera with her.
Ever since I was little I had always dreamed – and still do – of traveling around the world. Canada, Japan, the Philippines, Norway, Ghana, you name it! I wanted to go everywhere and my constant urge to see the world never died so, after many daydreams and nighttime fantasies my first and second, BIGGEST dreams had finally come true: Canada and Japan.
Photograph by Mariana Castro
I was probably still in elementary school at the time, but one day I had gone to my friends house and had noticed that he was moving. I had then asked “Where to?” which was followed by his surprisingly casual response “Oh, Canada.” (Tch) Obviously I was devastated at the fact that my second family was moving far away, and of course I couldn’t convince my parents to let me go with them so, from that moment I had VOWED to go out and see them again. After about 7 years of constant “I’m going’s” and working in a farmers market to scratch and save up for my ticket, my first big dream had finally come true. I was in Canada.
It was an awesome two filled weeks that I will never forget however, after two weeks had passed I was already back in school. Back to doing a ton of work, hanging out with friends, and attending Shimada club meetings every Wednesday during the short lunch period we’d have everyday. I didn’t know how I’d get to Japan until I had joined the Shimada club during my freshman year of high school. “So we’ll all get the chance to travel to Japan if you work hard and attend every meeting” is what I remember hearing my first day there. Of course to everyone in the room I looked sane, but in my head I was all like: “Wait. Travel to Japan? You’re kidding! I… I…THIS IS THE BEST MOMENT OF MY LIFE! THIS IS CRAZY!”
Photograph by Mariana Castro
(Cough) So, as you can tell I was having like, the biggest…I don’t know how to even put it. The biggest…oh! THE BIGGEST WHOO-HOO MOMENT IN MY LIFE! Like, the part in Napoleon Dynamite where Kip’s all like “Yes~”. (Ha ha ha) Mmm-hm, just like that. Anyways fast-forwarding a bit, I basically worked my heart out until senior year rolled by, and my second BIG dream had finally come true. I was going to Japan.
I didn’t go alone of course. I actually went with 6 other club members plus 2 old teachers that I used to have before I moved back to the city. I was so happy when we boarded that I could’ve died right on the plane! ª Good thing I didn’t though, otherwise I wouldn’t have gotten to: meet my host family, make new friends, practice my Japanese, tell two old men riding their bikes that they were cool, eat awesome food, take pictures of newlyweds while I was on a fieldtrip, and the list goes on and on. Take off was fun because one of our friends had never been on a plane, so she was kind of hyperventilating in the back rows. After a few short naps, playing games, watching movies, and bathroom breaks, we finally landed in Japan.
Photograph by Mariana Castro
The next small moments passed like running water. It was all so dreamy. That is until morning came! Breakfast was fresh and served in small portions at a time so it could be nice and hot for the guests. Everything tasted so GOOD! After breakfast my friends and I went on a small excursion around the hotel. IT WAS AWESOME! Men and women were walking in their business suits, the youth and the elderly were riding bikes, school kids were in their super stylish school uniforms, vending machines and convenience stores were a ton of fun, AND HERE I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET DUMBSTRUCK AND HAPPY AS A MOUSE WITH CHEESE! We even walked in the station just to look at people. It was great.
After a while of walking around it was time to head over to Shimada, the place where we would be staying for the remainder of our time eating and having fun with the coolest people in the world. We had a few more small tours and stopped at a few rest stops – where I had my first experience with their high tech toilets – before we finally arrived at the school. It was like we were super star players walking into the stadium being welcomed by an awesome band and clapping from the crowd. The welcome we received from the kids and teachers was the best I had ever experienced in my whole life. I felt so loved, and knew that I was at home.
Photograph by Mariana Castro
The next few days were filled with engaging conversations, icebreakers, happy kids, awesome food, fieldtrips, and much, much more. It was truly an experience I could never forget. Days would mainly consist of me waking at the crack of dawn, my mom making me and my host sister breakfast and lunch, a ride on the train to meet our friends to walk to school, going to class rooms, meeting more people, laughing and learning new things, and falling more in love with the country I was continuously getting to know. Everyday seemed so natural. Maybe it was because I was, surrounded by tea bushes, a ton of nature, mt. Fuji and small local farms all day. One morning I even walked around my neighborhood to take pictures before breakfast.
I didn’t want to leave, but then reality had SLAPPED ME THREE TIMES and told me that I had to. It was at the farewell party two days before we had to actually leave. I felt like a train wreck, and time seemed to slow down all of a sudden. It was an excruciating time for everyone. I didn’t want to leave, but we had to go. The last day was very hard, and when I got on the bus…more crying. We went on a couple of small tours around Tokyo and at first we just wanted to go home already, but eventually we got better. We saw the Tokyo Sky Tree, Tokyo Tower, the Edo prefecture where a ton of people went to get steam on their heads, and a lot more.
After all that we finally arrived at the airport where we said our final good byes to our driver and tour guide. The last two people we’d have to part with. We then boarded the plane and were off on our way, back to California. It was a painful ride back because I got sick, but when I looked out the window the clouds were amazing. It took my mind off of the pain and my new friends for a while. It gave me relief. Then we finally landed at SFO. I was home again.
Since opening our C-41 color negative processing department, Dickerman Prints has been developing and scanning film forSF Camerawork’s First Exposures program. The weekly photography class for underserved youth aged 11-18 has been a staple of the San Francisco photographic community for years and we’re proud to be part of the team.
Google+ is Like the Wild West For Photographers
We’re not exactly sure what to do, but we’re pretty sure we’re supposed to be there.
Trying to create a photographer’s presence on Facebook or Twitter is like shouting into the wind. Now along comes Google+, which many of my friends say is nothing more than a glorified Facebook and that there’s nothing to do there. Well, if you like photography and following the work of some amazing artists, then there’s plenty going on.
Currently, my stream is filled with constant photographic updates from Colby Brown, Jim Goldstein, Thomas Hawk, Gary Crabbe, Helen Sotiriadis, Trey Ratcliff, Tarah Gaa, Richard Wong,Brian Matiash and more. Every day I find more inspirational people to follow and have been having a blast putting my own work up there.
So what’s so cool about Google+ for photographers? First off, the gallery section is fantastic! It features rollover to slightly enlarge your image and a unique grid system of different sized images that resizes when you change your browser dimensions. Very cool!
Additionally, even with 20 million users, Google+ is still new enough that the photographer community is relatively small with a population in the thousands as opposed to the multi-millions on Facebook and Twitter. This means if you do it right, there’s a much higher chance for success.
Along those same lines, the Google+ directory sitesare still relatively empty. Assuming you have taken the time to register yourself around them, they are another great way to be discovered. Random fun fact: the #1 followed user is currently none-other than Facebook’s founder: Mark Zuckerberg.
As for finding Dickerman Prints on Google+…give it a little time. Right now the site is not for businesses, but you can be sure that as soon as it is, we’ll be on there. In the mean time, check out our Facebookand Twitter feeds, which are frequently updated with great photography, articles and resources.
Still not on Google+? Just send a message and an invite will be on its way.
On Google+ already? Then be sure to +Greg Goodman (author of this article, proud Dickerman Prints employee and author of Adventures of a GoodMan: Photography, Storytelling & World Travel) into your circles.
City Streets Serve as Muse For 200 Yards Photography Project
Dayman Cash - The Fence. One of the works on display at the 200 Yards exhibition at Dickerman Prints Gallery
You are invited to join us for the opening reception of the 200 Yards photography project on June 24th from 6-9pm at Dickerman Prints Gallery. On display until August, the show features 22 images taken by 15 different photographers within the 200 yards circling our lab on the corner of 17th St. and South Van Ness.
(San Francisco, CA; May 24, 2011) – 200 Yards, the photography project that focuses on San Francisco neighborhoods 200 yards at a time, has put together its 4th show set to open on June 24, 2011 and launched a call to photographers for its 5th show to take place in the Tenderloin.
SHOW #5 COMING SOON
The 4th show, exhibiting at Dickerman Prints Photo Lab, showcases 22 images taken by 15 different photographers within the 200 yards circling the corner of 17th St. and South Van Ness. It’s an area that brings together vibrant art studios and ODC with car repair shops and industrial buildings. This collection is one of the most abstract and richly textured exhibitions 200 Yards has put together.
This August the photography exhibit will turn to the Tenderloin as a muse. The 5th show, to be held at Café Royal, is currently accepting submission of photographs taken within the 200-yard radius around the corner of Post and Leavenworth. Genevieve Robertson and Shelly Kerry, creators of the 200 Yards project, are extremely excited about this upcoming show.
“Not only have we been wanting to do a show in the Tenderloin since we started, it will mark the one-year anniversary of our first exhibit,” says Robertson. “We hoped the project would continue, but we really had no idea it would catch on the way it has. People are constantly coming out of the woodwork to tell us how much they love the idea.” One of those supporters is The Tender, a blog that is all things Tenderloin. They’ve joined forces with 200 Yards to help spread the word about the August show and the opening reception on Thursday, August 4, 2011 will also be a TenderNights neighborhood party.
Erika Pino's selected entry for the 200 Yards photo exhibition at Dickerman Prints Gallery
With plans to continue doing at least 4 shows a year, the project will continue to explore new neighborhoods and will hopefully venture across the bay to Oakland next year. Kerry and Robertson are also putting more effort into building a community around the project.
The guidance, inspiration and support they’ve provided emerging photographers has been extremely well received. In an attempt to provide more resources and structure they will be looking toward collaborations and organizing group events that get photographers together and capturing images.
200 Yards @ Dickerman Prints Photo Lab, 3180 17th Street @ South Van Ness, opens Friday, June 24th with a reception from 6-9pm. To be a part of the 5th show at Café Royal, read the rules and download the map.
For more information contact Genevieve Robertson at genevieve@lightboxsf.com or 415.846.2138.
To see all images in the upcoming exhibition click here.
Our Upstairs Neighbors: The Blackwell Files Casting Agency and Rental Studio
The Blackwell Files Casting Directors and Talent Scouts
The creativity in our building doesn’t end with Dickerman Prints. One only has to go up a single flight of stairs to find The Blackwell Files, which provides clients with one-stop casting services for print and video ad campaigns. They also have two beautiful studios available for rent in the heart of the trendy Mission District.
The Blackwell Files Casting Directors and Talent Scouts have been skillfully managing the casting needs of ad agencies, producers, and photographers worldwide since 1999. In addition to their database of over 6000 Real-People talent they have the unique ability to save you time by handling the coordination of models from multiple, local, model agencies for on-site castings and call-backs. Their capacity to provide clients with an efficient, one-stop, talent-casting experience makes them the go-to casting agency for your San Francisco Bay Area talent needs.
Whether you’re looking to cast real people, talent with special skills, professional models, or just rent a studio, explore The Blackwell Files Web site and discover their full range of casting services. Clients include Audi, HP, Disney, Microsoft, Merrill Lynch, Yahoo!, Purina, Newsweek, Genetech, Del Monte, Adidas, Gap Kids and many more.
Check out what people are saying about the Blackwell Files on Yelp!
200 Yards: A Great New Photo Competition Idea
We love collaborating with creativity here at Dickerman Prints. That’s why we’re so excited to tell you about a new photo competition that we’re teaming up with: 200 Yards.
200 yards is a photography experiment conceived of and presented by Lightbox SF. First they find a venue, maybe a wine bar, office lobby, or traditional gallery. Then they put out a call to photographers to explore a 200 yard radius from the venue’s location and take pictures of whatever catches their eye. Each photographer then selects their best photos, up to 10, and submits them for possible inclusion in a photo exhibit held at the originally selected center point.
The idea behind the project is to expose local photographers, the little details that make each block of San Francisco unique, as well as the merchants that give each neighborhood its character.
Currently, Free Gold Watch has been selected for the 3rd venue (1767 Waller St. @ Stanyan). The submission deadline is February 14, 2011 and the opening reception is March 12, 2011.
So grab your camera, head over to Upper Haight and get snapping.
About Lightbox SF:
Our mission is to teach all artists that they can have viable careers based solely on their art. We know you have it in you, you just need the right guidance and support. That’s where we come in, Shelly and Genevieve, the founders of Lightbox SF. We can be your educators, accountability, cheerleaders, or inspiration.
If you’ve got an idea just burning to come alive, but are feeling overwhelmed with what you think you need to do or aren’t sure you can even make the time, we’ll help you draw the map to your dream and set realistic goals. If you’re struggling to make the leap from hobby to business, but aren’t sure where to start, we can guide you through the steps to building revenue. If you’ve spent a few years building a brand and want to take the business to the next level, we can teach the skills to be a successful, creative business owner.