Between the Lines with LOOKbetween Attendee Elyor Nematov

Where are you from?
I am originally from Uzbekistan, but right now I live in Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia.

How did you get here?
I flew through Almaty (Kazakhstan), then through Moscow, then to New York.

What was your reaction when you received the invitation to attend LOOKbetween?
Oh, it was amazing. It was early morning when I checked out my email right on the bed. I jumped up and I was really surprised… for maybe a couple of hours I was running around my house, you know really happy, because for the first time I had a good reason to come to the U.S.

What do you hope to get out of LOOKbetween?
Experience, contacts and relationships. I hope to build new ways for collaboration, to continue my project, and to find new experiences from other participants and from the thoughts of coordinators and editors. Their opinions about, for example, the mobile revolution, about the modern photo industry—it is something really great, something really new for me. Because you listen to those people really responsible for photo editing and main news agencies and also for social media–I don’t know what can be more interesting than these kinds of discussions.

Where is your camera?
In my backpack… oh no, in my pocket! I use the iPhone permanently for my project. I use both.

How do feel about seeing your images projected on the big screen?
So excited. I don’t know what I feel exactly, but I am so excited waiting on it. How is it that people will enjoy it, or if not, will it be boring or nothing special. I hope that people will find it interesting and inspiring.

Photography by Elyor Nematov

Photography by Elyor Nematov

Where do you want to be in a few years?
Next two years, my plan is to continue covering my subjects with labor immigration from Central Asia to Russia. I want to make the stories from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, then in Moscow, in Russia. And I really want to go to Europe during autumn, October or November. These are the next places that I have, but maybe I will create the other ones in the next month.


Saturday Evening Projections

We witnessed the remaining project work from LOOKbetweeners on Saturday night. The aesthetic diversity of the media was all over the map—in a good way, of course. Except for the occasional break for beer or popcorn, the audience was glued to the slope. Every photographer got the recognition that he so rightly deserved through hoots and applause. Upon conclusion of the show, the staff of LOOKbetween deflated the giant screen to reveal floating lanterns on the lake just ahead. It was a spirited and romantic thank you to those who had endured two days of what can only be described as an intensely meaningful collaboration. Gathered by the water, you could look around and see the beginning of lifelong friendships. This is what LOOKbetween is all about.

Story and Photography by Joe Santa / Corbis

Between the Lines with LOOKbetween Attendee Jarrett Christian

Where are you from?
Atlanta, Georgia

How did you get here?
My car.  I   drove the whole way.

Have you been to LOOK3 before?
Indeed. 3 times.

What was your reaction when you received the invitation to attend LOOKbetween?
I was nominated and it was exciting, ‘cause you don’t really know who nominated you. You have an idea, but you don’t really know, and that’s one of the really cool things about this whole thing.

What are you most looking forward to this weekend?
Just being together, I think, and the space. Coming to LOOK3, this is the fourth year I have come and it’s the space and seeing the faces I have seen before. It’s exciting to be back in the same room with everybody.

Where is your camera?
I actually, for the first time in as long as I can remember, I just left it at home.  Because I was coming here and I didn’t know what I would use it for and it was about just bringing pictures and spending time with other photographers and I have my iPhone for taking snapshots if I need to.  But this wasn’t about working on a project for me, it was about coming to be a part of something.  I do feel a little bit naked not having it. And it was sort of a challenge to just leave it.

What are you working on now?
A number of projects.  I just finished my MFA.  I have a series of the Washington DC metro ridership which is snapshots and portraiture and the public transit system there. Also, each time I come here—this is the fourth year running now—so for the last three years I have been working on a project that’s in the hills here surrounding Charlottesville. It’s sort of portrait driven, about the people that surround this area that we keep coming back to be in. It’s an ongoing thing, it’s part of the pilgrimage coming here to go and spend some time working on this personal project.

Photograph by Jarret Christian

Photograph by Jarret Christian

How did it feel to see your work on the big screen?
It was a great, great experience and it was a good feeling to know you were sharing your work with people who you were sitting shoulder to shoulder with.  So that was exciting to see to see your work on the big screen.  That’s cool.


Between the Lines with LOOKbetween Attendee Ronan Donovan

Where are you from?
Vermont, but I live in Montana.    

What was your reaction when you received the invitation to attend LOOKbetween?
Oh super excited! It was out the blue—just an email. I wasn’t expecting it. I didn’t really know much about the LOOK3 festival to begin with or LOOKbetween. I had kind of dreamed of something like this, where you get an eclectic group of like-minded people together, create a mentorship program… create a network for the younger generation. It was extremely exciting.

What are you most looking forward to this weekend?
Networking with photographers. It’s something I don’t do; I am an island to myself. Kicking around ideas with people that aren’t in photography is a lot different than people that are in the industry and can challenge you on a whole different level. To be around photographers is really great. I have already met photographers that are doing some really cool work in totally different areas than what I do.

Where is your camera?
One is in my pocket. Another is in the mountains waiting for a beaver to walk in front of it.

Photograph by Ronan Donovan

Photograph by Ronan Donovan

What are you working on now?
I just started a project on the Sagebrush habitat in the central and western U.S. and its decline, trying to put together some umbrella species; obviously some photogenic species. A lot of birds. The Sagegrouse, with its ridiculous mating dance, is one of them; and the golden eagle. It’s a side project—no funding yet, no outlet for it yet. I am building it and then will go after it.

How did it feel to see your work on the big screen last night?
Aw man… you get dry mouth, and all nervous, and butterflies just before. I had the list and knew when it was coming. It’s super exciting. I was beaming, all smiling—because you obsess about that video—at least I did—and spend so much time on it. To see it up there and to get feedback from folks is really, really fun. That’s the biggest audience I have ever shown my work to at any one time… and it felt fantastic.


Scenes from Portfolio Review

Although it's never easy to take criticism for your work, the LOOKbetweeners were surprisingly resilient as their projects were viewed under a microscope. Ten separate groups engaged in an open discussion on how to grow professionally. Here's what it looked like.

Photographs by Joe Santa / Corbis

Wake Up and Make Photographs

Clear skies and a bright sun invited the LOOKbetween campers to wake up, grab a bite, and get right back into the thick of things. This morning’s sessions divided the groups into three, splitting time between discussions on the art of photography, the world of art, and the business of mobile. 

Photograph by Joe Santa / Corbis

Photograph by Joe Santa / Corbis

Mike Davis, Deb Pang Davis and David Alan Harvey led a lively talk on the intersection of passion and purpose with photography. Ruddy Roye, James Estrin and Teru Kuwayama talked about how to gain attention in a world full of mobile pictures. Paul Kupfer and Brian Ulrich helped attendees navigate the global terrain of fine art.

And Then Came The Storm…

Late Friday afternoon and into the evening, the heavens opened up and the rain came down with drops a big as anyone had ever seen. As LOOKbetweeners and other attendees huddled beneath the massive tent structure, there came a moment when you wondered if the outdoor projections would ever take place. Fortunately, that was never an issue. The dark and dense sky gave way to a full moon that reminded you that this was Friday the 13th, and anything was possible. The projections proved such affirmation, as powerful art and photojournalism co-mingled on the giant screen. Tonight, the rain was drowned by applause, and hopeful expectations for what Saturday might have in store.

Story and Pictures by Joe Santa / Corbis

Day 1 Sessions

This afternoon, many LOOKbetweeners got their first taste of collaboration, as photographers broke into groups and shared snapshots and iPads of their work.

Photograph by Joe Santa / Corbis

Photograph by Joe Santa / Corbis

At Passion, Persistence & Purpose, show and tell took on new meaning as attendees took advice from their colleagues on how to improve to upon, expand, and look at their images from a different angle. Some people were just beginning projects, looking for ways to connect the dots. Many were squarely in the middle, anxious to get feedback from others experiencing their work for the first time. A few had reached the tail-end, exhausted, relieved and still trying to digest what it was that they had just experienced.

During Photojournalism Now, individuals spoke openly about the challenges of working in the industry, discussing ways to scale and rethink the business as a whole. Disruptive Images became a platform for revealing pictures that asked questions and sought validation.

This evening's projections should be further engaging as we take a closer look at the work from many of this year's attendees. Stay tuned.

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Story and Pictures by Joe Santa / Corbis