Following Saturday’s excellent Masters Talk and the unforgettable Nan Goldin/Sally Mann interview-cum-voyeuristic-kaffeeklatsch, the crowd was in a celebratory mood that lasted for many until early Sunday morning. Photographer Brendan Hoffman was there to catch the final moments of this year’s Look3 – take a look at this gallery of what he saw:

[See the post to view the galleries]
Images by Brendan Hoffman/Prime

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A second round of nighttime projections in the Charlottesville Pavilion again showed a huge range of work from many talented artists. The show finished especially strong with Jacob Krupnick’s so-joyous-you-can’t-help-but-smile “Girl Walk // All Day” video set to music by mashup artist Girl Talk. The video, a trailer for an in the works 71 minute long-form version, was shot in 2010 and features freestyle dancers cavorting alongside commuters on the Staten Island Ferry and pedestrians in the subways and streets of Manhattan.

The audience hooted and cheered when the enormously talented dancers featured in Krupnick’s video appeared in-person, at first peeking out from beneath the projection screen. They danced through, around, and with the ecstatic crowd. We can’t wait to see the full version of the film.

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Live music from a bluegrass band band filled the Main Street Arena as the Look3 tribe gathered for the last official event – a finale party called “One Look”. Plasma screens above the long bar top showed a reel of images from featured artists and participants who’d uploaded images via the Yourspace gallery. Over beers, the party spilling out onto the patio areas outside, festival participants recapped and regrouped and celebrated the experiences of three days of unadulterated photo love.

As beer cups emptied and the finale party wound down, many left to continue the night at house parties or to dance in nearby bars. As groups departed the arena and left to trek down Main Street a final time, one could overhear the chatter of groups of friends and colleagues recounting the work they saw, the ideas they shared and the new faces that had become new friends. Inevitably, talk turned towards the year ahead, and eager anticipation of the next Look3 Festival – where this community of photographers, editors, producers, and photo fans, would return “home” once again.

That’s it for now – big thanks for following along with us here!

All photography by Benjamin J Myers

Be sure to check out Miki’s liveblog post for full coverage of this amazing encounter between two legends.

[See the post to view the galleries]
All photographs by Benjamin J Myers

Image courtesy of Brian O'Shea

LaToya Ruby Frazier: Notion of Family

LaToya Ruby Frazier’s complex work recounts the social injustice in her hometown of Braddock, Pennsylvania, a community pushed to despair after the closing of the steel mills and other vital infrastructure. The socio-political instability that has destroyed the African-American community in Braddock as what she describes “contemporary day redlining”. An on-going documentation in words, still photos, and videos that has covered nearly 10 years so far, she mixes social commentary with an intimate glance into her troubled relationship with her mother, and her connection to her grandmother.

Her photography and video is utterly poetic, distressing and intimate and in a generous Q&A she highlighted the collaboration with her mother, who serves as a subject but also an artist. A powerful end to the series of Master’s talks at Look3 2011: Frazier touched on themes that wove throughout festival – working from anger and to the urgent need to document and share human injustices that news media often steers away from, Frazier’s powerful work left an absolutely searing and gripping impression.

Image courtesy of Benjamin J Myers

David Liittschwager: One Cubic Foot:

David Liittschwager presented his fascinating wildlife project recording how much life grows or passes through one cubic foot of space either in the water or on the ground. In short: a lot.

The placement of the cube frame was based on the advice of biologists and done in Central Park, Morea, San Francisco Bay and Costa Rica. His cube spaces can hold anywhere from 100 to 2.6 billion specimens and hundreds of species. Liitschwager’s beautiful documentation and close collaboration with scientists has helped illuminate the surprising multitude of life found in fragile ecosystems, and presents viewers a unique way to grasp the scale of life (and lifeforms) in our world.

Image courtesy of Benjamin J Myers

Steve McCurry: The Last Roll of Kodachrome

A film made legend in song and by the master’s who captured iconic images rendered in its unique tonalities, Eastman Kodak ceased production of Kodachrome in 2009. In a story closely followed by photography enthusiasts around the world – Steve McCurry was given the last roll of Kodachrome produced. He made a circuitous trip to the last lab still processing the film in Parsons, Kansas – via India, Turkey and New York – carefully snapping 36 frames along the way.

During the third and final round of Look3 Masters talks in the Paramount Theater, McCurry discussed the experience of shooting that last roll. Interviewed by Tony Bannon, Director of George Eastman House – he walked the audience through the story of the frames captured on that final cassette and the journey to the lab in Parsons. Despite the romantic ideal of the passing Kodachrome era, McCurry told the audience in response to an audience question: “I don’t look back”. McCurry instead focuses on what he’ll do next.

The discussion advised photographers on exposing their photojournalism to the media through soft and tough approaches. BD encouraged photographers to pursue stories that they are passionate about as a way to secure better funding for their projects.

Photograph by Brendan Hoffman/Prime

Covering the topic of human illness requires an inordinate amount of planning. Photographers must identify the right organization to work with and then relay between patients and NGOS before hard-fought efforts to get the story placed. As Nick Nichols stated, “… we can be the voice of these issues by supplying visuals that can make changes… our value to the world is communication.”

To find out more about BD’s commitment to important global health issues, visit www.bd.com/photography.

Photograph courtesy of Benjamin J Myers

The giant screen and brilliant high-res projector were a great way to check out a wide array of work from dozens of emerging and recognized artists, ranging from Stephen Mallon’s “Next Stop Atlantic”, covering the MTA’s efforts to recycle over 2,500 subway cars, to Sarah Girner’s “The Transience of Things”, which ruminated on the final moments of a home and its occupants’ belongings. Cooler temperatures and open seating—perfect for kicking back—lent a relaxed vibe to the proceedings.

The show provided a great way to cap off a packed and sometimes emotionally charged Day 2. Tonight we will be drawn back to the Pavilion for another dose of outdoor projections: the “Works” show begins at 9pm.

Luceo Images

Last night, amidst flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder, a large pack of Look3-ers and photography enthusiasts walked over to the Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative to check out the opening of the Luceo Images show: “Altered States: The Way We Live Today”.

[See the post to view the galleries]
The gallery space was packed with a young happy crowd, and the throng spilled out into the parking lot. It was a festive and friendly night; the stormy weather passing all around only added to the charge of the evening’s revelry.

The Prime Collective

This morning – the Prime Collective hosted an exhibit and pancake breakfast at Random Row Books. The show featured strong work from Prime members: Dominic Bracco ii, Melanie Burford, Brendan Hoffman, Charlie Mahoney, Lance Rosenfield, and Max Whittaker. The exhibit was curated by Whitney Johnson, Director of Photograpy for The New Yorker.

[See the post to view the galleries]
Surrounded by packed bookshelves; the air filled with the smell of fresh pancakes and the buzz of chatter between longtime friends – the Prime Collective showed off just what is so special about the Look3 Community events: great photography, amazing talent young and old – in a comfortable, familial setting absolutely full of love.
— Photographs by Benjamin J Myers and Brian O’Shea.

Related Links

Luceo Images:
http://luceoimages.com/

Luceo Exhibit at Bridge:
http://www.thebridgepai.com/2011/02/luceo-photography-altered-states-the-way-we-live-today/

Prime Collective:
http://www.primecollective.com/

It began with Christopher detailing his poignant coverage of Afghanistan, Lebanon, Haiti, and Bolivia, among other places. At a time in his career when he began to lose interest in the act of making photography, Chris somehow found a way to re-imbue his work with emotion. His creative lens allowed him to provide insight into the cycle of life and death within his family. “The act of making pictures is a way of understanding the world and having it make sense,” Anderson says, as he wraps up his beautiful Son series.

Ashley’s Bedrooms of the Fallen is an ode to military servicemen through a series of portraits that reveal the personal spaces of soldiers who died during combat. As a firm believer in depicting honesty and integrity in his work, Gilbertson tells stories to engage the public. With statements like, “I don’t believe in objectivity and work very much from anger,” it is clear that no one is left untouched.

Mary Ellen Mark and her filmmaker husband Martin Bell presented the enchanting Prom, a documentary of prom-age teens from a variety of backgrounds. The audience at the Paramount was in stitches as they watched comical and heart wrenching interviews with youth on the cusp of adulthood.