John Sarsgard -- Southern Photographer Moves North, Makes Good

Mississippi-born but now NYC-based photographer John Sarsgard has recently published a book of his elegantly-seen portraits of contemporary American poets, Like Musical Instruments, available from Kentucky's Broadstone Press.



Since my day job is as an English literature teacher, I'm fascinated with Sarsgard's portraits, and with his selection of poets. 

Sarsgard pairs each portrait with a poem by that poet, so we get a glimpse of each poet's world along with the portrait.

Sarsgard's book brings us a cross-section of contemporary American writing, ranging from folks who got their start in the 1950's, like Michael McClure (image directly above) to contemporary voices like Sylvia Gorelick (image two up) and
Erica Hunt (image below).

Sarsgard typically makes platinum prints, enriching the depth of his vision.

Good to see this work. I can only hope that John will shift his camera's gaze Southward to produce a companion volume of Southern poets.  

If he does, I've got a long list of names of folks he could start with. 
 

Even More News of Southern Photographers -- Mid-Winter 2016

Mississippi-based photographer Betty Press (see image above) has had photographs from her Mississippi: The Place I Live portfolio accepted into the permanent collection of the Mississippi Museum of Art.  

Nashville-based photographer Shawnee Brown (see image above) has had work from his Two Tales portfolio featured in Aint-Bad Magazine, here. 

Southern photographers to be included in Jeff Rich's Eyes on the South series on the Oxford American since last checked include the following:

Atlanta-based photographer Jonathan Kelso (see image above), with images from his I Want to Die A-Shouting portfolio. 

East Tennessee-based photographer Matthew Brown (see image above), with images from his Orientation portfolio.

Tampa, FL-based photographer Taylor Finke (see image above), with images from her Yell If You Think You Might Be Sinking portfolio.

Philadelphia-based photographer Dylan Safranek (see image above), with images from his This Is Home Now, Daniel portfolio.

Raleigh-based photographer Adam Bellefeuil (see image above), with images from his Cross Roads portfolio.

And that's at least some of the news of fine art photography in the American South. 

More to come, on The Southern Photographer!

More News of Southern Photographers -- Mid-Winter 2016

Nashville-based photographer Tamara Reynolds is having a major solo show of her work at the Baldwin Photographic gallery on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University, in Murfreesboro, now up through April 7th, 2016.

Reynolds will deliver an artist's talk in connection with this show, with a reception in the Gallery to follow, on February 22nd. 

Chapel Hill-based photographer Lori Vrba (see image above) is featured in the latest issue of Don't Take Pictures, here.

Vrba has been having an exceptionally rich and rewarding period in her photographic career, and it seems to keep on going and going. 

Good news, all around!

Oxford, Mississippi-based photographer Alysia Burton Steele (see image above) is among the recipients of this year's Humanities Awards from the Mississippi Humanities Council. 

Steele will be doing a workshop and signing copies of her award-winning book this Saturday February 20th, 2016, in Hattesburg, MS, go here for more details.

Steele received this award in the category Preserver of Mississippi Culture for her book  Delta Jewels: In Search of My Grandmother’s Wisdom. 

Raleigh's Diana Bloomfield (see image above) and Atlanta's Jennifer Schwartz (see image below), and perhaps other Southern photographers as well, have images in the on-line alternative processes show Intimate Alchemy, in Plates to Pixels Gallery, go here. 




More news to come! Check next post. 

Southern Photographers Recently Featured in Lenscratch

Lenscratch is one of the most compelling and consistently interesting photography ezines available today, and it frequently features Southern photographers and photographers with Southern roots or connections. 

Here are a few folks whose work has been featuyred recently in Lenscratch. 

Raleigh-based photographer Shannon Johnstone (see image above) has had her book Landfill Dogs celebrated on Lenscratch, here. 

Florida-based photographer Sharon Lee Hart  (see image aboved) has been having fun doing work with water involved in the image, as backdrop or visual motif, and her work has been featured in Lenscratch, here.  

North Carolina-born but now living in California photographer Preston Gannaway (see image above) has been photographing along the coast of Virginia, and has work from her Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea portfolio featured in Lenscratch, here.
 

David Batchelder (see image above) is a photographer Who Is Not From Around Here, but he has been making some well-seen images of the beach at Isle of Palms, near Charleston, SC, now published in the book Tideland.

Batchelder is also featured in Lenscratch, here, as well as on Photoworks, here.

Congratulations to all these folks, and to Lenscratch, for paying attention. 
 

Jennifer Schwartz announces the Crusade Engagement Grant Program for 2016

Atlanta-based photography entrepreneur Jennifer Schwartz has announced the third iteration of her Crusade Engagement Grant program which offers a $10, 000 grant to develop and implement an innovative and effective way to connect audiences to photography. 

Schwartz and her colleagues say they are "looking for projects that focus on creating demand for photography and provide a concrete plan to create one-to-one connections between the photographer, the viewer, and the audience."

Schwartz used to run a first-class gallery in Atlanta, so she knows the value of good marketing and promotion. 

She's now seeking creative ways of developing new markets for art, and especially for fine art photography. 

The money's good, but as in so many competitions the most important lessons come through participation. 

To quote those obscure English philosophers Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, "You can't always get what you want, but sometimes, if you try, you get what you need."

Full details here.