Items tagged with 'photos'
Memorable photos from 2011
Some were from scenes that seemed unreal.
While filing away 2011, we thought it'd be interesting to collect some of our favorite photos from the last year of AOA.
Some of the photos are good pictures, some evoked memories (good and bad), and some are just fun.
Thank you to everyone who sent along photos over the past year. We appreciate it.
Santa Speedo Sprint 2011 photos
They're running for charity. And to stay warm.
The Santa Speedo Sprint is one of the most fun events of each year. And this weekend was no exception. It was great to see so many people smiling, laughing, and cheering others on.
There's a big bunch of photos from this year's sprint after the jump...
Victorian Stroll 2011 photos
Festive.
Sebastien has posted a fun photoset from the Victorian Stroll in Troy on Sunday.
Here's another photoset from the stroll by Vic Christopher.
And one of Paul's photos resulted in a great joke: "Hipster Bichon enjoyed Troy before it was cool."
photo: Sebastien Barre
Good spots for photographing sunsets?
We snapped this pic at Albany NanoTech this week. It was kind of beautiful watching the just-setting sun reflect off all that glass.
MariaG asks via a comment:
Hi, I recently moved back to Albany and I love photographing sunsets...where are some good spots in the area? Thanks so much in advance.
Have a suggestion for Maria? Please share!
John Crispin's Willard suitcase project
This is remarkable: photographer John Crispin is documenting suitcases -- and their contents -- from a long-closed state mental facility that have been preserved at the State Museum. He explains on his Kickstarter page:
In 1995, the New York State Museum was moving items out of the Willard Psychiatric Center in Willard, NY which was being closed by the State Office of Mental Health. It would eventually become a state-run drug rehabilitation center. Craig Williams and his staff became aware of an attic full of suitcases in the pathology lab building. The cases were put into storage when their owners were admitted to Willard sometime between 1910 and the 1960s. And since the facility was set up to help people with chronic mental illness, these folks never left. An exhibit of a small selection of the cases was produced by the Museum and was on display in Albany in 2003. It was very moving to read the stories of these people, and to see objects from their lives before they became residents of Willard.
I have been given the incredible opportunity to photograph these cases and their contents. To me, they open a small window into the lives of some of the people who lived at the facility.
He explains more in the video embedded above. His Kickstarter project has already reached its funding goal -- and then some.
Crispin has been posting some of the images from this project on a blog. The collections of items are beautiful in a way.
Crispin says on Kickstarter the State Museum has more than 400 suitcases in its collection. A handful of them were on display at the museum in 2004, and later became a traveling exhibit (exhibit website). There was also a book that came out of the exhibit, The Lives They Left Behind: Suitcases from a State Hospital Attic . [Village Voice] [USA Today]
(Thanks, Jess!)
Small Batch Editions
"Poolside" by Sebastien Barre, one of the first prints available through Small Batch Editions.
Worth a look: Small Batch Editions, a startup business from local curator Melissa Stafford, which is aiming to put together new art buyers with up-and-coming photographers. As Melissa explained in an email:
The idea is something that has been building in my mind for at least 3 years now. In the course of working at the gallery in Hudson I often met a lot of people who fell in love with a photograph or painting, but were unable to afford it. I also met a lot of artists struggling to sell their work. Considering the economy these days and how limited most budgets are, I wanted to create an opportunity for both artists and buyers to have a meaningful exchange; by publishing special limited edition prints at more affordable prices I hope to grow the market for unrepresented photographers, increasing their visibility. At the same time, we as collectors get to discover new and exciting work and support the artists we love.
The initial lineup of photographers includes some local names you might recognize: Joe Putrock, Sebastien Barre, Holly Northrop.
Small Batch Editions hasn't officially launched yet. Melissa is currently running a Kickstarter campaign to raise money to cover some of the initial costs. Contributors will be able to pre-order prints and be eligible for other rewards. (And, as with all Kickstarter campaigns, the money is refunded if the goal isn't met.)
You might recognize Melissa's name from Carrie Haddad Photographs in Hudson, where she was the gallery's first director. Here's a little bit more about what prompted her to start Small Batch Editions...
Inside St. Joseph's Academy
A classroom, in a former life.
A few weeks ago we talked with Jeff Mirel from the Albany Barn about the plan to turn the old St. Joseph's Academy in Albany into a live/work arts facility.
Recently, Sebastien, Paul and Darren were invited to photograph the inside of the building. Sebastien's put together a good post about the photo trip. And Darren's photos are on Flickr. (The trio also recently had a show at the Albany Barn's Stage 1 space.)
Sebastien's post also includes a shoutout to Carl and Akum about the history of the building.
photo: Sebastien Barre
Warrior Dash photos 2011
Fiery.
This is fun: Sebastien was at the Warrior Dash at Windham Mountain this past weekend and has a great post and photoset from the race/obstacle course/mud bath.
A few more photos after the jump. But definitely go check out the whole set.
Warriors! Jen and Silvia both braved the course this year. Jen says the obstacles were a lot harder this year. And Silvia had a blast -- and ended up inventorying her injuries
Update! Diana also ran the course this year and took her camera along.
"Then & Now" at Albany Center Gallery
Opening today at Albany Center Gallery: "Then & Now (Small Prints)" by Thom O'Connor.
The artist, a former UAlbany professor, is a photographer and accomplished print maker. From the blurbage (link added):
Thom O'Connor's work has been consistently praised and highly valued for its construction and thoughtfulness throughout his career. O'Connor is recognized internationally as a master of printmaking, and for his innovation and skill with new techniques. In an Albany Times Union article, author William Jaeger explains, "O'Connor's prints survive because they have unusual visual sensitivity, [and] show extraordinary craft. There is an undercurrent of drama that suggests, without delineation, a very human dimension to the works."
The show opens today and runs through September 10. There's a reception on August 12 at 5 pm.
Look for this Friday: "Forgive Our Trespasses," an exhibit opening this Friday at the Albany Barn, of urban exploration photos by Sebastien Barre, Paul Gallo and Darren Ketchum. There's a reception with the artists starting at 5 pm.
image: Thom O'Connor
Rainbow over Lark Street
Because everyone loves a big rainbow -- here it is in large format.
Jess sent along this rainbow pic:
Spotted the most lovely rainbow yesterday evening while at happy hour at the Lionheart!
A happy hour special.
photo: Jessica Pasko
Capital Pride parade photos 2011
The annual Capital Pride parade was this past weekend in Albany.
Sebastien was nice enough to share some photos from the event -- a few more are after the jump. Be sure to check out the whole photoset. It includes a lot of good photos.
And don't miss Leigh's Soapbox post about why Pride is one of her favorite local festivals.
Photo Regional at Albany Center Gallery
The 33rd annual Photo Regional exhibit opens this Friday at the Albany Center Gallery in downtown Albany. There's a reception from 5-9 pm as part of First Friday. From the blurbage:
From nearly 500 submissions―a near record―35 images created by 30 artists comprise the exhibit. Artists selected include Jeffrey Altman, Steven Rolf Kroeger, Mark McCarthy, Jenny McShan, Linda Morrell, Anthony Salamone and Dave Waite.
It was curated by Ian Berry, of the Tang Teaching Museum and Melissa Stafford from Carrie Haddad Photographs Gallery in Hudson. Tim Kane, independent arts journalist, was associate curator.
The Photo Regional remains a mainstay of the local photography scene as a source highlighting the region's diversity in the medium. Started in response to the lack of venues staging exhibitions with photography as fine art, the rotating and yearly survey provides a snapshot on recent activity in the field within a 100-mile radius of Albany.
The exhibit runs through July 16 at ACG. There's also an awards ceremony June 11.
Lots no longer vacant
The site of the Radix Center's greenhouse. There's something great about seeing the Corning Tower in the background and goats in the foreground.
Sebastien has an excellent post about the recent work at multiple sites for the Vacant Lot Project in Albany's South End. He and Bennett have been documenting the project as it moves along. As Sebastien writes of this most recent photoset:
I came back with a lot of pictures, which I trimmed down to a count of 70. Here's hoping that some of the photographs on this page will inspire you to get involved in this neighborhood, or your own. This is only a glimpse at the great work a community can get done when they came together.
Here's a link to Bennett's photoset from the day.
The Vacant Lot Project is a cool idea -- it's turning sites that could be seen as liabilities into neighborhood assets. And it's a great to see people working to make a neighborhood a better place.
Earlier on AOA: The Grand Street Vacant Lot Project
photo: Sebastien B
A tour of North Central
Uptown Troy.
Check it out: the Kunstlercast -- the podcast with James Howard Kunstler and Duncan Crary -- featured a walking tour of Troy's North Central neighborhood last week. From the description:
In this enhanced podcast, JHK & Duncan explore North Central Troy, NY with Billie-Jean Greene, a KunstlerCast listener who recently purchased a home in this area. This once wealthy neighborhood on the Hudson River has suffered from urban blight for many years. But a group of neighbors, known as The Uptown Initiative, are committed to helping turn their neighborhood around. Billie-Jean leads this tour and introduces us to some of the neighborhood residents, including a bed & breakfast owner, another homeowner, and some urban chickens named Ruby and June. Also along the route is a Hells Angels clubhouse.
Accompanying the podcast is an interesting photoset by Neil Grabowsky of Through the Lens Studios. It peeks into homes and includes some great detail.
Duncan's matched the audio up with the photos so you can listen/watch them together.
A few of Neil's photos are after the jump, but take a moment and check out the whole set.
Tulip Fest 2011 photos
Bennett and Sebastien sent along nice photo sets from the Tulip Festival.
A handful of photos from the sets are after the jump. Re-live the flowers, the music, the lassos...
St. Patrick's Day parade 2011
This photo looks even better in large format.
The photo above is from a nice photoset by Sebastien from the St. Patrick's Day parade in Albany over the weekend. A few more are after the jump -- and, of course, the photoset linked above has many more.
Also: Flicker user MIKECNY has also posted a parade set -- it includes some good people shots.
(Thanks, Sebastien!)
An icy walk at dusk
I may have cursed the frozen rain as it fell Sunday night, and the snow as it covered the ground yesterday morning, but once the sun came out I was praising the beauty of what was left behind.
I took a walk along the Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike trail and the Mohawk River State Park in Niskayuna to photograph the remnants of our recent wintry mix.
Photographer Mark McCarty
Mark in front of his polaroid wall at his studio in Troy.
Troy-based photographer Mark McCarty captures the details that are often photoshopped out of today's images: wrinkles, blemishes and scars included.
"I have a real problem with the way skin is dealt with these days... where it gets all plastic and perfect -- I don't like it."
Flesh has been a common theme in his photography.
Two of his projects look at that theme in very different ways: one is with Alzheimers patients at the Marjorie Doyle Rockwell Center in Cohoes, the other is his work with colon cancer survivors for an annual "Colondar", which features the scars of those survivors.
"Everyone in the world goes through something that scars them whether it's visible or not, and I think photography is a good medium for exploring that."
I spoke with Mark recently about how he got involved with these projects, their affect on the subjects -- and the effect on him. (Also: a handful of his photos.)
Cold! Cold! Cold!
The high that day: 20. Beach weather it was not.
Here are some fun photosets by Sebastien and The Exile from the recent Winterfest at Grafton Lakes. And here's a bonus set by Flickr user dividedsky319.
The day includes a "polar plunge" into a pool carved out of the frozen lake -- there are some great faces when people hit the water.
photo: Sebastien B
Victory Mill
Loft-y?
Sebastien and Bennett's Urban Decay Tour of the Capital Region continues with a stop at the Victory Mill in... Victory. Photosets: Bennett | Sebastien.
Bennett has a bit about the history of the mill, and the planned loft conversion project, on his blog. And Sebastien has an interesting bit from a friend who grew up near the mill:
The mill was a great motivator for me to go to college and leave the small village of Schuylerville. I grew up hearing stories from my father and brother of their days working in the mill and also telling stories that my grandfather told of his time working there. Hearing these stories made me realize it was something I never wanted to do.
Bonus bit about Victory: the current mayor ran for election on a platform that included a push to dissolve the village.
photo: Sebastien B
iArt: Dan Burkholder's iPhone Artistry
A time-lapse of Dan running through how he creates an image.
Dan Burkholder is an accomplished photographer and artist. His recent canvas of choice? The iPhone.
Dan has managed to coax the iPhone into creating works with rich textures and sweeping panoramas. He's become so good at it that he wrote a book on the subject that will be out in a few months.
We first heard about Dan's work through an exhibit in Troy last year -- his images were being shown at the Martinez Gallery.
We recently took a trip down to the Catskills to visit Dan in his home studio. He lives there with his wife, Jill (another accomplished photographer), and four cats. He was kind enough to show us how he turns an iPhone snapshot into a work of art.
(Video of how Dan creates an image, plus a handful of his works, after the jump. And the youtube versions can be found here and here)
The sometimes overlooked Troy
A site called Bag News featured an interview/slideshow today with photographer Brenda Ann Kenneally about Troy:
From the accompanying text:
Brenda admits that all her work is autobiographical. Her past is a guide that helps her explore the lives of the women upstate. Brenda grew up in Albany, not far from her main focus, Troy, New York. Some might say that her work is about the impoverished conditions present in many of America's communities today. Instead Brenda is mostly interested in the social and moral dynamics of living in an "underclass" community.
Kenneally has worked on a handful of projects documenting these communities in Troy. Her "Upstate Girls" project focused on girls in the North Central neighborhood. The work was on display at the Sanctuary for Independent Media, which is in that neighborhood, last year.
Here's an Nieman Storyboard interview with Kennally about her work in Troy. And here are more of her photos (some might be NSFW).
Embedded after the jump is a multimedia collaboration between Kenneally and poet Susan B.A. Somers-Willet about Troy for the public radio program Studio 360.
(Thanks, B)
Santa Speedo Sprint 2010 photos
Santa has some hearty elves this year.
Updated Monday at 8 pm
This year's Santa Speedo Sprint once again proved the scantily-clad Santa dash is one of the most fun events of the year. It's so great to be in a crowd where so many people are smiling.
And last we heard, ASAP had raised $20,000 for the Albany Damien Center!
Many photos are after the jump.
Saratoga Victorian Streetwalk 2010 photos
A good way to stay warm.
Sebastien's posted a photoset with some really nice photos from Thursday's Victorian Streetwalk in Saratoga. The set includes a lot of good closeups of people, costumes and... reindeer.
This year's streetwalk was jammed, apparently. As Drew tweeted last night:
Saratoga is to Victorian Streetwalk as studio apartment is to U2 concert.
photo: Sebastien B
A tranquil time lapse of Albany
Local photographer Pete Dzintars has posted another great series of time lapse videos from in/around Albany. The ESP, Pearl Street, The Palace and UAlbany all make appearances.
Here's Pete's previous time lapse video from around Albany. And here's his Flickr stream (check out this HDR shot of a barn on Krumkill Road).
(Thanks, Pete!)
... said Jenna about The quintessential Capital Region food?