Ingredients:
1 U Street gallery
200+ art lovers
food and drink
1 celebrated underwater photographer
Mix and observe resulting explosion of revelry.
Visions of Paradise opening reception
Photograph by David Griffin
Last Friday's opening was not unlike a chemical reaction. A lively, fizzing crowd overflowed from the gallery as David Doubilet welcomed everyone to the "Visions of Paradise" exhibition at Smith Farm Center.
Venice, Italy
Photograph by Jodi Cobb
David reflected on the inevitable finale of going to "Paradise" on assignment for National Geographic. After you've finished shooting your subject inside and out, as you're relaxing to the strains of Hawaiian music floating over the waves, you look up at the rising moon to find Director of Photography David Griffin looking down at you, asking, "Are you sure you've got the story!?" Reminding you that the pictures must convey the movement, the texture, even the smell of "Paradise"--all the details that evoke what it's like to be there.
Photographer David Doubilet
Photograph by Elizabeth Krist
At the same time, Doubilet recognized the paramount importance of light, citing Einstein's description of photographers as "light monkeys"--monkeys climbing all over the light, irresistibly drawn to it.
Monkeys who never get much of a chance to relax in Paradise....
Returning from paradise is tough, but there's nothing like plunging right into FotoWeek to recover. Here are a few events coming up this weekend:
NightGallery DC is a series of monumental outdoor projections at the following museums:
- Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian (November 13-15; 5-10pm)
- Newseum (November 14-16; 5-10pm)
- Corcoran Gallery of Art and College of Art + Design (November 14-15; 5-10pm)
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (November 14-16; 5-10pm)
- Smithsonian's American Art Museum (November 18-19; 5-7pm + November 20; 5-8pm)
- Smithsonian's National Museum of American History (November 20-22; 5-10pm)
Openings
- Architectural photographers at Cross MacKenzie Gallery in Georgetown (opening reception, November 14; 6-8pm)
- Joyce Tenneson, Maxwell MacKenzie, Karen Keating, Danny Conant, Frank Van Riper, and Judith Goodman at Fraser Gallery in Bethesda (opening reception, November 14; 6-9pm)
Exhibitions
- Contact Press Images at the Artefacto Exhibit Space on 3333 M Street, NW (show opening November 15)
- Washington Post photography at two locations, the newspaper's downtown offices as well as at VisArts in Rockville (shows opening November 16)
Portfolio Reviews
- Portfolio reviews at the Corcoran on November 15; 9am-12pm and 1-4pm
Photographer Talks
- David Levinthal discusses his latest work at Conner Contemporary Art on November 15; 11:30am
- Randy Olson and Joel Sartore of National Geographic show their work from the Visions of Paradise exhibit on November 15; 1pm
-
Slideluck Potshow is a non-profit arts organization that provides an opportunity for artists and arts-appreciators to gather around food, friends, and artwork for an unforgettable night.
- November 15; 7pm Potluck | 9pm Slideshow
*For more information on the listings above, and more, go to the events page at: www.fotoweekdc.org/events.
Related Links:
www.fotoweekdc.org/events/nightgallery.asp
www.nmai.si.edu
www.newseum.org
www.corcoran.org
www.ushmm.org
americanart.si.edu/index3.cfm
americanhistory.si.edu
www.crossmackenzie.com/about.php
www.thefrasergallery.com
www.contactpressimages.com
www.washingtonpost.com
www.visartscenter.org
www.connercontemporary.com
slideluckpotshow.com
