UVic Documentary Photography Course Done

April 11, 2012 | Filed Under Gallery & Workshop | Leave a Comment 

I’ve just finished up the documentary project class I was teaching as part of the University of Victoria’s Continuing Education program. The first time for continuing ed and it was a great experience. A small class but enthusiastic and everyone ended up working on a great project of their choice. The best part of teaching for me is watching the students’ confidence and skill improve through the duration of the course. We ended up with a real variety of projects and some amazing individual photographs. I’ve got another proposal in for a fall course at UVic. I’ll post the details when I know it’s a go. It’ll be  a very different photo offering.

Rain

June 26, 2011 | Filed Under Personal Project | Leave a Comment 

Another damp west coast day, crossing the Alex Fraser bridge .

West Coast Winter

March 2, 2011 | Filed Under Photography, Photojournalism | Leave a Comment 

So here’s photographic proof we do get winter out here open the western edge of the world. Sure, it did only last three days but it was a hard three days.

Luz Gallery – Quinton Gordon and Diana Millar

November 21, 2010 | Filed Under Gallery & Workshop, Interview, Photography | Leave a Comment 

Quinton Gordon and Diana Millar are the owners of the Luz Gallery.

1) Tell us about yourselves.

That’s a pretty open question but in short Diana and I have combined my background as a professional photographer, artist and instructor with Diana’s experience in event planning and business management. We are both originally from Ontario but we met here in Victoria four and a half years ago, and when our daughter Molly was born almost three years ago, we decided to try to make Victoria our home. That decision meant looking at some creative solutions to achieve our career aspirations.

2) Why start an art gallery that features photography?

For me the choice to focus on photography was easy, and for Diana it represented an exciting new challenge at a time when photography is really coming into it’s own within the international fine art market.

3) What was involved in creating the gallery?  How much research did you do before actually making the decision to move ahead with your idea?

Well, in many ways the research began 15 years ago with my first thoughts of creating a gallery and centre of photographic arts  during a five month period of travelling and photographing personal projects. Then in 2005 I was inspired by my experience at the Manuel Álvarez Bravo Centre for Photography in Oaxaca, Mexico and in 2008 we made the decision not to move back to Toronto and that sparked a decision to see if we could create Lúz. We spent a year developing our ideas and looking at the range of photographic galleries and centres of photography around North America, but it was also a case of just forging ahead to realize our combined vision.

4) You’re much more than a gallery. You offer workshops, custom printing, sell photo printers and photo papers.  Why do all that extra work? Wouldn’t it be easier to just concentrate on the gallery itself?

Easier yes that’s an understatement! We have a lot of balls in the air each day but even if we limited our endeavours to just the gallery it would still be a lot of work. There are two very compelling reasons to be more then just a photography gallery. The first is tied to our vision of building a stronger local and international photographic community, and the second is economic, the business would not be sustainable without several revenue streams, and even with those in place we are working in a community of just eighty thousand. There is no question that this would be easier if we have a larger population base.

Establishing a credible fine photographic gallery in the international market takes a long term vision of at least three to five years, and locally the buying market for photography is only just beginning to mature. In order to support a successful business model we had to balance the interests of both collectors of photography, with practitioners of photography by blending the exhibition and sale of fine photography with courses, seminars and quality retail services such as our digital print studio and the Tricera / Epson store.

5) Why do you think workshops are important?

We believe in the value of people learning and challenging themselves creatively and workshops are a great way to learn from a good instructor as well as from the other participants. This coming together of like minded people helps to reinforce the sense of community and we have seen how people who meet at our workshops continue to share ideas and communicate afterwards.

6) What has been the most important thing you’ve learned about running a gallery since you first opened?

That despite being a new gallery in an out of the way city, we can be part of a larger community and that like most successful businesses here we have to reach out to that larger community.

7) What advice would you give to a photographer wishing to have an exhibit with Luz?

This is a great question because we get people contacting us all the time and we want to encourage this, but it is helpful if they are well prepared.

Their starting point should be to read the submission guidelines published on our website. It is really hard when people just walk in off the street because as you pointed out earlier we are very busy running the various aspects of Lúz and as a general rule it is best if they introduce themselves by sending a submission package that includes their CV, a printed promotional piece, an artists statement and a carefully selected set of samples from the body of work they wish to show. Artists also need to realize that they need to develop a relationship with a gallery and that it takes time and effort to do so. The effort put in by an artist over time is part of the screening process. Rarely do things happen quickly for new artists. It can be different when we are approached by an established artist but even then we are planning well in advance.

We make a significant investment of time, money and energy when we mount an exhibition and it means that artists need to show us that they are serious about what they are doing and that they are making a significant investment in their work. Naturally it is important that we like their work and that we feel we can sell their work to our clients. It’s really helpful if they have published a book as well. Book sales are out pacing print sales and this can go some way to helping us recover the investment made in the exhibition.

Our exhibition calendar is scheduled roughly a year at a time and we try to balance juries shows with solo exhibitions of work by both established and emerging artists. We have 2011 basically nailed down now and we are looking to 2012. Now that we are going into our second and third years, the gallery has a growing international reputation and we are attracting established names from the US, Europe and Asia as well as across Canada so the competition for exhibition space is getting more challenging. We do want to support local artists and our juried exhibitions can be a great way for newer artists to start working with us. We are trying to put out at least one call each year for submissions to juried group shows and these shows are very helpful for artists to have on their CV.

Can you talk about the idea of the gallery as a community centre for photographers?

Here again you raise an important question. We are working hard to create a place where people can engage with photography through opportunities to see diverse work of a high calibre was well as a place to learn, and even a place to meet and connect with one another. As such it is significant that people understand that we don’t receive any government funding and that the cost of creating and delivering on what we offer is high. In order to keep our products and services affordable we set very tight margins on our pricing so if what we have created is valuable to the community then they need to support through purchases or even through donations made at our openings or events.

9) The gallery has led to some new opportunities for both of you. What are some of those opportunities?

Part of our motivation in opening Lúz was to be able to live here in Victoria while continuing to engage with the international photographic community. From the outset we have been focused on our belief that there is a place for Victoria in the international photography market and through Lúz we have been able to meet and collaborate with people such as Donald Weber, Stella Johnson or Joni Sternbach along with many others. It is also providing us with more travel opportunities as we add destination workshops in locations that interest us. Diana has been invited to be one of the portfolio reviewers at Photo Lucida in April 2011 and it is a huge honour for her to participate at this level, in effect she has been called up from the “farm team” to hit in the major league.

10) What trends are you noticing in photography being exhibited and offered for exhiibtions?

Well it depends on where you look, but for us the emphasis on contemporary photography challenges the divisions between documentary and fine art. Colour photography is playing a key role for many contemporary artists and for those working in B&W there is a lot of interest in fine traditional printing techniques.

11) What would be the dream exhibition you would each show?

One that sells out on opening night!

12) If price was no object what print would you each buy?

That’s tough, our list is pretty long, although (Quinton) I  have always wanted a print of Avedon’s or Cartier-Bresson. (Diana) I have an answer for a print I would buy – Harry Callahan, more like the collection – too hard to pick just one. Also the Yangtze project from Nadav Kandar has produced stunning images, that I would love to add to my collection.
The thing is that we work with and appreciate so many wonderful contemporary photographers that it would be an insurmountable challenge to select just one… I guess if money was no object we’d choose to support many artists and collect several works.

13) What do you see for the future of the gallery?

We work on our future every day, and frankly some days that means just figuring out how to keep it going. But aside from that it is a matter of getting to the point where we can consistently deliver the level of exhibitions, courses, and facilities we have in mind. We are adding more destination workshops and expanding our partnerships with other organizations such as Leica and Epson or festivals like Photo Lucida to facilitate growth. In terms of future expansion we would like to see this include more dedicated classroom space and a dedicated studio for teaching and rentals, a digital teaching lab and darkroom space. On the gallery front we are working to develop relationships with collectors so we can be more effective for the artists we represent.

We are also very motivated to increase our publishing ventures both online and in print and I am working toward launching Lúz Journal, a magazine of photography similar in concept to Dispatches or burn magazine founded by David Alan Harvey. We will initially publish online but I am a huge advocate of print and this remains my ultimate goal along with more publishing collaborations with our photographers to produce limited edition books.

We have ideas about introducing memberships or raising more funds through donations of money or equipment – of which we have received some already – but to do all of this we need to expand our human recourses and this is happening slowly with Dave Aharonian and Karen Iwachow coming onboard. Eventually we will work to expand our facilities but with the high price of real estate in Victoria it will take sometime to get there.Rright now we have our sights set on trying to pay next months rent.

You can check out the Luz Gallery’s exhibitions and workshops here. You can take a look at Quinton’s photography site here. You can listen to a recorded interview with Quinton by Portland photographer Lauren Henkin at her Photo Radio site here.

Photograph of a Photographer Holding a Photograph of a Photographer (Inside a Giant Tree)

May 18, 2010 | Filed Under Featured, Photography | Leave a Comment 

Photographer T. J. Watt holds one of his photographs, this one showing fellow photographer Byron Fry sitting inside the giant stump of a recently logged old growth tree on Vancouver Island. Watt is also one of the co-founders of the Ancient Forest Alliance. You can see more of his photographs at his site or the Ancient Forest site.

Wilf Schmidt and The Little Photo Shop – Photographers’ Work Spaces and Studios

March 29, 2010 | Filed Under Gallery & Workshop, Interview, Photo Studios and Work Spaces | 6 Comments 

I was in Kamloops this past weekend, the first time I’ve spent anytime there in at least three years.  One of the last times I was there I’d come across this gallery/store on 3rd Avenue run by photographer Wilf Schmidt and I was curious to see if  he was still there, and he was. Schmidt calls his place The Little Photo Shop and claims it’s “The World’s Smallest Photography Supply Store’. The former high school photography teacher sells prints of his own work but also stocks black and white film, Holga cameras and has a group of pinhole cameras in the back of the shop as well as other photo odds and ends. It’s a very cool space and it’s tiny which just adds to the charm. The shop is currently a little more crowded than usual as he is selling off his darkroom equipment and has the boxes stacked there. Hidden behind him is an antique safe, part of the original furnishings in the heritage building his store is located in.

Wilf  in the  ‘office’ section of his shop.

Wilf shows off a tiny camera that actually works. It originally came with rolls of film.

A few of Wilf’s photographs

Vancouver Visit

January 27, 2010 | Filed Under Street photography | Leave a Comment 

A brief visit to Vancouver a week ago to pick up my Olympic credentials. Snapped a couple of images while cruising the downtown streets, just fun stuff for a change. Liked the flag reflection in the one and just playing around with the image of the downtown library building.

Worthy Causes – Shelter Box & Ancient Forest Alliance

January 20, 2010 | Filed Under Worthy causes | 1 Comment 

I don’t usually hype groups or causes but two very different organizations came to my attention this week that deserve some attention and donations. The first,  Shelterbox, supplies a large box stuffed with tents, bedding, waterfilter, stove, pots etc, everything that a person or family in a disaster situation needs and needs quickly. It’s such a simple but effective idea. Shelterbox groups can be found around the world and are affiliated with Rotary clubs. I found out about the group while doing a story for the paper on them this week as they are shipping boxes to Haiti right now. Have a look at their website, a worthy cause.

The other group is a brand new, the Ancient Forests Alliance, started by Ken Wu who was long associated with the Western Canada Wilderness Committee, Tara Sawatsky and photographer T J Watt.  The WCWC has decided they are pulling away from focusing on forests and concentrating on the marine environment. This greatly concerned Wu and others so they created this organization. Check them out, story here. Their website here. While you’re at it check out TJ Watt’s photo site.

Dark Image For A Dark Day

January 13, 2010 | Filed Under Landscape, Photography | Leave a Comment 

Olympic Torch Run In Victoria

November 5, 2009 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment 

The Olympic Torch Run started it’s trek across Canada in Victoria with a lot of ceremony but luckily very short speeches in front of the Legislature.

Olympic medalists Simon Whitfield and Catriona Lemay-Doan light the first torch

Premier Gordon Campbell signals success as VANOC CEO John Furlong lights a cauldron with the Olympic flame brought over from Greece

Esquimalt Chief Andy Thomas holds up the Olympic flame inside a lantern at the start of the ceremony

School children watch as athletes leave with the torch

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