For the first Festival of the Photograph a group of us on Lightstalkers decided to crash the party in the form of a somewhat sanctioned slideshow created from work by a wide range of photographers, most of who were contributors to the old Lightstalkers website, one of the first photojournalism websites reaching out to the freelance photographic community. So here in all its glory is the product of our labor.
Its the start of air conditioner time here in the South, so what better time than to start something new, like a website? Makes me think I am a little crazy. The last incarnation of 100Eyes fell prey to some pernicious virus that got the site banned on Google. And the virus wouldn’t go away, so sadly the website did. But out of that good things came.
Since I saw y’all last, I have spent two years working on my personal work and “business” here in New Orleans. Things have gone well Its time to give back a little and get a lot, and so 100Eyes redux, at least in the form of the past issues that I did, and for that you can thank the contributors, those who participated in past projects and supported me through tough times, and generally all the friends of photography who helped get 100Eyes out there. So enjoy!
Its not going to be pretty or perfect, and I can’t promise anything beyond at least preserving what we already did, and hopefully organizing some fun for the future, as well as maybe answering some questions for those just getting started in photography. We have seemed to have lost our roadmap for success, and maybe a little understanding of what the goals and possibilities are. So lets get back with it. The general public is absolutely starved for photography. Why have we failed so miserably at providing them with what they are actually very willing to pay for? Is it a question of the changing landscape in publishing? Certainly there is some of that. Or a we failing to create the kinds of images that people really need, both to see on a daily basis and perhaps even to possess? Personally, I have learned that the work that I do does have a great value. I hear it from those who have bought my work and come back to tell me that they enjoy seeing that work every day. Yet amazingly, none of the images that I have become known for have been published. It does make mw think that maybe something is lacking in the greater world of photography.
Now all of this may not really be very insightful, so let me try again. In the end what is our saving grace is a commitment to our ideas and a dedication to the importance of our subject. These are what lift up every artist, whether musician. painter, poet……a passion for an idea, and a belief that the idea is important enough to care about. I have spent most of my life photographing African-Americans. Why the attraction? I could go into my childhood and probably find some hints, but whatever the reason. Here in New Orleans, where color is everything and yet nothing, we have a lesson to learn from those who have been oppressed and are still dealing with oppression. This was my interest in moving here, and remains so. Which brings me to the difference between visual artists and magazine and book interests, or most art galleries. For the most part these institutions do not engage in ideas, and are not capable of real belief, or having an agenda, beyond that of the broadest sort. More to come on what I think this means later. Check out The American Dream for some photography with a point of view.
Andy Levin
