Slate Magazine Feature

I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by Slate Magazine's David Rosenberg regarding my Pasadena Police Department Series.  Check out the on-line article here: 

http://www.slate.com/blogs/behold/2014/11/05/william_karl_valentine_an_insider_s_look_into_the_pasadena_police_force.html

George Eastman House Visit

I am in Rochester this weekend for my daughter's ice hockey tournament which allowed me a chance to visit The George Eastman House again which is always worth the trip.

Their history of photography and photographic equipment exhibitions are great and up to the moment; they now have a drone with a GoPro on display.  Dawoud Bey's The Birmingham Project is  a solid exhibition and I was really impressed with Robert Burley's The Disappearance of Darkness which documents the abandoned buildings of film manufacturing giants like Kodak, Polaroid, and Agfa.  The images are powerful, and reminded me of my visit to Bethlehem's abandoned steel mills.  At first glance they may look simple but I found them very deep.  If you can't make it to Rochester I encourage you to at least look up Burley's work or find the catalogue, especially if you ever photographed much with film.

The visit also included a very nice meeting with curatorial staff members Jamie Allen and Will Green about my work.

Me and Jamie infront of The History of Photography exhibition at GEH.

Phoenix Art Museum - Infocus Self-Published Photo Book Exhibition

                       Phoenix Art Museum
                             August 23 to September 28, 2014
               Doris and John Norton Gallery for the Center for Creative Photography


Just a few more days left in the Phoenix Art Museum's Infocus Juried Self-Published Photo Book exhibition.  I plan on heading out next Thursday to see it and my book Alphaville which was accepted in to this exhibition.

                   http://infocus-phxart.org/photobooks/

Alphaville - Arizona State University in the 1980's

 

 

 

I graduated from Arizona State University in the fall of 1986 with a BFA specializing in Photography.  One of the projects I developed while in school was a documentation of student life, with a focus on the social aspects of football games and then the Greeks.  A number of these images were published in a yearbook documenting the university and at the time I made a small mockup of a potential book of just my photographs.  I have come across these images from time to time I have been focused on other work.

Over the past couple years I have seen increase in documentary images from the 1960’s and 1970’s showing up in galleries and exhibitions.  This fact prompted me to revisit my work from the 1980’s anticipating a pending market and interest for images from this era.  During the process I found my mockup book as well a book of proof prints.  In July I saw a call for entries by the Phoenix Art Museum for a Self-Published book exhibition and decided to push forward with producing a book from my photographs taken at ASU.

I had about two weeks to scan images and negatives then edit and create the book.  I decided to use MyPublisher to create the book because of the deadline.  I had to have the book shipped rush delivery directly Phoenix to make the deadline.  Happily the book was accepted in to the exhibition.  I plan on doing a small printing run of the book now on another self-publishing site to lower the production cost and get it out to more people.

The title is derived from several things.  First, there was the German band Alphaville who in 1984 released the song “Forever Young”.  Turning 50 last year, has given the song have deeper meaning for me now.  Then there is the fact that many of these photographs were taken on Alpha Drive, the street which was the fraternity row at ASU.  Finally people in fraternities and sororities seem to have more bravado, confidence, and energy than any other group – they are often the Alphas on campus.

Photographs freeze a fraction of a second of history and preserve things how they were for eternity.  I like that about the medium.

Garry Winogrand - Book from SFMOMA exhibition

This post is long overdue but still I wanted to get it up.

In the spring of 2013 I was able to make it up to SFMoMA for the Winogrand exhibition.  I always enjoy viewing his work and this exhibition was excellent.  I loved seeing all of Winogrand's iconic images again as well as so many never seen before photographs.  When Winogrand died in 1984 he left behind approximately 10,000 unprocessed rolls of film because he photographed more than he could keep up with.  Luckily these unprocessed rolls of film, went to the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson where they were finally developed and catalogued. SFMoMA and The National Gallery of Art considered Winogrands entire body of work now and co-produced what is now my favorite exhibition.  I had a chance to see John Szarkowki's Winogrand exhibition at MoMA, in New York, in 1988 and that exhibition had a huge impact on me as a photographer.  The 1988 exhibition was my favorite until I saw SFMoMA's exhibition.

Although the exhibition has moved on the catalogue is still available here.  SFMoMA and Yale University Press published "Gary Winogrand" which is the most complete retrospective of his work.  Edited by Leo Rubinfien the book has contributions by Tod Papageorge, Sarah Grenough, Susan Kismaric, Erin O'Toole, and Sandra S. Phillips.  The book provides great insight and shows all his iconic images as well as a vast number of images from the unprocessed rolls of film.  If you like Winogrand this book is a must have

The current Winogrand exhibition is now headed to Europe, below is the schedule

Schedule: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, March 9–May 31, 2013; National Gallery of Art, Washington, March 2–June 8, 2014; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, May–August 2014; Jeu de Paume, Paris, October 2014–January 2015; Fundación MAPFRE, Madrid, March–June 2015.

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James Turrell featured on art21.org

http://www.art21.org/artists/james-turrell

I just came across this on line and think these spaces Turrell designs are fantastic.  From a photographer's perspective it seems like the space is constructed in such a way that viewer is almost forced to approach the work in a similar way a photographer photographs.  You have the factor of light, you have a frame, and you have to be patient to see how things play out. 

Richard Jackson's "Ain't Painting a Pain" at Orange County Museum of Art

This is the final weekend for Richard Jackson's exhibition at the Orange County Museum of Art, it runs through Sunday and there is a closing weekend celebration on Saturday.  If you haven't seen it try and get over before it closes (on Saturday you can join Jackson in painting the outside of the Museum).  Jackson's pieces are amazing and I don't think he knows many boundries.  The catalogue that accompanies the exhibition is fantastic but you won't get the full effect of his work until you are in the galleries with it (or outside with the front of the museum with the bad dog).  Took my daughter and she absolutely loved it, nice to push boundries and open your mind to new ideas.

 

It starts out in front with Bad Dog, Alyssa's favorite

 

I only wish I could have seen this in person as it was being installed, my favorite

 

The clock room is awesome, the syncronization is incredible

 

The clean-up of this installation will take a while but I am thankful OCMA went for it.

 

Richard Jackson, Painting with Two Balls, 1997, Ford Pinto, metal, wood, canvas, acrylic paint, 240 x 432 x 240 in. (609.6 x 1097.3 x 609.6 cm) (20 x 36 x 20 ft.)

OCMA's website has discount tickets for Saturday.  Thanks to OCMA for bringing this work to Newport Beach.  The exhibition next travels to the Museum Villa Stûck in Münich before heading to S.M.A.K. Municipal Museum of Contemporary Art in Ghent, Belgium.

Santa Anita Book - Copies available

 

 

December 1991 - Santa Anita, by William Karl Valentine -a documentation of the Santa Anita Racetrack (86 duotones).  Carpenter and Associates publisher. (LCN#91-076843, ISBN#'s: 0-9631400-0-0 (H.B.) , 0-9631400-1-9 (S.B.)

Hard Bound Copy : $45.00  (plus tax, handling, & shipping)
Soft Bound Copy:   $25.00  (plus tax, handling, & shipping)

 

 

To order a copy of my Santa Anita book, please e-mail your inquiry/request to:

mail@valentine-photo.com. I will confirm the order, create a PayPal invoice, and e-mail that to you. Once the payment has been confirmed the item(s) will ship.

Prints - Santa Anita Images on Lenscratch

Prints of my Santa Anita images featured on Lenscratch this month are available for purchase.

 

 

SA-045 #26  Ferdinand, Alysheba, & Good Taste



 

SA-141 #31 Corey Nakatani & Chris McCarron

 

 

 

SA-137 #08 Sinulcast Race

 

 

Small digital prints will have the following approximate measurements: A 9"x6" image on 8.5" x 11" Epson Exhibition Fiber paper (printed on an Epson 4900 printer). Prints will have the title, exposure and printing dates, and the edition number printed on them plus they will be signed. The prints will be window matted in 4 ply archival matts measuring 11"x14". Edition run will be no more than 27 numbered prints of each image at this print size.  Cost will be $75 per print plus tax, shipping, & handling.  This price is good until March 13th, 2013.

 

Larger print sizes are available, and Silver Gelatin prints are available from images made from negatives.   Please contact me directly for questions, specifications, and pricing.

 

To order a print, and or the Santa Anita book, please e-mail your inquiry/request to:

mail@valentine-photo.com. I will confirm the item, create a PayPal invoice, and e-mail that to you. Once the payment has been confirmed the item(s) will ship.

Vintage Prints - Lenscratch Special

In honor of the upcoming feature of my Santa Anita work on the blogzine Lenscratch I am offering several specials which will run until March 14th, 2013.

The first item for sale is a selection of vintage digital prints from digital image files.  The term "vintage print" means a print that was produced near the time the original image was exposed.  In this case all the prints will be produced in February 2013.  Prints will have the following approximate measurements:  A 9"x6" image on 8.5" x 11" Epson Exhibition Fiber paper (printed on an Epson 4900 printer).  Prints will have the title, exposure & printing dates, and the edition number printed on them plus they will be signed.  The prints will be window matted in 4 ply archival matts measuring 11"x14".  Edition run will be no more than 27 numbered prints of each image at this print size.  Larger print sizes will be available, please contact me directly for specifications and pricing.

DSC_4206 B&W (2/17/13) David Flores on Sassy Suances winning 4th race at Santa Anita

DSC_0037 B&W (2/17/13) Martin Garcia on Govenor Charlie (#8) enroute to win 5th race at Santa Anita.  #7 Pure Loyalty - Gary Stevens up.  Garrett Gomez behind on #5 Footbridge.

 

DSC_4366 B&W (2/17/13) 6th race at Santa Anita

 

 

Print pricing for a 8.5"x11" print is $50 per print.  Tax, shipping, and handling are additional and those costs will be detailed on your invoice.

 

To order a print, and or the Santa Anita book, please e-mail your inquiry/request to:

mail@valentine-photo.com.  I will confirm the order, create a PayPal invoice, and e-mail the invoice to you.  Once the payment has been confirmed the item(s) will ship.

 

 

 

 

Camera Buying Suggestions

Black Friday is here and people will be buying cameras for the holidays so here are some suggestions.

Samy's is advertising the D7000 body with the 18-105mm lens for $997, a good price for the body alone.  I am assuming the D7000 will be replaced in the next 6 months but it is still a good camera especially with the 18-200mm DX VR II lens which Samys is selling for $600 this weekend ($250 off a great travel lens).  If I had to head the door with only one body and one lens this would be the combination I would choose, you can handle most anything with this set up.

Nikon's D3200, D5100, D600, and D800 are all good camera bodies with each offering different pluses.  The image quality of the D800 is supposed to be the best DSLR quality ever, and the D600 uses the same technology.  I am not as familiar with Canon but the Canon Rebel T4i looks like a good buy this weekend too, I have seen it advertised in a kit with a 18-135mm lens for only $1,050.

Samy's has "No Tax" on many products through monday, but not the Nikon camera bodies.  The Canon 60D on sale for $800 without tax is another good saving.  The Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 lens for $600 and no tax is another good deal.

For point and shoots I saw the Canon Powershot G15 for $450 with no tax.  Great Camera and great deal.  The Canon G1X is also on sale for $700 this weekend.  Canon point and shoots are by far the best out there.  Another consideration in the point and shoot market is the Panasonic Lumix DNC-TS20.  The Lumix is a sturdy waterproof point and shoot that is rugged and makes decent images, at $120 and no tax it is the perfect beach camera.

Do your homework on-line and good shopping this weekend.

www.KenRockwell.com

www.NikonRumors.com

www.CanonRumors.com

http://www.popphoto.com/reviews

Photo thought of day

Modern capabilities continue to amaze me. I am still fascinated that while killing time waiting for five minutes I can create images that used to require developing film then making prints and post them for the world to see. Another comment on the double edged sword of technology but something that was on my mind again.


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Location:Castaways Ln,Newport Beach,United States

Jazz Loft Project Exhibition at MOPA

MOPA's exhibition of W. Eugene Smith's Jazz Loft Project is in its final couple weeks, closing on October 7th.  This is an outstanding exhibition and worth the visit.  I was most amazed with how perfect Smith's working prints are.  The design of the exhibition is outstanding, not only do you see fininished product but the process how Smith got there.  If you have a chance to catch this before it ends do so.

http://www.mopa.org/exhibitions

Henry Diltz - Morrison Hotel Gallery

Famed Rock 'n Roll Photographer Henry Diltz , Morrison Hotel Gallery, lecturing at Medium. Another awesome lecture, lucky to catch the last part of it after David Taylor's lecture going on at the same time. Henry's openness and story telling are fantastic. The value of this festival has been huge. Mary Virginia Swanson up next speaking on Presenting your Work to the Fine Art Community.

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Location:W B St,San Diego,United States

Mary Virginia Swanson Lecture - Medium

Mary Virginia Swanson , author of Publish Your Photography Book lecturing at Medium. Awesome person and a great book. If you have DIY or major publishing project ideas this book is a perfect resource. She covers important topics which can make or break a project.






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Medium Festival of Photography

Platinum printing workshop but on by Medium's Managing Director Scott B. Davis. Fun workshop and Scott did a fantastic job showing the process. Waiting for Mary Virginia Swanson's workshop on Publishing next.

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Location:W B St,San Diego,United States

Medium opening

Magnum photographer Alec Soth was the keynote speaker for the start of the inaugural Medium Festival of Photography here in San Diego, very interesting. Looking forward to workshops tomorrow with Aline Smithson and Mary Virginia Swanson.




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Location:W B St,San Diego,United States

Medium Festival of Photography

Great start to the festival, awesome behind the scenes tour of MOPA. I always knew their exhibition space was great but had no idea how incredible their library is. I saw Winogrand images in one book I have never seen before (Thanks Holland!). If you like photography and are in San Diego you need to venture over to Balboa Park and spend some time at MOPA.

www.mopa.org



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Location:W B St,San Diego,United States

ADOX MCC 110 paper

 

I just finished a printing run in the dark room and used ADOX MCC 110 Premium Fiber Based paper for the first time and I am very impressed.  Great tonal range especially when using Photographers' Formulary Liquidol Paper Developer.   I was especially please by the weight of the paper and the surface.  Minimal curl and flattened well.  I have been printing for 30 years and this is probably the best paper I have used in that time.  The Freestyle advisory board member comments about the paper are more detailed and sum it up better than I can.  If you are still printing from negatives consider this the next time you restock your paper.  It produced a solid black and the tone came out very nuetral for me, which I like.   This looks like my new paper of choice.

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Printing

Been too long but back in one of my most reverent places. Spent about four hours cleaning up outside toning sink & installing new fan - can't wait to get some paper in the trays. My darkroom is where I have my deepest focus on life. Also have the new Epson 4900 up and running so digital image prints coming as well. Exciting times, always feel more whole when making finished prints. Check back later to see available prints.

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