Mois de la Photo

A few years ago I took a digital photography course at Parsons School of Design here in Paris given by Bob Bishop, the editor of Paris Voice. I've been rehashing a few of those photos here in this blog, including the above taken at the Jardin des Tuileries.

For me, the course was a refresher in how to look at things. He gave us a great assignment of shape, form and texture. Simple and subtle. I enjoyed going out, camera in hand, with a specific task in mind.

To be honest, I've never been technically astute with my equipment, but I think I have a good eye. I saw an interview once with Gabriel Byrne and something he said captured the essence of my photography and how I like to shoot. He said, "The camera photographs thought. It photographs emotion. If you think it, the camera picks it up." That says it all for me.

Here comes the shameless plug.

The Mois de la Photo is coming up soon here in Paris. I had emailed earlier this afternoon with Bob and he sent a link of photo events that will be happening around Paris for the next few weeks.

Hopefully, he'll be adding the upcoming Mona Bismarck exhibition "Serendipity: Photographs by Kim Powell". Kim is a friend and a professional photographer. We did a trip to Sri Lanka together last November to photograph and document the works of 60 Sri Lankan artists for Expressions of Independence, the previous MBF show. We spent an amazing 12 days in Sri Lanka, touring the island, the temples, and getting a feel for the culture. If you haven't been there, you must make it a destination to be seen and experienced. It will take hold of all your senses.

Much of our time was spent in the back seat of our car being transported to different sites by Nalin, our driver. We quickly figured out that if we wanted to capture anything, it was going to be on the move. There are a lot of motion shots, lots of movement and color blurs. But it seemed to capture the essence of what we both saw, incorporating thought and emotion.

My photos from the trip are rotating in the little photo sidebar on this site. Here's a link to the bigger slideshow.

If you are in Paris between October 22, 2008 and January 10, 2009 be sure to stop by the Mona Bismarck Foundation to see Kim's work. As I write this, it is still being set up, but having shared the experience with her, I can assure you, it will be well worth the visit.

Say "fromage"!