Icons of Photography #1, an attendee's review

The following excerpted with permission from James Frederick Bland's Facebook posting...

The start up of Austin Center of Photography can be counted as a success. The organization has 80 members to its count, with lifetime members in that count. The program was nearly standing room only in the newly opened wing of the Blanton Museum and to my estimate, between 300-500 paying admission. I reckon the cohort consisted of the Journalism / Photography students from UT, St Ed, Tx State, ACC and other interested parties.

I'll freely admit that I do not harbor a Documentary, or Photo Journalist bent to my imaging, but it was fascinating to listen to the nuts and bolts and see the faces of a 50 year career. Mary Ellen Mark freely admits that she could not replicate the effort under today's restraints and media aware public.

The images were highly edited, the best of her best and were gorgeous film creations. I'm guessing Tri-X and Kodachrome for the most part, with the occasional slow speed large format image. The program was divided into three segments: Behind the scenes candid film set stills [B&W], Falkland Roads excepts from the book on an India red light district, and another set of excerpts which include images form various circuses in India and Mexico, State Mental Hospital Ward, and the Homeless or Rural Poor from various assignments. The still images were followed by a motion film segment on Twins, which appears to have been created at a Twin convention.

Now being an identical mirror image twin, I have to say that the subjects seemed to be skewed to the strange side, some down right freaky, but entertaining in an uncomfortable kind of way, at least for me.

A very nice program...