The FOTOfusion Experience

Anna's Lemon by Frank Ward

Last week I went to FOTOfusion at the Palm Beach Photographic Center which had newly moved its location from Delray Beach (paradise) to West Palm Beach (not so much paradise). My first impression was FOTO(con)fusion. I got lost, I showed up late, I made Harrison Funk late because he and Rolfe Ross were waiting for me to go with them to Calle Ocho, Miami. Anyway, I soon regained balance and had a great first visit to the famed Little Havana of Florida. If you click on Rolfe’s link, you can see his pictures from the visit.

Domino Diva, Little Havana, Frank Ward Photo

I have to give props to Rolfe because he told me to check out the Domino Diva. Even though it was early afternoon by then, I was still staggering around in a 3AM wake-up, post-flight daze.

After a rough first Tuesday, I returned to equilibrium by Wednesday. The (top lead) “still life” I discovered when I wandered late into Anna Tomczak’s “Assembling a Photograph” class. There were a half dozen people playing with fruits and feathers by a venetian blinded window. I jumped right in and tossed out the apples and oranges.

Parking Garage Portrait by Frank Ward

I walked into the City Center Parking Garage Friday morning with my Leica M6 and Noctilux f1.0 over my shoulder. The legendary David Burnett was there with some models giving a class on available light portraiture. He yelled, “Where’s the guy with the Noctilux?” I was a guy with a Noctilux, so I jumped in. I stayed with the class even after he hollered at me for shooting my 1.0 lens at f16, the opposite of what I should have been doing. I soon figured out that my f-stop ring turned in the opposite direction to my Nikon lens and was able to redeem myself. A little later, I came across another guy in the class with the new Leica digital M9 and $10,000 Noctilux F0.95. He was shooting with his lens cap on so I didn’t feel like such an idiot.

Steve Grilling by Frank Ward

In addition to “professional development” I was in Florida to visit my family. Here’s my brother-in-law Steve Hoxie grilling burgers. Just in case anyone who funded my trip reads this, I want to say that I went to lots of great classes and portfolio reviews. I already started using what I learned on my first day teaching for spring semester.

The best part of FOTOfusion, as always, are the portfolio reviews. They reserve a large room where, morning and afternoon, they have 6-12 different photo-world movers and shakers. I went every chance I could get to talk with the top people in the business. Maura Foley, one of the New York Times top picture editors, was sitting around waiting for someone to show her their portfolio. Robert Pledge, the President of Contact Press Images of New York and Paris, remembered me from three years ago. These professionals really do have photographic memories.

I got consistently good feedback from key photo people including Pulitzer Prize winner Stella Kramer and Rick Friedman, who is the President of the Boston Press Photographer’s Association. My experience was better than the first time I went to FOTOfusion in 2004. I was showing work from my Curious Footprints book. The reviewer, a gallery owner, nearly chased me out of the room when I didn’t agree that I should be illustrating children’s books.

Platypus from Curious Footprints, 2004

A fortuitous series of events occurred during the reviews. First, I saw professor/photographer Steven Nestler. He is starting a promising portfolio website called ipsophoto.com. Steven loved my Central Asia work and told me to show it to his most famous student, Scott Mc Kiernan. Scott is a barrel of dynamite and a working photographer who also publishes DOUBLEtruck Magazine, runs zReportage.com, and is the founder of ZUMA PRESS. I asked for an appointment and was told by FOTOfusion that, if I want to see Scott, I should see Ruaridh Stewart first. He is Zuma’s News Director. I had already made an appointment with Ruaridh (Rory) because I liked his name. We met and made a clear connection. Later, I met Scott who, literally, shoots off sparks (as in “coruscating”). I did mention that he’s a barrel of dynamite. The result is that I am now: (see the graphic)

So thank you to Ruaridh, Scott and Steven for making nice things happen. There will be another “all about me” post before I can return to the photo education theme that I am more comfortable pursuing. In the previous post, I forgot to mention the opening date of the Bob Aller, David Prifti, Frank Ward Valley Photo Center show in Springfield, MA. It opens on Sunday, Feb. 21st. from 1-5. For student edification, attendance will NOT be taken.