Invited Guest: Wallace F. Rollins

Since we have been discussing the 'moment' in photography, I thought it was time to introduce my first invited guest, Wallace Rollins.

In my opinion he is a master of the moment. He has been documenting moments of American life for over 50 years. He has been my photography mentor, teacher and friend for the last few years.

He began taking and developing pictures when he was 12 years old. Years later, he served in the U.S. army and then returned to civilian life to finish college and become a psychologist.

But photography has always been a constant in his life. So, in 1968, he became a freelance photographer in and around Washington, D.C. His photography encompasses varied subject matter from advertising, fashion, portraits, general commercial, journalistic and artistic.

His own artist statement is brief and to the point. His photographs speak for themselves:

"I see things. I photograph them. I am primarily interested in
preserving the past, unadorned and unembellished."

Wallace now lives and works in Chattanooga, Tennessee. More of this series and Wallace's other photos can be seen here.

All photos ©Wallace F. Rollins
Invited by Rhonda Prince

Dog and stones

Photo: Jan Bernhardtz

Veracruz, Mexico

Photo: Raùl Ortega
Raul is one of our invited photographers. I am always glad to hear from you./ulf
Use the search box for more pictures by Raùl on the F Blog.

Öga - a new ezine

(clip from introduction to the site)

Emilie Hallard tells us about Öga - an ezine born to show and share different visual arts proposals from artists coming from all over the world in a free and independent way. Öga is an interesting title for us who know Swedish - it means Eye. The ezine is created in Spain. Ojo! /ulf

(F)riday's Daily Print!

photo: Jeanne Wells

The Daily Print project continues. Thanks for all the support!

Food

Photographer: GC

Photolife Reporters exhibition in Vila Real (Pt)

group of 23 photographers from Portugal, Mexico, France, Italy, Mosambique, Norway, USA, Brazil, Greece, Belgium and Poland specialised in documentary and sociological photography invites for their first exhibition which will take place in Teatro Municipal in Vila Real, Portugal.

You will see there real people and real world seen by subjective eyes of many photographers, united in documenting the life surrounding them.

Vernissage tomorrow May 3rd, at 14.00h. The show will last till May 17th.

If you miss it - don't panic, you will have a chance to see this exhibition also in Figueira da Foz and Lisbon. More details soon. See also project site ->

photo by Piotr Kasprzyk

the moments

I usually take pictures of people but never in pose. When I take my pictures I feel just a bit outside what’s happening even if I’m completely involved and absorbed by what ‘s in front of me. Many times I wait for the right moment, that happens mostly when people inside the picture area dispose naturally themselves, act, react in a way I feel “right”. I usually shoot then, and take average good pictures.

But when “the moment” is The One Moment I feel my heart like beating a little bit more frequently. I feel myself almost exposed. I fear to miss something if I don’t’ do something at that precise moment. I believe something may happen (people turning away, asking something to me, getting upset…). I sometimes have to get some little courage getting close to people taking their intimate moments. I react pressing the knob and usually nothing happens then, with my relief, but having gotten “the moment”. It’s usually a satisfaction in moods. It’s sometimes a satisfaction after developing the film. Only growing my feelings about life around me and consciousness about space dividing my camera from my subjects I get more frequent nice pictures. To have some new (for someone) ideas of “the moment” like the one I mean I warmly suggest to have a look at Richard Kalvar’s “Earthlings” edited by Flammarion.


About the picture I send you:
Those two men (due uomini) were alone and standing besides me with folded arms, sunglasses, looking straight in front of them. They looked like two mafia men or two body guards but there were too many people around walking or waiting for the bus (just there). I put my 90mm and crossed the street, meanwhile people disappeared for a moment walking by and just one woman decided to walk in, waiting for the bus as well. I raised the camera, moved a step back just to put her precisely besides the men and shot. In a second some other people got into the scene, the two men moved and everything disappeared.

It’s likely unnoticeable from the picture but that’s been a moment for me.

Photo and text: Paolo Saccheri

Trees (87)