In this episode of PhotoWork with Sasha Wolf, Sasha and photographer and founder of Charcoal Books and Chico Review, Jesse Lenz, discuss his monographs, The Locusts and The Seraphim, published by Charcoal Press. Jesse talks about borrowing from the language of cinema as way to approach making and editing photography. Sasha and Jesse also talk about the Chico Review, how it came to be and the experience of spending 8 days with colleagues and attendees in a remote location in Montana.
In this episode of PhotoWork with Sasha Wolf, substitute host, Michael Chovan-Dalton and photographer, Raymond Meeks discuss his latest book, The Inhabitants published by MACK with an extended poem by George Weld. Ray and Michael talk about how this work, which traces the passages of refugee crossings inside Spain and France, profoundly affected Ray’s approach to making work and how he views his role as a photographer. This episode picks up where Sasha and Ray left off back in episode 51.
In this episode of PhotoWork with Sasha Wolf, Sasha and photographer, Kelli Connell discuss her brand new book, Pictures for Charis, published by Aperture. Kelli talks about her fascination with and subsequent extensive research on Charis Wilson and the eleven year relationship she had with legendary photographer Edward Weston, and how what she learned guided her own exploration of portrait-making and landscape work while collaborating with her wife of fourteen years, Betsy Odom. Sasha and Kelli also discuss Kelli’s renowned series, Double Life, which also explores the relationship between photographer and model as well as gender and identity.
In this episode of PhotoWork with Sasha Wolf, Sasha and photographer, Baldwin Lee discuss the first-ever publication of his work, eponymously titled, Baldwin Lee, published by Hunters Point Press. Baldwin and Sasha talk about his childhood years in Chinatown in New York City and then later studying with some of the most famous photographers of the times: Minor White and Walker Evans. They also have a provocative conversation about leaving photography behind once you believe you have completed your best work.
In this episode of PhotoWork with Sasha Wolf, guest Carla Williams talks about her 2023 publication, Tender, a book of 80 self portraits made between 1984-1991, and additional guest Carolyn Drake talks about her 2023 publication, Men Untitled, a book of 54 portraits, mostly of men, both published by TBW Books. Sasha, Carla, and Carolyn discuss how the books approach portraiture through personal exploration while also referencing, recontextualizing and questioning their many influences from the canon of famous works.
In this episode of PhotoWork with Sasha Wolf, Sasha and photographer, Jim Goldberg discuss his new book, Coming and Going, published by MACK, which is a very personal story but also a book about storytelling itself. Jim talks about his lifelong interest in social justice and Sasha and Jim connect Jim’s work to both Jazz and Punk music. Sasha also announces the first ever participants in the PhotoWork Foundation Fellowship.
In this episode of PhotoWork with Sasha Wolf, Sasha and photographer, Irina Rozovsky talk about her gradual realization that photography was going to be her life’s work. They discuss how Irina’s process has changed since becoming a partner and mother, and relocating to the South. They also discuss The Humid, “An educational space committed to the practice of rigorous and ambitious photography”, that Irina started with her husband, Photographer Mark Steinmetz. Irina’s work is included in, A Long Arc: Photography and the American South since 1845 at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia where this episode was recorded.
In this episode of PhotoWork Sasha and Michael travelled to the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, GA to speak with Keough Family Curator of Photography, Gregory Harris and photographer, Rahim Fortune about the amazing show, A Long Arc: Photography and the American South since 1845, up through January 14, 2024. Greg talks about how he and Sarah Kennel –curator of Photography at Virginia Museum of Art– collaborated on the curation of the exhibition, some of the history behind the work, and the practical and curatorial decisions needed in order to narrow down the breadth of work made in the south from 1845 to today. Rahim shares his process of writing the afterword to the exhibition catalog, with Dr. Shakira Smith, published by Aperture, and shares his response to the work in the show along with its historical significance to the history of Black photographers in the American South.
In this episode of PhotoWork with Sasha Wolf, Sasha is joined by photographer John Gossage to discuss John’s long and storied life in photography. John talks at length about his encounters, both positive and negative, with some of photography’s towering historical figures from Lisette Model to Edward Steichen. John discusses the origins of his renowned work, The Pond, and how getting the book published was a real challenge.
In this episode of PhotoWork with Sasha Wolf, Sasha and photographer, Lois Conner talk about the importance of being prepared for and understanding the history of a place before setting out to photograph while at the same time letting go of what you think you know. Lois talks about some of her most important teachers and mentors, from Helen Levitt to Richard Benson, and how they helped shape her process and practice. And, of course, they discuss Lois’s dedication to large format from 8×10 to 7×17!