my top 5 photo moments of 2008

image by Edward Burtynsky

I am feeling a bit sentimental as this year comes to a close, and decided that I wanted to share some of what I consider to be the most significant photographic moments of 2008. These are simply photo-related experiences that I have had personally and not a survey of everything that has happened this year. I would love to hear what your memorable moments were in the art world too. Please leave comments.

(These are in no particular order)

1. The incredibly huge Lee Friedlander retrospective at SF MOMA was pretty awesome. It was great to see all the work separated in categories and laid out with so much thoughtfulness. The museum is beautifully designed and more affordable and accessible than its east coast cousin.

2. The lecture by Edward Burtynsky at the SPE conference in Denver, Colorado has made it to my list. He was full of information and creative input on art and the state of our society. A very important photographer who is addressing concerns that will be present for many generations to come.

3. The announcement that Polaroid is closing its film division. Devastating news to many of us who are not purchasing digital backs for our medium & large format cameras (I just do not have a spare 30 grand laying around) and are now left with a forceful push into an unknown world.

The list of artists who have made work inspired by this historic instant film is endless, and now they will represent a completely extinct art form.

This also means no more polaroid transfers. Which to some might be a waste of time, but I think they are awesome and will be missed.

Like the "save the whales" campaign, the dedicated polaroid people have started their own fight: Savepolaroid.com.

On the bright side, thanks to Fuji, instant film will still live on. I tried it this summer- it is not half bad at all. they are not capable of complete transfers...yet.

A good article written in the NY Times is here.

4. The photo blog community is growing larger and more interesting. I have been reading more of them in 2008 than ever before (you can see my side bar for a list of the blogs I keep up with). Though some are obviously better than others, I think blogging overall is an excellent platform for immediate commentary & discussion. For some, it is an alternative to publishing. For others, it is a place for self-promotion. I personally like it all.
The bottom line is that we all have a voice, opinion and unique perspective....blogging is just another way to share that. For me, I live in a slightly isolated community so reading blogs helps me to feel in touch and connected with the outside world.

5. Barack Obama's Flickr page. even i do not have a flickr page. but after seeing that Obama has one, well, it might be my new years resolution to start one up. Sites like Flickr are completely changing the way we view images by making them more accessable than ever in our history. what will this lead to and how will it alter our visual language?