Call for Entries: 2013 Light Work Student Invitational

The 2013 Light Work Student Invitational exhibition will feature a selection of photographs by Syracuse University students selected by our guest juror Claire O’Neill (Editor, NPR’s The Picture Show). The selected images will be showcased on Light Work’s LCD screen from March – May 2013. Our guest juror will select the winner of Best of Show and Honorable Mentions. These students will be featured on the Light Work blog and an online exhibition.

For more information and to apply visit lightwork.slideroom.com

* Note: This application is only open to current Syracuse University students. Deadline: Feb. 1, 2013

Community Darkrooms Member Spotlight: Chris Trigaux

Community Darkrooms Member Spotlight

Chris Trigaux: Bookmaking at Community Darkrooms

Chris Trigaux is a third year art photography major at Syracuse University taking TRM 351, Advanced Transmedia Studio 3. When his class was assigned a project with a “ghost” theme, he took to the streets with his medium format camera and began making pictures with reflections in them. Chris has been interested in making books and creating an object so viewers can have a more intimate experience with his pictures. We caught up with Chris in the Community Darkrooms lounge, and this is what he had to say about his work: “I like to think of my work in a series and putting images in a book with the specific intention of placement interests me. I think of the book as a container of my images,” he explained. “I also enjoy the hands-on approach to creating a book as I spend a lot of time in front of a monitor.” This book is one-of-a-kind and Chris has plans to make more books as he pursues his interest in photography.

A closer look at his book entitled Exit Only can be seen at www.christrigaux.com

My Last Day at Seventeen: Doug DuBois in The Irish Times

Syracuse University’s own Doug DuBois received a thorough write-up in The Irish Times about his current exhibition My Last Day At Seventeen, which is on view through December 23 at the Sirius Arts Centre in Cobh, Co. Cork, Ireland.

We’re proud to say that many of the prints from this exhibition were made at Light Work/Community Darkrooms. For more information about printing with us, visit our Digital Services page.

ASMP WNY's 2012 Photography Business Bootcamp in Syracuse

ASMP WNY‘s 2012 Photography Business Bootcamp, a five-part series hosted by Newhouse School at Syracuse University and Light Work. Mark your calendars!

Community Darkrooms Member Spotlight: Ben Cleeton

Community Darkrooms Member Spotlight

Ben Cleeton – Second Generation Member

Nineteen-year-old Ben Cleeton is a second generation Community Darkrooms member, student at Onondaga Community College, intern at the Syracuse Parks and Recreation Department, and a photographer with an impressive eye for detail, composition, and tonality ranges.

When Ben became interested in photography he was quickly steered to Community Darkrooms by his father, Bill Gandino, who first came through our doors in the 1980s when he was a staff photographer at Syracuse University. Gandino has work in the Light Work Permanent Collection and he taught black-and-white courses for Community Darkrooms from 1982–1990. His best-attended class was a Landscape Photography and Wine Tasting course that was supposed to be a few hours in duration but lasted much longer.

Gandino’s guidance to Community Darkrooms proved valuable for Ben – he has flourished both in the traditional black-and-white darkroom, where he enjoys printing class assignments on his favorite paper, and in the digital lab where he applies the skills he learned in the darkroom to his digital files. “I like to be able to come into Community Darkrooms and immerse myself in my work” Ben explains, “someone is always here to help me with technical questions, and it is reassuring to ask for the opinion of another member when I have aesthetic questions about my work.”

Community Darkrooms has the second round of fall workshops and classes starting next week! Take a look at www.communitydarkrooms.com and sign up for a positive do-it-yourself learning experience.

Community Darkrooms Member Spotlight: Bob Burdick

Community Darkrooms Member Spotlight

Bob Burdick has been a long-time Community Darkrooms member, with his first visit taking place in 1977 when co-founders Tom Brian and Phil Block were here to greet him. According to Bob, “The nice thing about this facility is that it is and always has been open to anyone.” He especially enjoys being around the other artists who use Community Darkrooms because he gets to show people what he is doing and he can learn what others are up to. Recently, with the help of CD’s digital expert John Mannion, Bob was able to scan a medium format negative, make adjustments, and output it so he could make the perfect platinum print. Then he and Lab Manager Andy Baugnet took to the darkroom and coated a few sheets of Rives BFK paper and began testing the process with exposure in full sun for about ten minutes. Bob’s persistence and passion resulted in the creation of Cedar Tree, Clark Reservation, 1980.

If you have an interest in learning more about any area of photography, now is the time to investigate all that Community Darkrooms has to offer. Exciting Fall courses are now listed on our website and there will undoubtedly be something to fit your interests and skill level—whether it’s a three-hour Single Session Workshop called Camera Basics on Location which will cover everything from turning your camera on to figuring out the built-in-flash unit, or you want to immerse yourself in a 4-week Firm Foundation Workshop called Fine Art Digital Printing which is for the advanced image maker who wants to make the “perfect” print, or anywhere in between—you can find it here at a great price!

Welcome Andy Baugnet, Lab Manager

Light Work/Community Darkrooms is pleased to introduce our newest employee, Andrew Baugnet, who joined the staff in July as Lab Manager.

Baugnet brings twenty five years of professional photography experience to the position, where he is responsible for managing all aspects of the lab facility. His responsibilities range from direct member assistance and interaction, to course and workshop design and planning, to staff and administrative management, and more.

During his career, Baugnet has produced a broad range of work varying from traditional landscape photographs, to photographic documentation projects for the Historic American Buildings Survey and Historic American Engineering Record (HABS/HAER) which is administered by the Library of Congress. His most recent project Picturing the Grange, an ongoing architectural documentation of Grange Halls throughout Upstate NY, has been acquired by the Plowline Images of Rural New York Collection at the Farmers Museum in Cooperstown, NY. Baugnet is a graduate of Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

Prior to joining Light Work, he held the position of master printer at Hank’s Photographic outside New York City. His work has been exhibited nationally, and is included in such collections as the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Minnesota and Wisconsin Historical Societies, among others. He studied under photographer Frank Gohlke who taught him the subtleties of black-and-white printing.

Stop by to meet him and learn more about Community Darkrooms!

Become a Member, Get a FREE T-shirt!

Our new Lab Manager Andrew Baugnet wants to offer you a special gift for becoming a member of Light Work/Community Darkrooms this month – a FREE t-shirt!

What does a membership get you?

A Semester Membership includes access to facilities, including the digital lab, black-and-white lab, and studio workspace. Staff assistance by photography professionals is provided, as well as reduced-rate printing and digital services, discounted classes and workshops, and specials for local camera stores, including MQ Camera. Members receive invitations to Light Work receptions and receive the Community Darkrooms Newsletter.

A Year Membership includes everything in the Semester Membership, a free digital subscription to Light Work’s award-winning publication Contact Sheet, plus the ability to use the facilities between Syracuse University semesters.

How do I get a t-shirt?

Just stop into Light Work during the month of August, sign up for a membership in person and pick out a shirt in your size (available in S, M, L and XL). It’s that simple! If you purchase a membership online this month, you can mention it when you come in and get your shirt that way as well.

Note: This offer is only available while supplies last.

Summer 2012 Workshops at Light Work

Registration is now open for Summer 2012 Workshops at Light Work/Community Darkrooms.

Firm Foundations

Advanced Photoshop
Basic Studio Lighting
Beginning Photoshop
Landscape Photography
Photographing Weddings and Events
Using Lightroom
Using Your Digital Camera
Working on Projects

Single Session Workshops

Black-and-White Photography 1: The Camera
Black-and-White Photography 2: Developing Film
Black-and-White Photography 3: Printing (Part 1)
Black-and-White Photography 4: Printing (Part 2)
Making Digital Negatives for Alternative and Silver Prints
Making HDR Photographs
Making the Most of Social Media
Scanning
Street Photography
Using Your Camera Flash

Visit www.communitydarkrooms.com for info and to register today!