A previous post discussed photography events happening in Los Angeles this weekend. This is a follow-up: Review LA today, Photo LA tomorrow, and then work I discovered at the reviews later in the week.

For those that are not native Angelenos, you might not be aware that January is the best month to visit Los Angeles. There’s been many a New Year’s Day, where I’ve made my resolutions while staring out at a sparkling ocean, underneath sparkling skies, and this weekend, L.A. put on it’s own show of meteorological phenomena. Not a drop of humidity, 85 degrees and pristine blue skies making it a great environment to look at photography. The only downside is that most of that looking took place inside an enormous airplane hanger or in a hotel ballroom.

Review LA
Starting on Thursday evening with a much appreciated orientation, Review LA, hosted by Center, kicked off it’s second year of providing portfolio reviews in conjunction with Photo LA. With so many gallerists, editors, and curators in town, it was the perfect opportunity to utilize their visions and advice. Photographers from all over the country (lots of New Yorkers) flew in for the event and there were many opportunities for the photographers to share work and make connections, whether it was between the reviews, or at the luncheon that Center provided after the last reviews. The event culminated Saturday evening with a 4 hour portfolio walk in one of the hotel’s ballrooms with lots of photographers, reviewers, gallerists, photo enthusiasts, friends, and family in attendance.

I met with a range of reviewers: the incredible life spirit of Mark Pinsukanjana from Modern Book Gallery, Whitney Johnson from the New Yorker Magazine, Laurel Ptak of I heart Photograph, Ann Pallesen from PCNW, Anne Lyden from the Getty, Hossein Farmani of the IPA and PX3 Awards, Walter Mason from the Haggerty Museum of Art, H. Scott Westover from the Progressive Collection, and more. It is always a pleasure to see Crista Dix, Ann Jastrab, Mary Virginia Swanson, Darius Himes, Amber Terranova, and Debra Weiss giving their time and energies, and as I mentioned in Saturday’s post, a treat to put a name to a face with Andy Adams from Flak Photo and David Bram with Fraction Magazine. The review had a very congenial feel, low stress, and the reviewers seemed to leave everyone informed, inspired, and energized.

And as always, one of the best parts of attending a review is meeting fellow photographers.

Laura Wzorek and Maggie Blanchard, from Center

Reviews in Progress

Portfolio Walk