21ST CENTURY PORTRAITS - Michael Rababy & James Payne > FIRST PLACE: Hadley Gustafson- Steven, Kahului, Maui, HI,2022
FIRST PLACE: Hadley Gustafson- Steven, Kahului, Maui, HI,2022
Hadley Gustafson/Steven, Kahului, Maui,HI,2022 -
REVIEW BY JURORS MICHAEL RABABY & JAMES PAYNE:
-James Payne
www.jamespaynephotography.com
Gustafson says, "I value empathy, inclusion, resonance, attunement, collaboration, and trust. There is joy and inspiration in nature; beautiful liminal light; ritual; teamwork; and the dance of anticipating a key gesture or definitive moment. There is gratitude for being invited into the intimacy of people between each other and with the built or natural environment."
Jurors: "What is your background?"
Jurors: "Tell us more about this portrait."
Gustafson: "This portrait is part of a larger body of work called HOME.
HOME is an intimate celebration seeking to portray the essence of diverse individuals from varying backgrounds, ages, and subcultures.
Through a series of portraits and semi-candids, this collection unfolds in the spaces these individuals call home.
Photographed on Maui and Oahu in 2022 and then in the continental U.S. in 2023, HOME delves into the rich array of spaces people discover, inhabit, and infuse with the vibrancy of life, often showcasing objects that embody personal identity.
HOME portrays a myriad of expressions of sanctuary. Sometimes home is a private refuge for relaxation. Sometimes home is a vibrant hub for family, friends, and pets.
Some people find and express their identity mirrored in a lifetime’s worth of curated treasures.
The quest extends to unconventional shelters like a house whose front awning serves as an entrepreneurial hub during bustling big-wave-surf days, or a living space tucked within a huge, industrial prop-house outside of Los Angeles.
The images within HOME share joy found in the interplay of light, ritual, storytelling, and the anticipation of a key gesture or definitive moment.
Ultimately, HOME is about consent, sharing consciousness, and using the lens to explore the profound meaning that different individuals experience and express within the concept of home."
Jurors: "What is your relationship with the subject?"
Gustafson: "Steven and I have been friends since 2017. Steven has been a standout among the free spirits of Maui, a dancer and musician, massage therapist, antiques collector, tour guide, and businessman.
(See above for series information.)"
Additional review by past juror Ellen Wallenstein:
“I'm really amused by and loving this image to represent "21st Century Portraits". Very Maui Wowee.
There is so much going on here in the details (yet my eye keeps getting drawn to his leopard skin sheath). Go figure...
But then, I look around at all the new-age accoutrements, like the big blue exercise ball and the colorful plastic rings hanging on that very ornate cabinet.
I'm interested in the kitchen water cooler and the microwave oven. I'm amused by the set of plastic light switches on the wall.
Usually I might nitpick the fact that both his left hand and foot are hidden but in this case it seems to be holding him in place.
That wall on the right gives us some respite from the vast amount of small details (the rug designs, the cabinets with their carved and inlaid designs, the crystals on the ceiling, the lotions and potions, the red feathers and what look like magic healing sticks on the black shiny dresser on the right.).
Steven of Maui looks a looks a bit like Allen Ginsberg of New York City, beamed into our present time.
Hoping he's a healer and a poet, both.”
www.ellenwallenstein.com
MORE ABOUT HADLEY GUSTAFSON:
Los-Angeles-based Hadley Gustafson's specialty is set photography / behind-the-scenes photography for film productions small and large. Besides being a delightful, respectful, problem-solving asset for any film crew, Hadley’s merits include having creatively flourished via a recent nine-year photo journey in Hawai'i where she photographed over 100 weddings and learned to hustle, connect with subjects, and capture all of the essential moments during a full-day/night event.
Hadley is currently an events photographer for American Cinematheque and editor for a feature-length documentary. She also enjoys creating street and nature photography.
As a Knight Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Hadley earned an M.A. degree in Multimedia Documentary Photojournalism and directed and collaborated on grant-funded projects that won many major journalism industry awards.
www.hadleygustafson.com
www.instagram.com/hadleygus_fineartphoto/
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"I love this portrait for a number of reasons. I'm particularly drawn to environmental portraits because I like to get a view inside a person's inner world. Here we see how this man presents himself and how he lives. The pose and the confident costume choice complements the expression on his face perfectly. "
“I am always intrigued when a portrait tells me a lot about the subject; but somehow leaves me wanting to know a lot more. This image provides many details, but the in sum creates a bigger mystery…”
www.jamespaynephotography.com
Jurors Rababy and Payne ask Gustafson, "What is your relationship to photography?"
Gustafson says, "I value empathy, inclusion, resonance, attunement, collaboration, and trust. There is joy and inspiration in nature; beautiful liminal light; ritual; teamwork; and the dance of anticipating a key gesture or definitive moment. There is gratitude for being invited into the intimacy of people between each other and with the built or natural environment."
Jurors: "What is your background?"
Gustafson: "I am a contemporary fine art photographer based in Los Angeles. I enjoy creating portrait, street, and nature photography. Through a recent nine-year photo journey in Hawai'i, I creatively flourished by cultivating my talent of connecting with subjects and capturing intimate moments.
My commercial specialties are behind-the-scenes and events photo and video.
As a Knight Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, I earned an M.A. in Multimedia Documentary Photojournalism and directed and collaborated on grant-funded projects that won several industry awards including the Grantham Prize.
I have been studying continuing advanced fine art photography with photographer, author, and teacher David Ulrich at Pacific New Media since 2018.
Two of my photos have been featured by YourDailyPhotograph by the Duncan Miller Gallery Los Angeles. My photo work has also been selected for juried exhibitions at Praxis Gallery in Minneapolis; Hui No’eau Visual Arts Center on Maui; and Pacific New Media’s annual Contemporary Photography in Hawai'i, for which my portfolios have been selected three times.
I have been a contributing photographer for “Human Rights Watch Magazine,” “Yoga Hawaii Magazine,” “Yoga Journal Japan,” and more."
My commercial specialties are behind-the-scenes and events photo and video.
As a Knight Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, I earned an M.A. in Multimedia Documentary Photojournalism and directed and collaborated on grant-funded projects that won several industry awards including the Grantham Prize.
I have been studying continuing advanced fine art photography with photographer, author, and teacher David Ulrich at Pacific New Media since 2018.
Two of my photos have been featured by YourDailyPhotograph by the Duncan Miller Gallery Los Angeles. My photo work has also been selected for juried exhibitions at Praxis Gallery in Minneapolis; Hui No’eau Visual Arts Center on Maui; and Pacific New Media’s annual Contemporary Photography in Hawai'i, for which my portfolios have been selected three times.
I have been a contributing photographer for “Human Rights Watch Magazine,” “Yoga Hawaii Magazine,” “Yoga Journal Japan,” and more."
Gustafson: "This portrait is part of a larger body of work called HOME.
HOME is an intimate celebration seeking to portray the essence of diverse individuals from varying backgrounds, ages, and subcultures.
Through a series of portraits and semi-candids, this collection unfolds in the spaces these individuals call home.
Photographed on Maui and Oahu in 2022 and then in the continental U.S. in 2023, HOME delves into the rich array of spaces people discover, inhabit, and infuse with the vibrancy of life, often showcasing objects that embody personal identity.
HOME portrays a myriad of expressions of sanctuary. Sometimes home is a private refuge for relaxation. Sometimes home is a vibrant hub for family, friends, and pets.
Some people find and express their identity mirrored in a lifetime’s worth of curated treasures.
The quest extends to unconventional shelters like a house whose front awning serves as an entrepreneurial hub during bustling big-wave-surf days, or a living space tucked within a huge, industrial prop-house outside of Los Angeles.
The images within HOME share joy found in the interplay of light, ritual, storytelling, and the anticipation of a key gesture or definitive moment.
Ultimately, HOME is about consent, sharing consciousness, and using the lens to explore the profound meaning that different individuals experience and express within the concept of home."
Jurors: "What is your relationship with the subject?"
Gustafson: "Steven and I have been friends since 2017. Steven has been a standout among the free spirits of Maui, a dancer and musician, massage therapist, antiques collector, tour guide, and businessman.
(See above for series information.)"
Additional review by past juror Ellen Wallenstein:
“I'm really amused by and loving this image to represent "21st Century Portraits". Very Maui Wowee.
There is so much going on here in the details (yet my eye keeps getting drawn to his leopard skin sheath). Go figure...
But then, I look around at all the new-age accoutrements, like the big blue exercise ball and the colorful plastic rings hanging on that very ornate cabinet.
I'm interested in the kitchen water cooler and the microwave oven. I'm amused by the set of plastic light switches on the wall.
Usually I might nitpick the fact that both his left hand and foot are hidden but in this case it seems to be holding him in place.
That wall on the right gives us some respite from the vast amount of small details (the rug designs, the cabinets with their carved and inlaid designs, the crystals on the ceiling, the lotions and potions, the red feathers and what look like magic healing sticks on the black shiny dresser on the right.).
Steven of Maui looks a looks a bit like Allen Ginsberg of New York City, beamed into our present time.
Hoping he's a healer and a poet, both.”
www.ellenwallenstein.com
MORE ABOUT HADLEY GUSTAFSON:
Los-Angeles-based Hadley Gustafson's specialty is set photography / behind-the-scenes photography for film productions small and large. Besides being a delightful, respectful, problem-solving asset for any film crew, Hadley’s merits include having creatively flourished via a recent nine-year photo journey in Hawai'i where she photographed over 100 weddings and learned to hustle, connect with subjects, and capture all of the essential moments during a full-day/night event.
Hadley is currently an events photographer for American Cinematheque and editor for a feature-length documentary. She also enjoys creating street and nature photography.
As a Knight Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Hadley earned an M.A. degree in Multimedia Documentary Photojournalism and directed and collaborated on grant-funded projects that won many major journalism industry awards.
www.hadleygustafson.com
www.instagram.com/hadleygus_fineartphoto/
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21ST CENTURY PORTRAITS HOME:
FIRST PLACE;
SECOND PLACE:
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
https://laphotocurator.com/21st-century-portraits-michael-rababy-james-payne/honorable-mentions-armineh-hovanesian-disappear-norman-aragones-america-paul-matzner-michigan-avenue-number-46-rusty-weston-lisa-paul-braveman-books/1
BEST SERIES:
EXHIBITION #1
EXHIBITION #2
EXHIBITION #3
