PHOTOESPAÑA2009: Festival Off

A big part of learning photography is discovering other photographers, both new and old. And seeing the evolution of whats come before and where it´s all headed.

There is currently a Photography Festival in Spain, you can walk around Madrid and pop into any gallery. It's all free and there is something for everyone. The main Festival takes place in the major galleries, such as Bellas Artes and Sala Alcala - the biggies offer up such greats as Dorothea Lange and Annie Leibovitz. The organization that puts this on offers classes and various activities year round, you can check it out here: PhotoEspaña2009.

And then you have the 'Festival Off' which gives us a rare opportunity to see new and emerging work in it's full glory. There are two works that I recently discovered that I love, they're similar to the extent that they shoot landscape in panoramic style ... but that's about where the similarities end.

The Gallery: Blanca Soto (C/Alameda 18, MADRID)is featuring a series by Paco Mesa and Lola Marazuela titled PARALELO 45º25’ NORTH 2º PART: EUROPE

And right next door in the Gallery: Camara Oscura (C/Alameda, 16 MADRID) you'll find the most recent series by Ellen Kooi titled BORROWED LANDSCAPES

Some of the very best ideas come from before the digital era. I recently fell in love with a series by Duane Michals titled THINGS ARE QUEER done in 1973.