Waiting for Work

ABOUT THE EXHIBIT
Every day, clusters of Latino men and women line the streets of New York City's boroughs and affluent suburbs, looking for work. They clean houses and gutters; they mop the floors and landscape the grounds. And on any given day, there are 117,600 to 260,000 of them waiting on street corners across the United States, waiting for someone to offer them work. They are day laborers. They are jornaleros.

"Waiting for Work" is a collection of portraits of jornaleros. It creates a space where this often-nondescript group and singular mass becomes visible. Photographed in a portable studio in several soup kitchens and worker centers in and around New York City, "Waiting for Work" uses a simple visual approach that gives viewers the opportunity to look eye-to-eye with dozens of day laborers and learn their stories. Through viewing these personalized narratives, the exhibit provokes and supports viewers to consider their own reality, and the realities of those whom are ignored. By focusing on the act of documentation, itself, "Waiting For Work" challenges complacent assumptions about cultural difference and fosters cross-cultural engagement.

This exhibit is supported, in part, by a Dean's Grant from New York University. Half of all the proceeds from the "Waiting For Work" exhibit will go directly to the Don Bosco Community Center's Day Laborer's Center of Port Chester, New York a non-profit registered 501[c][3] program of the Westchester Hispanic Coalition in New York State (www.donboscocenter.com). Tax deductible donations are also gratefully accepted and can be made payable to the Don Bosco Center.

ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER
Karly Domb Sadof is an internationally published photojournalist, visual anthropologist, and national desk photo editor at the Associated Press's global headquarters in New York City. Her work has appeared in numerous publications including: The Associated Press, The Boston Globe, The International Herald Tribune, The New York Times, National Public Radio, Time Magazine, and The Washington Post.

ABOUT THE GALLERY
The Perfect Exposure Gallery is the recognized venue in Southern California to display the work of award winning and accomplished photojournalists as well as works of photographers that regard artistry and craftsmanship as a standard of excellence. The mission of the Perfect Exposure Gallery is to present exhibits free of charge to the general public with the following goals to exemplify the rich variety and impact of photography, freedom of expression, a forum for the aesthetic, the contemptible and the sublime.

Opening Reception: Thursday, October 13th 2011, 6-9pm
Exhibit ends: November 12th, 2011
Gallery Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 11am-5pm

Intersection of Greatness - The Legends Meet in Miami

ABOUT THE EXHIBIT
Intersection of Greatness features rare historical images of The Beatles, Elvis and Mohammad Ali captured against a Miami backdrop. This exhibit honors monumental anniversaries in pop history as 2011 marks 50 years since the Beatles had their first ever gig at The Cavern in Liverpool and 55 years since a trio of firsts for Elvis: RCA single release: Heartbreak Hotel, movie appearance: Love Me Tender and television appearances.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Charles Trainor (1927-1987) was a photographer in Miami from the 1950's to the 1970's. During the middle years of the last century Trainor crossed paths with subjects that would become icons in the present day. The photos of Elvis, The Beatles, and Ali not only defined his photography but also a city that was becoming a player on the world's stage. Miami was the point in all three of their history where the world took noticed, two with concerts and one with a fight. Trainor's dramatic photograph of the late U.S. President John F. Kennedy caught the attention of the late President who requested a copy of the photograph and returned one to Trainor with his signature. Over the years Trainor's work was published in national and international publications: LIFE and LOOK Magazine, PARIS MATCH, GEO, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, ROLLING STONE Magazine and various books and documentaries.

ABOUT THE GALLERY
The Perfect Exposure Gallery is the recognized venue in Southern California to display the work of award winning and accomplished photojournalists as well as works of photographers that regard artistry and craftsmanship as a standard of excellence. The mission of the Perfect Exposure Gallery is to present exhibits free of charge to the general public with the following goals to exemplify the rich variety and impact of photography, freedom of expression, a forum for the aesthetic, the contemptible and the sublime.

T.V. LIFE by John Van Hamersveld

ABOUT THE EXHIBIT
Renowned multidisciplinary artist - graphic designer and fine art photographer - John Van Hamersveld will exhibit a special collection of his photography which brings together 34 digitally retouched prints of John's street photography, covering a 22 year period of his life from 1965 to 1987. Tracing John's experiences and development as a prolific artist, the inspirational exhibit includes photographs from his early years as an art student at Chouinard/Cal Art, which occurred just after he had designed the successful iconic film poster for The Endless Summer. The exhibit also consists of photographs taken by John during his experiences working as a graphic designer at Capitol Records, traveling between Los Angeles and New York in the Art & Entertainment business, and creating art in his popular Los Angeles studio.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
John Van Hamersveld began studying Street Photography in the early '70s. He met with Ralph Gibson, who introduced him to the work of Robert Frank. Frank worked with John on the Exile project in 1972 and by 1974, there were a series of shows of John's photography, the second of which, entitled "the Interval," occurred in Venice, California. At the Fisher Gallery in 1975, John exhibited "T.V.LIFE." Then John exhibited another set of photos at the Long Beach Museum's Bicentennial show entitled "So Cal 76."
In 1974, John became represented artist by the Push Pin Studio in New York. The following year, he became an instructor at Cal Arts in the Art and Design Department, a position he held for seven years.
John's other notable accomplishments include designing the Endless Summer film poster as well as the album covers for the Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour, the Stones' Exile on Main Street, the Jefferson Airplane and Dylan and the Dead. He created the architectural look and trademark for the Fatburger franchise restaurants and the 360 foot 1984 Olympic Mural, which wrapped half way around the LA Coliseum. He has designed identities for Jimmy'Z apparel, Gotcha Sportswear, Contempo Casuals Stores, and L.A.Style Magazine. Most recently, John created a new poster for the Bloomingdale's Santa Monica and New York stores and was honored by the Pacific Design Center as 2011 "Graphic Designer of the Year."

Recently Discovered 1950's Street Photography
About the Exhibit
Throughout the latter part of his life, Frank Oscar Larson (1896-1964) would leave his Flushing, Queens home early in the morning with his Rolleiflex camera and embark on photographic expeditions to exotic places in New York City like the Bowery, Chinatown, Hell's Kitchen or Times Square, or to less exotic places like Rockefeller Center, Central Park, and the Cloisters. This exhibit, compiled from negatives recently discovered in an old cardboard box 45 years after Frank's death, shows a unique and moving portrait of New York City in the 1950's. The Larson family presents this exhibit as a tribute to all the effort and love Frank put into his work, and the obvious devotion he felt to his hometown of New York.
 
About the Photographer
Frank Oscar Larson was born in Greenpoint, Brooklyn in 1896, the son of Swedish immigrants who moved to New York in early 1890's. After serving in World War I as an artilleryman, Frank began working for the Empire Trust Company, a bank in Midtown Manhattan.  He remained employed by Empire Trust from 1920 to 1960, working his way up from auditor to vice-president. Frank passed away in 1964 from a stroke, brought on by lung damage he sustained from exposure to mustard gas in WW1.

Although he was always the family shutterbug, it wasn't until the early 1950's that Frank's passion for photography blossomed.  His weekend excursions around New York with his Rolleiflex camera produced thousands of images, which Frank developed and printed in his basement darkroom. Some he entered in local amateur photographic competitions where he won awards, but the majority of his work remained undiscovered until 2009 when his youngest son's widow found a box of negatives that had been packed away since Frank's death. Those negatives went on to become the images presented in "Reflections of New York" in honor of Frank's memory.

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The Perfect Exposure Gallery will be featuring images by Lisa Blumenfeld while on safari in Africa. Although specializing in Sports Photography for many years, Lisa's exhibit will focus only on her photographs from Tanzania. A side trip brought to light the struggle of millions of orphaned children. As a result of that exposure, she is donating all proceeds from this exhibit to benefit orphaned children worldwide. Since her journey, Project Goodlife has been created for the purpose of providing opportunities for a brighter future for these children.

All purchases will be tax deductible.

Music, Food, Literature, Art: the passions that launch dreams are abundant in Los Angeles and New Orleans. They draw people from all over the country and the globe to try to stake a claim for fame or just to enjoy the good life.

Both cities inspire art and nurture it. Both are uniquely American in very different ways, and in the immortal words of Charles Dickens, have known "the best of times, and the worst of times."

This exhibition is Ellingson's tribute to two wildly messy, complicated and wonderful cities she loves.

The Perfect Exposure Gallery, will exhibit the photography work of Charlie Lieberman in an exhibit entitled Passages.

Shortly after completing college Charlie decided to change directions and pursue a career in photography. Other than a deep appreciation for the medium that he held since his teens, he had no former experience in the field. He wandered the streets of Chicago trying to see if he was capable of creating quality photographs, to see if he could teach himself how to
take a good picture. He spent a couple of years at grunt level employment in camera shops and still studios to see what technical skills he could absorb. Gathering up his confidence, he then set out to freelance as an editorial still photographer.

He only spent a few more years enhancing these skills when a filmmaker hired him to take production stills on a documentary project. Finding cinema as interesting as stills, Charlie pursued that branch of photography by first working in documentary, educational and industrial film. He eventually moved to Los Angeles and continued to have success as a Director of Photography in dramatic television and independent film. All during this time he never stopped taking stills. His love of natural locales caused him to shift his subject of interest from urban landscapes to natural ones.

The Perfect Exposure Gallery was established in 1998 as a forum for the aesthetic, the contemptible and the sublime in photographic imagery. The gallery has exhibited Pulitzer and World Press Photo award winners as well as photographers who have gained prominence in their respective fields for commitments to excellence in their artistry.

The Perfect Exposure Gallery, will exhibit the work of Palestinian/Irish photographer Omar Yashruti. Yashruti first infiltrated his mother's homeland amidst the violent resistance, bombings, and police state of the 70's. In 2005 he returned, camera in hand, and began documenting daily life.

In the flux between black and white and color, disintegrating borders and continuing segregation, living and the stark pull of place and time, The North reveals the cultural battlefields of Northern Ireland after The Troubles.

The Perfect Exposure Gallery, will exhibit the work of Heng Qi, a distinguished photographer and one of the Top 10 photojournalist in China. Qi has been a senior photographer with the Xinhua News Agency for 16 years. His photography career has taken him around the world. Since 2005, Heng Qi has been in Xinhua's Los Angeles Bureau. In three short years, he has visited many American States and published over 10,000 photographs in top newspapers, magazines, websites and various other publications worldwide. Images of America depicts the photography works of Heng Qi's throughout those three years.