Pages

1.29.2010

Your 15 Minutes of Fame

About 25 people turned out Wednesday night for the very first occurrence of Your 15 Minutes of Fame at the Florida Museum of Photographic Art. (Yea for more & more stuff going on downtown!) The idea for 15 Minutes was inspired by a similar event at a Miami museum and coordinated in part by yours truly. It featured six presenters who are given 15 minutes to introduce themselves and their work. (Museum membership is required to be a presenter, but not an audience member).

I don't have much of a photo background beyond having to take my own pics for my stories for CL, but I've always held the notion that photography can only help me with my videography. I was amazed to see the work of these six photographers; I love having so much talent in Tampa Bay.

They shared their views of the world through color, shape, a tiny moment, and the scope of different cultures. Influenced by painters as much as the great photographers, L.A. Moore's layered landscapes looked like storybook illustrations. Robert Neff used geometry and Kaleidoscopography to "take something and make it into another piece." Michael Conway showed us his way of "taking photos and ripping them up" into portraits of St. Pete artists. Sharma Shari used her Puerto Rican and American duality to show us who she really is. Chris Odom's lustrous photos of a Guatemalan mountain village showcased his years of anthropological study of the culture's traditions and changes. Jim Lennon presented his large collection of artists, dancers, musicians and more performing on various stages around Tampa Bay.

The Audience Choice award actually ended up in a tie, going to Robert Neff and Sharma Shari. The next 15 Minutes of Fame will take place at the museum on Wednesday, February 17th.

No comments:

Post a Comment