Female Fotographers feature for October

Female Fotographers connecting on Long Island, New York. 

Long Island Center of Photography @ African American Museum in Hempstead, New York.

Molloy  College Art Gallery @  Rockville Centre, New York. 

All three women have taken the art of photography to various degrees using different elements and perspectives of what they view using their third eye, the lens. They all share one thing in common; their creativity and passion for photography. Their connection through friendship, leadership with various group and workshops on Long Island.   

Doreen Rose is a photographer in New York. She has been involved in photography since 2007. She became interested in photography in support of her love of travel. Her love of photography grew to encompass areas other than travel photography. Doreen believes in the quote from Arnold Newman, "We do not take pictures with our cameras, but with our hearts and minds." She hopes that she reveals her beliefs in her photographs.

Doreen currently has her work on display at Molloy College where one of her images won "Best in Show." Another of her images also received "Honorable Mention" in that show which is a juried exhibition sponsored by the Long Island Photography Meetup. She has also received several "Image of the Year" awards in her camera clubs, and has had her work exhibited at the Long Island Art League and will be in an upcoming exhibit at Fotofoto Gallery in Huntington, New York. 

    Some of Doreen's images may be seen at:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/peenewalli/ 

Marzena born and raised in Poland, Marzena has always had an eye for beauty and an intuitive sense of color.  These artistic sensibilities infuse every aspect of her life; from the way she decorates her home to the work she does with children even her playful sense of fashion.   Trained as a librarian, Marzena graduated from college with a deep and abiding love of literature.  She was also a competitive runner, and many years of training in track and field have given her an appreciation for movement and form, as well as for the human body.

Marzena came to America in 1987 and currently lives on the North Shore of Long Island with her husband and daughter.  An avid traveler, she has been to all corners of the globe, always with camera in hand so that she can chronicle her journey and share her experiences with others.  Her passion for photography stems way back to when she was in her twenties and worked mostly in black and white.  Today, her images range from subtle gradations of black and white to photographs in exuberant color.

Website:
http://www.thrumarzenaslens.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marzenag

Current exhibits: Long Island Center of Photography @ African American Museum in Hempstead – Best in Show- “Under the Bridge” Molloy College Art Gallery –“In my Dreams” –honorable mention Glen Cove Library- solo exhibit.

Previous exhibits include: Mineola Library Exhibit Rockville Centre Library Exhibit and works sold at Fire Island Lighthouse Preservation Society Exhibit.  

Under The Bridge

In My Dreams

Roni M. Chastain

Roni  has had a love of photography for over 30 years. In 2003 she developed Custom Photo Notes, which was started as a business to market customized photo cards. This has expanded to now include coffee table books and customized slide shows. As a graduate of the New York Institute of Photography, Roni completed the course in half the time, and was awarded merit awards from the school for two of her photos.

She has shot photographs for professional nursing organizations & conferences. Her photos have been used by American Academy of Pediatrics, a module for an online guide for parents, the book, Dr Jack Newman's Guide to Breastfeeding, IBFAN Calendar and The International Lactation Consultants Association. She is a photography volunteer for for Pet Safe Coalition, and has designed several flyers for them to hand out. Her photos and cards were used by several country clubs, school/camps, and a local hotel.

Roni has also had photos published in the Glen Cove Record Pilot, Long Island Newsday and won several photography contests. Her photos have recently been on exhibit at the Fire Island Preservation Art Exhibit. The African American Museum and Molloy College Exhibit.

Customphotonotes.com was developed as a way to showcase her products and her work as a photographer. Her business has expanded to include photographing weddings, sweet sixteens, portraits and various other events. Roni is at this time the photographer for All Fur Fun Agility, a dog agility league.

Roni is currently the organizer for the Long Island Photography Meetup Group. Organizer photo outings for just under 300 members.

Roni has her photos online on several websites.

www.customphotonotes.com

www.nursingbabies.com

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ronichas/

Nap Time

Frog

Empire State

Female Fotographers Connecting

by: Fredda Gordon

I am in awe at the power of our Female Fotographers of Facebook community and would like to share a recent adventure that grew from this page.

“I didn’t know if the wine was good, but I loved the way the bottle looked,” Ulla Reimer said with a smile, regarding the rose served at her opening party. This was my introduction to the deep level of creativity of Ulla and Caroline Carles. The creativity didn’t stop there. A framed photo served as a tray for the colorful tapas and the clear bags filled with ice, kept the wine classy and chilled.

I met Ulla on Facebook as I was planning trip to France. When I saw she lived in my upcoming destination, I asked her for some advice for my trip. She was very helpful and mentioned her gallery opening. Luck was on my side as I managed to miraculously squeeze the event into my already busy agenda.  

“Come to the party in the chapel at the roundabout in the center,” are the directions I received via text for the location of the opening. I drove into the little French village of Gordes, easily found the chapel, and entered the gallery in awe. I was surrounded by beautiful stone walls, with high arches dividing the large space into three sections. The lighting was low to enhance the mood, but bright enough to see the work. In the middle of the main room was a velvet red sofa flanked in the back by a slab of metal held up by two stacks of Ulla’s published photography book.

From this vantage point, I could see all three sections of the chapel. One for Ulla’s solo work, one for Caroline’s and the third for their collaborative work. Although they only began working together a year and a half ago, they've come together seamlessly. Where one ends the other begins. Even their solo work has a similarity to it, which is why their collaborations work so well. Their solo work includes broad statements of structures and the curves of the human body. Ulla also has an extensive portrait collection.

Their collaborative work consists of one of Ulla’s images set beside one of Caroline’s, which have been carefully chosen to work together to create a strong visual statement. These works are not sold separately, and you wouldn’t want them that way, because there is power in the connection, as there is with these two women. Each piece is presented as frameless images fused to an aluminum backing. A very expensive treatment, but worth it, as they look amazing and are virtually indestructible. Unfortunately, this was tested by a flood in Ulla’s home. There was a pipe break and within one hour her house was under two feet of water. The photos, which were going to a gallery opening the next morning, were leaning on the floor. She wiped them clean and they still look great.

In addition to these pieces, they have done other projects together. One was a video they created for the village of Gordes. At least that is how they described it to me before I unexpectedly saw it myself. I was visiting the Villages Les Bories, and watched the interesting video explanation of what I was seeing. At the end I saw Ulla and Caroline’s name and thought “Oh, THIS is the video they were talking about.” Ulla did the filming, and Caroline did the still shots and editing. Their interesting, creative angles and attention to detail was evident throughout the video.

They also worked on a book together, which is a not-for-profit venture to help disabled children in Vietnam. This was their first project together and how they met. The book is the culmination of a humanitarian project that Ulla has been involved with for many years. She works with disabled children, giving them her time and use of her camera. Each child has a few pages in the book where their photographs are presented. This is their work, not Ulla’s.

Ulla and Caroline started differently in the field. Caroline has had art in her life forever. She began her photography education as a small child, developing photos beside her father in his basement darkroom. Ulla started at 16 years old working for a movie company. She dove in quickly using her talent and ingénue to propel her forward. She took a few years off to raise a child, but dove back in, head on a few years ago. Together they will go far and I am honored to be able to write this article and to know them.

View their work and get more information on their websites:

www.ullareimer.com

www.carolinecarles.com

Ulla and Caroline

The Chapel

Female Fotographer Flickr Feature: Heather Leann Monterosso

Tiny Box

Heather Leann Monterosso was born and raised in New York City. Growing up in the same house her mother was raised and inspired by her father's photographic work, Heather delved into her artistic inclinations at an early age. She more than made up for her lack of formal training by her own devices. Photographing incessantly, in secret for years until finally acknowledging her ability to make deep connections with herself and the world, Heather was able to begin sharing her passion with others.

The sentimental side of Heather's work is symbolically woven into both her personal and professional work as a portrait photographer. She finds the Northeast especially inspiring, drawing upon the rich history and varying landscapes. Heather explains that creating portraits of women and families often brings her the most joy as her process is a deeply personal experience.  

In her emotive, personal work, Heather enjoys the productivity of transforming unpleasant experiences into intense, lingering moments to reflect upon. The risks involved in pursuing her photography are well worth the work involved. Please take a moment to experience some of Heather's personal work here, her professional work on Heather's website and her Flickr photostream. For more work from the Female Fotographers, please visit our group: Female Fotographers on Flickr.

Dance With Me

Wild Snapdragons

River Dance

I Find Time For You

Written and edited by: Rachel Wolfe

CIRCUMSTANCE

The Work of BJ + Richeille Formento
Written and edited by Rachel Wolfe

Revolver Shoots is the photographic union of husband and wife, BJ and Richeille Formento. Influenced by Hitchcock, Cindy Sherman and Edward Hopper, BJ and Richeille combine cinematic principles with painterly styling in their photographic works.

Born on different sides of the globe these two have fused their work together seamlessly. BJ brought his expertise working with Mary Ellen Mark, Hans Neleman, Annie Leibovitz, Eugene Richards and Arnold Newman. Richeille has a background in the fashion industry as an art director and designer for Calvin Klein, Diesel, DKNY and various independent fashion labels. Their expertise and extensive knowledge is evident in their remarkable commercial and fine art works. 

In addition to the duo's work with Revolver Shoots, BJ and Richeille developed the photography library, Eyecandy Images. Serving both royalty-free and rights-managed clients, the images available are energetic, polished, sexually charged and teeming with stylish witticisms and jaw-dropping inspiration.

Presented here, Circumstance, is a tribute to their personal influences as well as a showcase of the vulnerabilities and strengths in women. Highlighting an ability to forge ahead with a sense of serenity amidst chaos and disaster.

For more information and history on the life and works of BJ + Richeille Formento, please explore the following links:

http://www.revolvershoots.com/

http://www.eyecandyimages.com/

Gain some "instant karma" by supporting Circumstance in Haiti: via Kickstarter

ANIA

DIJANA

FRANCESCA

LIANNA

LYSANDRA

MEREDITH

PAIGE

REESE

SAM

TATIANA

Congratulations Teresa Zafón

© Teresa Zafón
Photograph from Dancers in Motion
http://www.teresazafon.com/


Thanks to all of the amazing photographers that submitted to The Female Fotographers first call for entries. We have many upcoming calls for submissions, so please share the news and this group with your friends and family.

Please join us in congratulating Teresa Zafon, from Barcelona, Spain. She is the winner of the The Female Fotographers Icon Contest. Teresa's work is diverse with a focus on editorial and portraiture. This featured image is from her studies of dance in motion. Photographing started early for Teresa at 14 and continued when she received her first reflex camera at 19. Her camera never leaves her side, as people, landscapes, streets and life inspire her. Four years ago, she took the leap to digital and has been photographing seriously ever since. Her extensive portfolio showcases her travels, experiences and the depth of human emotion.

Teresa takes some time to answer a few questions for us.

FF: Where is your favorite place to photograph?
TZ: Any place where my feelings and emotions are stirred by beauty, diversity, or soul can be good for me to photograph.


FF: What has been your most treasured experience photographing?
TZ: I had quite a few, but photographing the Namibia Desert and Kolmanskop Ghost Town, in the same country, I think it has been the most treasured experience. A place which I’d love to visit again some day.

FF: Who has been the strongest influence on your work?
TZ: Many different photographers. Just to mention some of them: Cartier Bresson, Richard Avedon, Ansel Adam. I love B&W photography.


FF: Do you have any upcoming exhibitions, publications or anything you would like to share with the public?
TZ: In March, this year, I had an exhibition of my Cuba pictures in Barcelona, and the same one is on now, until July 11, in another town close to Barcelona. That’s all for now. Hoping I can have some more soon.

Thank you and congratulations Teresa. Please see more of her work here: http://www.teresazafon.com/


Written and edited by Rachel Wolfe

Submit Your Work

You are invited to submit an image to be used for our Female Fotographers of Facebook icon. Images should be submitted to femalefotographers@gmail.com.

The winner will be featured on the sidebar and we will include a link to a Bio, and information about the winner's work. This contest will be repeated throughout the year, with a new person featured each time.

The admins will view all images and choose one to represent our page. They may post runners up on the wall at times.

The deadline Is June 20th. We look forward to seeing your work!

COMING SOON!

Welcome to the Female Fotographers (of Facebook)'s Blog. We are just getting started here, so please excuse the dust. Check back soon for exciting opportunities, news and our first featured photographer! Please also, join us on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1392723@N24/
We expect things to be up and running in a few weeks or less and look forward to building a community online with you!