Pace University will host At a Point of Change II, an outdoor student photography exhibition, which will be on view in front of One Pace Plaza from May 1–15 before moving to Pace’s Westchester campus until October 1.

At a Point of Change II features photography from two Pace alumni, as well as 14 undergraduate students enrolled in the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences interdisciplinary course entitled “Seeing the World Differently…Through Economics and Photography,” which combines economics concepts with photographic principles.

“The goal of this exhibit is to create a powerful visual statement that Pace is committed to sustainability, equity, and inclusion,” said Associate Professor of Economics Anna Shostya, PhD, who co-teaches the course with Associate Professor of Art, Inbal Abergil, MFA.

The course and the students’ work focus on using photography to represent the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, a group of 17 objectives set to be achieved by 2030 to better our world, centering on issues such as immigration, equality, climate action, and sustainable economic growth.

“The issue of sustainable development is critical in our world today, and what better way to raise it and call for action than to educate people about it,” said Jack Nierenberg ’25, Art. “This course not only educated me and my fellow students but gave us the opportunity to do the same for the public.”

This year marks the halfway point between the introduction of the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 target. Shostya notes that this exhibit reflects Pace students’ understanding of the success stories that have flourished since the goals were launched, as well as the challenges that continue to lie ahead.

“This exhibition creates a platform for students to connect to these subject matters on a personal level and highlights the power of photography and storytelling,” added Abergil.

Each photograph in the exhibit is accompanied by a written piece, showcasing the students’ understanding and creative interpretation of the underlying principles of the goals.

“This class gave me the opportunity to expand my perspective on the interconnectedness of the world,” said Tasfia Rahim ’23, Economics and Political Science.“Professor Shostya and Professor Abergil have found a way to connect two seemingly unrelated subjects and spark conversations.”

About Pace Unviversity

Pace University has a proud history of preparing its diverse student body for a lifetime of professional success as a result of its unique programs that combine immersive academics and real-world experiences. Pace is ranked the #1 private, four-year college in the nation for upward economic mobility by Harvard University’s Opportunity Insights, evidence of the transformative education the University provides.

About Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

Pace University’s liberal arts college, Dyson College, offers more than 50 programs, spanning the arts and humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, and pre-professional programs (including pre-medicine, pre-veterinary, and pre-law), as well as many courses that fulfill core curriculum requirements. The College offers access to numerous opportunities for internships, cooperative education and other hands-on learning experiences that complement in-class learning in preparing graduates for career and graduate/professional education choices.

… on the way back home from West Sedona this afternoon, I stopped by the columbarium at Church of The Red Rocks for a short visit … it was quiet except for the sound of the wind soughing in the trees … remembering the life I lived with Cork and the friends with whom we spent many a day sharing life and laughter with, now silent. The view is beautiful and the life I continue to live is magnificent with a new sense of richness shared with friends and family still here. Without question my life is blessed!

The photo above I took at the end of a great soaring day … Cathedral Rock is slipping beneath my nose and the airport is above it …on the horizon from the left is Sitgreaves Mountain, Kendrick Peak, the San Francisco Peaks and Mt. Elden. Few things in life can compare with slipping through the air on silent wings and you are one with all that is.

Below is an Osprey making his get away with dinner firmly in his talons and the sound of the attack and escape covered by the sound of the aerators pumping water into the air only to splash down in the pond.

Have a beautiful day, keep breathing and smiling … you are here and with choices to make!

Cheers,

Ted

Therefore, while yet you have
the strength, cherish a desire to do
some useful work in your
little corner of the world, and
have the steadfastness to labor.
For this is the way to the
happy life; with health and
endearing ties, it is the way to the
glorious life.

excerpt from Happiness by Max Ehrmann

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The easiest way to reach Mr. Grussing is by email: ted@tedgrussing.com

In addition to sales of photographs already taken Ted does special shoots for patrons on request and also does air-to-air photography for those who want photographs of their airplanes in flight. All special photographic sessions are billed on an hourly basis.

Ted also does one-on-one workshops for those interested in learning the techniques he uses.  By special arrangement Ted will do one-on-one aerial photography workshops which will include actual photo sessions in the air.

More about Ted Grussing …

Delightful and full of exuberant whimsy, photographer Jared Schoenemann’s series Anthropromophism, is a charming spectacle of stuffed animals bustling with playful souls.

In a quest to appreciate each of his daughter’s “stuffies” just as she does, Schoenemann was inspired to make a kind of visual encyclopedia to not only keep track of the many toys but to meet his daughter’s approval of the unique personalities she sees in them.

“The inspiration was my forgetfulness. My daughter loves her stuffed animals, therefore they are very important to our family, of course. After I got the business for forgetting a few of their names one too many times (on last count she had 137), I decided I should take them into the studio for some portraits.” Schoenemann says, speaking to PetaPixel.

With a background in cinematography and athleticism, Schoenemann has a long-held appreciation for what photography has allowed him to personally express and the atmosphere of community it fosters.

“Photography connected all the right dots, (and) allowed me to produce a higher quality of work and collaborate with some wonderful people,” he says.

Utilizing the medium as a means of deeper connection with his daughter and intrigued by the challenge of capturing the “personalities” of each stuffed animal — while appeasing a tough critic — Schoenemann approached the task of photographing her many toys just as he would when shooting live animal portraits. Using a simplistic background, and no props or distractions, the photographer simply just captured the observations and implemented input from his daughter.

“I could talk it up with fancy words but it’s just a simple project anyone can do. My daughter chose her favorites and the ones with the most expressive features, and we got shooting. No props. I wanted just the animal alone, removed from any distractions (similar to my regular animal work). They were shot as they are. Not fresh and new, but well loved.”

When peering into the eyes of one of the stuffed critters it’s easy to become increasingly enchanted by the subtle yet vivacious “spirit” and quirky aura captured in every one of Schoenemann’s shots, attributes that he also credits to the toy maker’s skills,

“The designers of these stuffed animals are very talented and did a great job creating them. All I had to do was find the right angle, light them well, and not mess up their work. There was hardly any post-processing except for removing some dust and errant strings. The background is as it was shot, shadows and all, and that was that. I encourage others to do the same with their kid’s toys. It’s tons of fun.” Schoenemann shares.

As for challenges, despite some slight trepidation from his daughter and a few undesirable subjects, the photographer was resolute.

“The biggest challenge was finding the proper angle to reveal their personality. Often they had to be pinned or posed, not unlike other work. Some had no personality or were difficult, and were kindly asked to leave (not unlike other work),” he continues.

“My daughter was a bit apprehensive about letting me shoot them, but once she saw their faces popping up on the monitor, she was all in. Oddly enough, their personalities do shine through, so the project was titled Anthropomorphism,” Schoenemann says. “The Nikon 60mm was optically great, but I did pine for smoother focus and was tempted to pick up the Zeiss 50mm macro.”

Other equipment Schoenemann uses for his other work, he expresses his affinity for Nikon and Zeiss Lenses.

“I use Nikon bodies, Zeiss lenses, and Einstein strobes. For most of my close work, I use the Milvus 100mm, but for the stuffies, I wanted less of a telephoto feel. Browsing Craigslist, I found an old medical Nikkor 60mm AF-D in like-new condition that caught my eye also, it’s super-glued into manual focus, so no one wanted it. I got it for $60 and decided to give it a go for the project. It worked very well,” he muses.

The results of Schoenemann’s series are a homage to photography and reality, rather than “pictures.”

“To me, a great photo is a genuine moment, captured and processed well, that reminds the viewer of the good times of life on earth. No fakery. No AI. I’m not interested in cartoons, filters, or fabrications. Hence in my mind, there’s a clear distinction between pictures and photography. We all have our faults, one of mine is my understanding of photography and its importance in capturing memorable moments. Time is short. I prefer to focus on what’s real. Who wants to remember a fake moment? Like Seinfeld said, ‘You don’t aspire to reach the nose.’”

The series also contributes to his desire to capture memorable moments that can be appreciated well into the future, moments that his daughter could foreseeably connect with.

“Most importantly, she loves the work, and when she eventually outgrows stuffed animals and the ones that don’t get saved are donated, we’ll be happy to have the memories. What started as a silly idea ended up quite nice, and when printed large on fine art paper, they take on a living, breathing, emotive quality. “

As for the response to the series, it has been positive. While Schoenemann simply enjoys the fun-loving nature of it, he does acknowledge and accepts that it won’t suit everyone’s tastes,

“The response has been wonderful. Friends and family love it, my daughter loves it and tells me the stuffies love it, too. Internet people probably won’t. People with kids like it. I’ve heard that it makes some want to photograph their kid’s toys more and that’s great to hear. It is always nice when your silly projects are enjoyed by others. And I understand why it could be totally lame to others. That’s how it goes.”

As Schoenemann moves on to other projects, he keeps his love of community and connection front in center in his life and ambitions.

“Go and hug your kids, tell them you love them, call your parents, apologize for your teenage years, and tell them you love them. We’re here now, with free will to make good choices or bad ones. Make good ones — like photographing what’s real and memorable.”

For more from Jared Schoenemann, make sure to visit his website

Image credits: Jared Schoenemann

Cameras are more complex and customizable than ever before, allowing users to tweak buttons and settings until everything is mapped to the photographer’s personal workflow. In this video, watch how to change settings to how you work.

For years I would get a new camera and leave it on default settings for every button and dial. Then, as back-button focus became integral to how I shoot, revolutionizing the way I use my camera, I grew curious as to what else I might be able to improve. This sent me down a rabbit hole of creating custom functions, assigning new buttons, and reassigning old ones. In fact, I used to create so many that I’d forget much of what I’d done and go about doing a single button’s work the long-winded, manual way.

Nevertheless, I now have lots of custom functions that I use regularly and it’s important to my efficiency when shooting. The issue with many videos showing you how to “setup your camera” is that the photographer showing you is actually setting up their camera to their tastes. This video by Omar Gonzalez is a higher-level version of those videos, teaching you your options rather than being prescriptive. So, grab your Sony body and get customizing!

During Lagos Art Week, which took place from October 31 to November 2, 2022, we convened Lagos Portfolio Review and Critical Workshop, gathering an intergenerational group of image makers in collaboration with the Nlele Institute, a Pan-African nonprofit organization with a focus on lens-based media. During the first two days, we invited 30 emerging photographers (selected through an open call) to share portfolios and an aspect of their practice in an “open crit” context. On the last day, we held a critical workshop, which provided an opportunity for Lagos-based artists, critics, scholars, curators, and culture workers to share space and spend time together working through emergent issues in the field. The convening took up key themes in the forthcoming MoMA exhibition New Photography 2023: Kelani Abass, Akinbode Akinbiyi, Yagazie Emezi, Amanda Iheme, Abraham Oghobase, Karl Ohiri, and Logo Oluwamuyiwa (May 28–September 16, 2023). Five months later, we reflected together on the stakes of creating this collaborative program and its potential to generate future possibilities.

Oluremi C. Onabanjo: Though Lagos is no stranger to either of us, I must say it was rather special to travel there last fall as colleagues. The Lagos Portfolio Review and Critical Workshop was an immersion in an expansive community of photographers, artists, thinkers, and curators. How did you enter this conversation on contemporary photographic practice in West Africa, and specifically in Nigeria?

Kunbi Oni: I think I entered it during my master’s program—now 23 years ago—at a time when African photography was this blip on the map of art history. I was drawn to photography because I felt the medium’s immediacy. As soon as the medium was introduced, it was everywhere. Photography is technology and people moved around with it—which of course was facilitated through colonial routes. Just by virtue of the materials, this is a mode of making that really cuts through the instinct to center European and American makers.

We experienced this in Lagos. Whether someone is using a film camera, digital camera, or even their iPhone camera, people are making amazing images and are becoming connected within this creative sphere that they may not otherwise have opportunities to be able to do. The photograph as an occasion for connection—that has always been the most attractive part for me.

OCO: I love that you’ve picked up on two photographers who have such a different relationship to space and the body. There’s Praise on one hand, thinking about life in Nigeria during the pandemic through its traces, and bringing a rigorous treatment of space through the collision of lines and light. Then Ayorinde, diving headfirst into the heart of the crush among his fellow students. In some ways, I felt like his work is such a riff on 1960s and 1970s West African studio photography—a genre that loves the boxer as a figure.

KO: Totally.

OCO: He takes us out of the studio and into life. Right into the social places where those bodies are shaped and where they move. It takes place among friends, and is as much about performativity as it is about cultivating the body.

Praise and Ayorinde are also great examples of the kind of generosity that took root in that space. They really took the opportunity to give feedback to their colleagues and to ask for guidance and counsel. These inquiries came to us and to our fellow facilitators, Nlele Institute instructors Amaize Ojeikere and Uche Okpa-Iroha. Their perspectives as image-makers—true pillars in the Lagos photography community—enriched our discussions and offered different points of entry and engagement.

KO: How would you identify growth within this community in Lagos?

OCO: I think structurally. It’s not enough to say that there’s this many rockstar artists coming out of Lagos and that this qualifies it as a scene. It’s more important to see how the community is thriving. Relationships are key. Being myself a curatorial mentee of the late Olabisi Silva (1962–2019), it’s important to note that you do not get someone as rigorous and thoughtful as Abraham Oghobase or as inventive or creative as Kelani Abass without a place like Contemporary Centre for Art Lagos (CCA Lagos), which Silva founded in 2007.

I was also struck by how important it was for the emerging photographer Christopher Obuh Nelson to take the time to acknowledge Uche Okpa-Iroha for all of his sacrifices in building Nlele Institute and carrying its programming forward. In Lagos, artistic infrastructure functions differently than it does in places like New York, London, or Paris. In Lagos institutions and people play multiple roles. For example, the space where we held the program, Angels & Muse, was founded by the artist Victor Ehikhamenor, and functions as a residency space, cultural center, and artist’s studio. So, I would say growth is when artists benefit from a healthy intersection of critical, programmatic, and curatorial possibilities.

KO: You organized this portfolio review and critical workshop in conjunction with your forthcoming exhibition New Photography 2023. Can you talk about the show and why it was important to connect this program to it?

OCO: With the guidance of Clément Chéroux, former chief curator of MoMA’s Department of Photography, I conceived of New Photography 2023 as an iteration of the series where we take an artistic scene as a starting point. The city of Lagos is not the object of the exhibition but rather functions as the curatorial ground. Within this framework, I am looking at a set of interrelated visual positions bouncing and reverberating off of one another and helping pursue different pathways in relation to a particular conceptual idea. In making New Photography 2023, I was struck by the different ways in which these seven artists were deconstructing “the photograph as document,” and moving toward the poetic, spatial, and social possibilities that exist in the undercurrent of the image.

As a result, it felt important to think about how these undercurrents function within a scene that is fluid—in a metaphorical sense, but also literally dependent on water. Lagos comes from the Portuguese word for “lakes”; it is a city sutured together by bridges spanning the mainland and its islands. I wanted to be sensitive to these realities That is why New Photography 2023 needed to be engaged with the city in a way that wasn’t superficial, but by situating ourselves—and by extension MoMA—within the infrastructure that supports the seven artists featured in the show. To come back, again and again, and to see how experiences shift and change as time passes, is another way to engage ethically and thoughtfully with the “art of our time.” To me, we must look at art from as many different positions as possible, and learn from the artists occupying these positions. Only then will we see that the space between the institution and the world is really not space at all.

Watch this video to learn more about the 2022 Lagos Portfolio Review and Critical Workshop.

We would like to extend gratitude and respect to the emerging image-makers who presented their work during Lagos Portfolio Review: Emmanuel Abor, Neec Nonso, Badejo Fuwa, Chioma Agba, Bell-Gam Gabriel, John Amusan, Ugochukwe Ezeokoli, Christopher Obuh Nelson, Bashir Onuche Aminu, Peter John Chukwu, Ugochukwu Azuya, Emmanuel Lucky, Eragbie Joshua, Praise Hassan, Apah Benson, Tolulope Owoeye, Kamilu Balogun, Zainab Abiola, Chukwuka Obu, Tomiwa Arije, Oluwayemisi Onadipe, Ebenezer Okike, Zainab Asafa, Oluwatoyin Adedokun, Adetutu Adediran, Ayorinde Ogundele, Amanda Madumere, Rachel Seidu, Bishop Duke, Stephen Arudi. We acknowledge the rich perspectives and wisdom provided by the artists, curators, and scholars who presented at the Critical Workshop, including Akinbode Akinbiyi, Logo Oluwamuyiwa, Karl Ohiri, Amanda Iheme, Abraham Oghobase, Kelani Abass, Uche Okpa-Iroha, Temitayo Ogunbiyi, and Victor Ehikhamenor, who generously hosted the program at his space Angels & Muse. Special thanks to our collaborators at the Nlele Institute: Uche Okpa-Iroha, Ayo Okpa-Iroha, Amaize Ojeikere, Kunbi Rowland, Obasola Bamigbola, Ololade Lawal, Kayode Oluwa, Chukwudi Onwumere, Bola Ajakaiye, and Ebun Ikenze. This program was made possible through transformative support from the International Council; thank you Jay Levenson, Marta Dansie, and Smooth Ugochukwu Nzewi for your trust.

New Photography 2023: Kelani Abass, Akinbode Akinbiyi, Yagazie Emezi, Amanda Iheme, Abraham Oghobase, Karl Ohiri, and Logo Oluwamuyiwa, organized by Oluremi C. Onabanjo, Associate Curator, with Kaitlin Booher, Newhall Curatorial Fellow, and Samuel Allen, MRC Fellow, Department of Photography, is on view at MoMA May 28–September 16, 2023.