-=AA=-

Fellow classmate David Ohl was able to throw together an exhibit of RIT photographers who hail from the Philadelphia area.
The show opens January 8th at TRUST Venue. It’s a beautiful space and I am hopeful for a great turn out.
I will be at the opening, so come out and say hello!

344 Photography Show
Featuring work by:

Alan Charlesworth
Kyle Ferino
Gregory Gentert
Nikki Graziano
David Ohl
Kathleen Raisch
Austin Whitney

Opening reception is Friday, January 8th, 2010 from 6:00pm to 9:00pm.

Not much to say.
Here’s some new(ish) work…

Camp - Standing In Bedroom, Albany, NY

Jim - Blowing Leaves, Albany, NY

Warren - Sitting On Bed, Toronto, ON

Ed - Putting On Shoes, Mississauga, ON

We Didn't Buy A Tree (Alan and Jim - Standing In Tree Farm)

For the eighth year in a row I was able to attend Santa Saturday, an HIV/AIDS fundraiser put on by the Bucks M.C. This year the event, like last, was hosted in Asbury Park, NJ. Not only is this a fundraiser for great charities, it is also a great way to reconnect with friends after years. This year I had my 4×5 in tow to get some portraits of friends. Sadly the sun sets far too fast these days and I was only able to shoot about a dozen sheets of film.

Santa Saturday Crowd - Empress Hotel, Asbury Park, NJ

Ed - Standing Under Tiki Bar, Asbury Park, NJ

Tim and Boy - Standing In Front Of Mural, Asbury Park, NJ

Damian - Standing On Hotel Roof, Asbury Park, NJ

I’ve always worked on self portraits with small and medium format photography, but never with my large format camera. I was at a friends place in central Connecticut which happens to be surrounded by acres of woods. I’d always wanted to take portraits in the area, but I happened to be alone on this particular cold morning.

There was a large gathering of small pine trees deep in the woods which seemed to be at a perfect height for an upper body portrait. The fact that I stripped down to nothing was a last minute decision. I suppose I could write about a connection between the human form and its reclamation in nature, but that would be tacky.

Self Portrait - Standing In Pines, Mansfield, CT

A few weeks ago several Bears from the Albany and surrounding area made a trip to the Adirondacks to have lunch at a friends bed and breakfast, The Saratoga Rose.

Saratoga Rose Inn Bear Lunch

While there I was able to take another portrait of Jim and I, similar to one posted previously. I think I may want to continue taking our portraits this way in various settings.

Alan and Jim - Standing In Garden

Time will tell.

This is what happens when an idea builds in my head for years…

Angry Alan, Saint of Film

Shot with a Nikon D200, cheap Sunpak flash (on camera), a piece of white paper, string, electrical tape and a couple hours of Photoshop.

A friend of mine gave me a little spot in the Rochester City Newspaper this week. Art critic and reviewer Rebecca Rafferty wrote about the recent ImageArt show at Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester, NY.

Here’s a quick blurb she wrote about me and my work:

“ A different gay male identity is captured in Alan Charlesworth’s color photo ‘Bear Trek Pool Party 2008.’ When I met Charlesworth a couple of years ago, he introduced me to bear culture and opened my eyes to an unexpected challenge within gay male communities: struggling with not being the stereotype. Our media suppresses most gay identities that don’t fit the type that we have deemed to be tolerable – think of Will and Jack from the sitcom ‘Will & Grace.’

‘The stereotypical homosexual male is commonly featured with an impeccable hairless and toned body,’ says Charlesworth. ‘The bear culture has always dismissed these stereotypes and continues to question the idea of what it means to be beautiful.’ By using a slower shutter speed, a blur of movement is captured, except for a few still couples who embrace and kiss. A mirror on a far back wall reveals the artist in the style of painters of old who showed themselves in the portrait. This also symbolizes that Charlesworth has found a place within the bear community, though he himself is not a bear.  “

Read the full review here.

This is also in print, which I will pick up in a couple weeks.

I started a new job at the end of September continuing work in movie theaters. Nothing very exciting, but at the moment I was willing to take anything.
Thankfully I can now pay for more film and processing. Not only that, but I hope to make another book focusing on my medium format work.

Speaking of, here are some more recent* photographs.
*Within the last four months.

Front Yard At Night, Provincetown, MA

Red And Gold Bike, New York, NY

Empty Sign At Night, Provincetown, MA

Lightning From Bedroom Window, Albany, NY

American Apparel Window Display, New York, NY

Well, it seems as though summer is drawing to an end.
I suppose I could bitch about not finding a decent job yet, but I won’t bore you.

Instead I will focus on photography. I am happy that I have kept up on shooting more for the Brotherhood of Bears series.
This will make it a bit easier to apply for graduate schools next year.

Here are some more photographs from the series.

Davide – Sitting By Picnic Table, Gibson, PA

Bear Twister Through The Trees, Gibson, PA

Kevin – Standing Under Tent, Gibson, PA

As some of you may know, I abandoned my LiveJournal account back in June.
I haven’t stopped photographing since then, but just not daily anymore.

This summer has brought quite a few more portrait opportunities.  This year my Shen Hao accompanied me to several Bear events in the greater Northeast. Rather than post them all, I’ve decided to post a few good ones.

Peter, James & John - Memorial Day Party, Albany, NY

Bill - Standing In New Apartment, Rochester, NY

Jim - Lying On Bed With Laptop, Albany, NY

Michael - Painting Door Frame, Albany, NY

Tim & Rick - Sitting On Rocker, Mystic, CT

Jeff - Standing Above Cliff, Provincetown, MA

Steve - Talking On Phone, Provincetown, MA

Mike - In Pool, Averill Park, NY