Last week, I attended my first SPE (Society of Photographic Education) National Conference, which was held in Chicago. I was not very sure about what to expect before the event but only knew Martin Parr and Richard Misrach would be among the keynote speakers. Having signed up for the Professional Portfolio Review, I brought my latest portfolio “Solitude” with me to the conference, anticipating some constructive criticisms of my work.
Giacometti and Chicago, 2013
Basically, everything was new to me, so I was happy to be there and met people. There were lots of talks and lectures during the 3-day conference, and some of them, along with many other things going on at the event, did make me think and feel inspired. I think I may need a few more days to digest what I had experienced and then hopefully to write it down before I forget.
I went to a Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s concert on Saturday night and enjoyed the pianist Yefim Bronfman’s amazing performance of Bartok’s piano concerto. CSO has been my all time favorite since when I first listened to them live at the Symphony Hall more than 10 years ago.
I also visited the Museum of Contemporary Photography and the Art Institute of Chicago. It was surprising to see three of Ansel Adam’s Moonrise printed at different times and five of Dorothea Lange’s Migrant Mother printed at different times and even by different printers. They all look different!