"Small Trades" Show

I felt the need to pay tribute to one of the greats. This weekend I went to see the “Small Trades” show by Irving Penn at the Getty here in Los Angeles. I’ve seen his work before and this show reminded me, yet again, that he was an innovative and exceptional artist. Penn had the foresight to understand how our world was changing and he followed his instincts to document many of the working class people of the day. Not only was he capturing each individual and their trade, he was also creating a time capsule documenting those particular careers (some of which have either dramatically changed or disappeared entirely) as the industry moved forward. It is fascinating! I’ve also never seen a show with so much emphasis based on his technical craftsmanship. I’m not really surprised though. Everything that Irving Penn photographed represented perfection, elegance, and natural luminance. I hope he rests in piece and I want to thank him for creating such an inspiring body of work that will live on.

Inspirations in the unexpected

Quote of the day:
"The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person's determination."
Unknown

Found unexpectedly at a car race.

New Story

I recently did a shoot for Niche Media. I photographed Joey Tierney, an amazing clothing designer and stylist, at the Beverly Center here in LA. It was a really fun day and I met many wonderful people in the mall. Special thanks to everyone at Gucci, Dior and Hugo Boss. Here is a link to Joey’s website, http://www.joeytierney.com.

Old Photos

I recently spent some time going through old family pictures and it reignited my love for the old photos of art history. Whether candid family snap shops or stylized professional commercial or fine art photography, I appreciate the real (unretouched!) faces, the completely outdated but fantastic clothes and I especially love how the colors and tones of the photos fade over the years. I've always felt a strong connection to these old photos, which seem to transport you back in time while still keeping you connected to the subject through their honest gestures and the familiar situations.

Of course these images above are not masterpieces of photography’s past but they are great images that really captured a time and place in the history of my family. I hope you can enjoy them as much as I do.

The work of Joanna Pinneo

Recently I came across the website of one of my all time favorite photographers, Joanna Pinneo. I found Joanna’s work many years ago after discovering that it was her beautiful image gracing the cover of “Women Photographers at National Geographic”. Joanna’s images are always touching. She has a way of photographing women which captures their inner beauty while still seaming effortlessly pure. Both Joanna and Mary Ellen Mark’s artistic development throughout their career are exactly what I have aspired to be since making the decision that photography was to become my life’s ambition.

After viewing her work for the first time in a very long time I was happy to discover that she has remained consistent with her documentary projects, and has expanded her horizons by working on some very beautiful book projects as well! In addition, I was amazed to find out she has included photographing families and weddings to her documentary work! She approaches them with all the grace, elegance and sincerity that I love about her work.

I am very impressed and pleased to see such an incredible award winning photographer diversifying her talent to benefit everyone on such a personal level. It is very inspiring!

http://www.joannabpinneo.com/

Getting Started

me

Ok, so I’ve finally done it . . . I’ve begun a blog. I’m not exactly sure what has taken me this long to throw myself into it, but alas I’m finally here. It’s difficult to know how or where to begin, but I guess the best place is at the beginning.

I am a photographer and artist living in the Los Angeles area and my work takes me all over the country working for various companies and magazines. I have a degree in fine arts from the Rochester Institute of Technology and I’m honored to have received numerous grants and awards for the work that I have done.

I absolutely love photography and I take pictures nearly everyday of my life. There is no question to me, or anyone who knows me, that this is what I love to do. I believe there is something magical in a photograph. It’s a single moment, captured in time for all eternity. To have everything around you - both in the photo and outside the frame - come together to make that moment happen is exciting and inspiring. When you look at a photograph and can tell that there was a connection between the photographer and the subject (whether it’s a person, landscape or a still life) and everything around them was obviously in perfect synchronization to make it all happen, it’s a time capsule that has always fascinated me.

I believe this blog will be the best way to keep you informed of the work I’ve done and where I am in my own little world of photography. Thank you for reading and I hope you will come back often.

Rebecca Truszkowski
www.rebeccatruszkowski.com