Louis Stettner : ‘Penn Station’ (Photography)

‘Six Windows’
Penn Station
gelatin silver print
1958

‘A Game of Cards’
Penn Station
gelatin silver print
1958

‘Empty Train’
Penn Station
gelatin silver print
1958

‘Commuters, Evening Train’
Penn Station
gelatin silver print
1958

‘Odd Man in’
Penn Station
gelatin silver print
1958

‘Woman on a Train’ (Six Lights)
Penn Station
gelatin silver print
1958

Louis Stettner is a celebrated American photographer whose work includes iconic images of Paris and New York. He was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York but moved to Paris in the 1950s, where he now lives permanently with his family. Louis has photographed Paris and New York for over 60 years, capturing the changes in the people, culture, and architecture of both cities.

Using both black and white and color images, his work documents fleeting moments in the life of the cities, moments that often cannot be recaptured. Stettner has documented the architectural and cultural evolution of Paris and New York, making his archive of thousands of images an important resource. Few photographers have such an extensive archive of both cities, one that includes historic images of each city’s most celebrated landmarks and the daily lives of its citizens.

His work has an unforced naturalistic quality to it, as he sought to capture the ordinary, every day lives of his subjects. He was particularly interested in documenting the lives of the working class in each city and he demonstrates much sensitivity in this endeavor, photographing them with great dignity. A limited amount of his work is devoted to still life and landscape images. Additionally, his paintings and sculptures tend to be abstract and in sharp contrast to his clear, vivid photographic images.

Louis Stettner : Website

Louis Stettner : Bonni Benrubi Gallery

Susan Burnstine : “On Waking Dreams” (Photography)

“Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.” Carl Jung

Susan Burnstine
‘Inside Looking Out’
On Waking Dreams (series)
Archival Pigment Ink Print

Susan Burnstine
‘This side of Heaven’
On Waking Dreams (series)
Archival Pigment Ink Print

Susan Burnstine
‘Circuitous’
On Waking Dreams (series)
Archival Pigment Ink Print

Susan Burnstine
‘In Passage’
On Waking Dreams (series)
Archival Pigment Ink Print

Susan Burnstine
‘Walk the Line’
On Waking Dreams (series)
Archival Pigment Ink Print

Susan Burnstine
‘Two’
On Waking Dreams (series)
Archival Pigment Ink Print

WITHIN SHADOWS: This ongoing body of work explores the fleeting moments between dreaming and waking – the blurred seconds in which imagination and reality collide.

“As a child, I suffered vivid nightmares that stayed with me for days. Often, I would walk around not sure if I was dreaming or awake, as the lines between the two remained blurred. Existing within the shadows of the unconscious made life a curious synthesis of magic and reality. Portals to the unknown emerged, offering me pathways that seemed to bridge the gap between real and unreal, life and death. Though the intensity of my dreams did not lessen as an adult, my response transformed. Initially, I was lost within the haze of my dreams. But now, it is through my dreams that I truly see.

Conceived as a trilogy, this project is presented in three successive chapters, On Waking Dreams, Between and Flight, which explore three states of mind: dreaming (subconscious), sleeping (unconscious), and waking (conscious). To create the images, I recall a significant metaphor, contemplative moment or pathway into the unknown from a dream the night before. I then capture the fading memory on film that very same day using details from my own imaginings to tap into the collective unconscious.

For these series, I wanted to find a way to portray my dream-like visions entirely in-camera, rather than with post-processing manipulations. To achieve this, I created twenty-one hand-made film cameras and lenses that are frequently unpredictable and technically challenging. The cameras are primarily made out of plastic, vintage camera parts and random household objects and the single element lenses are molded out of plastic and rubber. Learning to overcome their extensive limitations has required me to rely on instinct and intuition – the same tools that are key when attempting to interpret dreams.” Susan Burnstine

Susan Burnstine : Website

Susan Burnstine : Kevin Longino

Susan Burnstine : Verve Gallery of Photography