Quintessential New York photographer and filmmaker Helen Levitt has died at 95.

Best known for her black and white work she was also a pioneer of serious colour photography and a street photographer every bit as good as Gary Winogrand and Lee Friedlander.

There’s a great interview with her here and also a brilliant essay by Mike Johnston about her here.

The Photographer’s Gallery in London has just announced that Paul Graham has won this years prize.

I saw the exhibition a week or so ago and I must admit I wasn’t mightily impressed and I was wondering;

Whether I was just getting old
Whether the Photographer’s Gallery (and Judges) have gone off the boil
Or Whether photography is in some sort of crisis

Having seen last year’s submissions to Rhubarb Rhubarb and some of the work exhibited at FlashSwap (ok all of the work) I do not think that photography is in crisis. So it is down to you; let us have your views.

If you have seen the exhibition – did you like it? Take a peak here

Birmingham’s leading photography project has just announced a new bursary. There are 5 places for the West Midlands – so go for it!

To coincide with Rhubarb’s tenth birthday, Photographers in the UK are invited to apply for the new Rhubarb/Arts Council Bursary Scheme 2009, where the ten chosen will be profiled at the Rhubarb International Review – July/August this year. Five photographers will be chosen from the West Midlands region and five from the wider uk.

Winners will receive

*An exhibition of their work at Wolverhampton Art Gallery

*Prints produced by Genesis, London

*Free Ticket for the Rhubarb International Review Seminar on Thursday 30th July 2009

*Attendance at the Rhubarb International Review Portfolio promenade – Saturday 1st August

* A free Place at Cultivate, offering 3 twenty minute sessions and a day of Seminars

OR

* A free day at the Rhubarb International Review, offering six twenty minute sessions with some of the world’s most renowned photographic fine art curators, gallerists, publishers.

(depending on which category you enter)

please go to

www.rhubarb-rhubarb.net/bursary

for full details.

SUBMISSIONS DEADLINE 27TH APRIL 2009 12PM

This post should round up the various strands of Flashswap coverage out there on the interwebs.

Words

Digital Birmingham has a nice write up of the event written by Simon Whitehouse
B:INS has its write up here.
Michael Grimes (Citizensheep) blogs about us here
Artist John Garghan offers his thoughts on the event here

Photos

Photos that were exhibited and exchanged at the Swap are being tagged “flashswapexhibit” on Flickr. Many of them have comments from the people who ended up with the prints.

General photos are being tagged “flashswap”

Video

Birmingham Photospace Flashswap from Matt Murtagh on Vimeo.

First Birmingham Flashswap from Nicky Getgood on Vimeo.

Gecal – here

Twitter

use the #flashswap hashtag to follow the great responses to the event from the community.

Rhubarb Radio

Birmingham Photospace were interviewed on the Sunday Social program, listen again here

If there are any other online sources I’m missing please comment below!

For those of you who missed the event – or who want to savour the exact moment of the swap again – watch this little video from gecal

Well our first event is over and what a positive day it has been. 83 photographers exhibited their work and what work. We would really like your comments on the day.
Tell us what worked and what didn’t – (we did have a few hiccups with the swapping)

Tell us what you think of our vision

Give us your ideas for future events.

Thank you all for coming

Just a reminder that FAQs and extra information about Saturday’s Flashswap can be found on our Flashswap FAQs blog. Find out how and where you can get your photos printed, as well as other bits and bobs of interest, including the timetable of the day.

I’m pleased to say that some really great professional photographers have told us they’ll be taking part (as well as amateurs like the rest of us, of course!) so there should be something of interest there for all photography fans.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Interest is really buzzing in our Flash Swap – with many photographers already committed to exhibiting their work. However it is not too late to decide to join in. You can get prints made very easily and quickly in some of our high street stores. Or you can just decide to bring your existing work. You can decide today or even on Saturday to participate. Just bring your images to us from 11.00am on Saturday morning. (PLEASE NOTE WE DO NOT WANT FRAMED PRINTS)

For further information – click on the link at head of the page.

Birmingham City Council are looking for a series of photographs or a video which illustrate your concepts for the future of Brum.

full details up here

The deadline is 20th April 09 and the competition is open to amateurs only.