Michelle Bates

Toy Cameras in the News
A few great toy camera articles have popped up recently around the world with my photos :-)! The Brooklyn Rail: Seeking Imperfection The Independent in London: The cult of Holga: The sixties' camera makes a comeback And, see a video of me talking about toy cameras, made at the SPE conference in Denver by Calumet Photographic.
Michelle wins the Krappy Kamera First Prize! Up through March 29th
Just before the opening party for Rayko Photo's Plastic Camera exhibition in San Francisco, I received a call informing me that I won FIRST PLACE in Soho Photo's Krappy Kamera Competition. The image is a brand new one, from my trip to Nepal. The opening is March 4th, in NYC. I'll be speaking at Soho Photo on Thursday, March 6th, at 7pm. www.krappykamera.com Monkey, Pashupatinath, Nepal, November 2007
Upcoming Workshops & Talks Schedule
New Orleans: New Orleans Photo Alliance, Workshop: Sat, May 17th (all day) & Sunday, May 18th, afternoon session. Actually, this starts with a free public lecture Saturday morning, and continues with the workshop Sat afternoon and Sunday. Workshop fee includes a Holga camera and copy of my book. Co-sponsored by ASMP. Maine: Maine Photographic Workshops, June 29-July 5th, 2008 - a long workshop with plenty of time to shoot, print and play! Portland, OR: Newspace Center for Photography, August 17th, 10-5 & 19th, 6:30-9:30. More in the works!
Toy Camera Exhibitions Galore!
Five toy camera exhibitions are in the works around the US for early 2008. Come see the shows if you're in town, or check some of them out online! "Unrefined Light: Image Making with Plastic Cameras and Their Friends" at the Foundry Arts Center in St Charles, MO. I'm the juror for this one! Exhibition: March 28-May 9, 2008. Opening: March 28th, 6-8pm Information & entry form New Orleans Photo Alliance Juror: Susan Burnstine Dates: Feb 16th-April 1, 2008 Workshop: I'll be teaching there May 17 & 18 (after the exhibition, unfortunately). See the show online "Krappy Kamera X" at Soho Photo in New York. Juror: Jill Enfield Dates: March 4-29, 2008 Opening: Tuesday, March 4th, 6-8pm Talk: I'm speaking on Thursday, March 6th, 7pm See the show online "National Juried Plastic Camera Exhibition" at Rayko Photo in San Francisco. Dates: Jan 8th - Feb 9th, 2008 Opening: Tuesday, Jan 8th, 6-8pm (I was there for the opening, and am teaching a workshop there Feb 9th & 12th) "Holga Show 2.0" at Photomedia Center. Up now!
Photography Biennial at Bellingham's Whatcom Museum
From December 1, 2007 through April 27th, 2008, the Whatcom Museum in Bellingham, WA (about an hour north of Seattle) will be showing its "Photography Biennial: 9 Photographers to Watch from the Pacific Northwest." My Holga work is featured, with 26 images from 3 series of work. The main museum and the space where this show is are fabulous! There are 9 full bodies of work in a space that seems both roomy and intimate. See some images here. More to come! The opening to the exhibition was snowed out in a rare NW snowstorm. We're having a panel discussion with reception on March 1st, 2008. And, I'm teaching a workshop through the museum on Satruday, April 26th.
Bid on a bit of Plastic Camera heaven!
Strangercrombie, the annual auction of Seattle's weekly paper, The Stranger, has me up for auction! The item is called "Cheap Shot" and includes a slot in my upcoming workshop at the Photographic Center Northwest (Feb 23 & Mar 1), a copy of my book, and a cute plastic camera! All the $ go to a good cause, and I'll sign the book for ya! bid me up!!! Bidding ends December 14th! Update - Final bid was $152.50!
Talk at Powell's Books in Portland, OR - Nov 30th
This event brings the photo and book worlds together, as I talk about toy cameras and my book at the venerable Powell's Books in Portland. The talk is at 7:30 pm at the main Burnside store. This was a great event! Read all about it in my blog.
Exhibition opening at the Whatcom Museum in Bellingham, WA, 12/1 & talk, 12/2
From December 1, 2007 through April 2008, the Whatcom Museum in Bellingham, WA (about an hour north of Seattle) will be showing its photography biennial, "9 Photographers to Watch from the Pacific Northwest." My Holga work will be featured, with 26 images from 3 series of work. The opening is Saturday, December 1st, from 7:30-9pm. I'll be giving an informal mini-workshop/talk on Sunday, December 2nd at 1:00 in Bellingham as well. Location: Whatcom Educational Credit Union Education Center, 511 E. Holly. Free!
Exhibition at Photographic Center Northwest Nov 2-28, 2007
Cheap Shot Plastic Cameras: The Low Tech of High Art opens November 2nd at the Photographic Center NW in Seattle (12th & Marion). It's a great group of photographers: Michelle Bates Gordon Stettinius Shannon Welles Rosanna Salonia Jennifer Shaw Susan Burnstine Check out the Seattle PI's review!
Traveling in Asia
From October 30th to November 26th, I'll be traveling in Nepal and Thailand. In Nepal, I'll be running around on a trip led by David Robbins. To contact me during this time, please email michelle@michellebates.net and be patient. I'll check email when possible. Stories & photos when I return!
Feature Article & audio interview on LensCulture.com
At Photolucida, this April, in Portland, OR, I met Jim Casper, who runs the fabulous photography website, Lens Culture. He interviewed me, got a copy of the book, and now I'm featured on the site, complete with 24 images and the audio interview! Check it out at Lensculture.com or Lensculture.com/mbates.html
Book signing at Photo Plus, NY - Oct 18th
I'll be signing books at Photo Plus Expo at the Javitz Center in New York on Thursday, October 18th at 2:30 pm. I'll be at Freestyle Photographic's booth, but for this show, the sign will say "FS Distribution" with a banner declaring "It's All About Black and White." Booth #1927. Come on by!
Workshops in Los Angeles & New York this fall
I've just organized teaching my plastic camera workshop for the Julia Dean Workshops in Los Angeles on September 8th & 9th, and at the International Center of Photography in New York in October (a 2-weekend workshop, October 13-14 & 20-21). More workshops are in the works in Portland, San Francisco, Minneapolis, St Louis, and Colorado; keep tuned!
Michelle on Photo Talk Radio
I was guest on this photo radio show in July. The show is available online; listen to Segment 3. Photo Talk Radio
Photographic Center NW auction Sat September 29th
I'm going to be up on stage, working hard to help the Photo Center sell lots of art! I'll be reading off the names of the photographs and artists, and then handing it over to the auctioneer to sell them to you. There are lots of great photos up for grabs; they're viewable online or at the the Photo Center's gallery. The night also is the PhotoVision Award, going to Keith Carter, who will be there.
Lecture at SF Camerawork September 27th
In September, I'll be going to the fabulous city of San Francisco to give a talk on toy cameras. I'll be showing some of my images, as well as those of many of the contributors to my book. I'll talk about the history of the genre, technical tips on how to work with them, and general thoughts on using toys to get into the joy of photography. My last lecture, at the Center for Creative Photography in LA, was a huge success, and I hope to have another full house this time. This will be informative and interesting for all levels of photographer. Thursday, September 27th at 6:00pm. 657 Mission St, 2nd Floor.
"Toying with Creativity" exhibition opens in Los Angeles Feb 22nd, 2007
Freestyle Photographic's Creative Center for Photography brings Michelle and her Holga images to Hollywood for a special solo exhibition. Opening February 22nd, from 6-8 pm, the show features two series of Bates' work, and will hang through April 22nd. Bates will give a talk on plastic & toy camera photography on Saturday, Feb 24th at the gallery, 5124 Sunset Blvd. More info at Freestyle's website
Michelle Bates on cover of Freestyle Catalog!
Michelle is a member of Freestyle Photographic Supply's Advisory Board of Photographic Professionals. Each quarter, a board member is featured on the cover of Freestyle's catalog, which goes out to over 70,000 people. In celebration of the release of "Plastic Cameras: Toying with Creativity," Michelle is this issue's cover girl! The photograph was taken by Jennifer Loomis, who is herself a brand new member of Freestyle's board.
"Plastic Cameras" Seattle book party 10/21/06
Join us to celebrate the publication of "Plastic Cameras: Toying with Creativity" at the Photographic Center Northwest in Seattle (900 12th Ave, at Marion), Saturday, October 21st, 6-9pm. Signed copies of the book will be for sale.