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Newsletter n.10
Dear friends and students I have got the pleasure to let you know that after many years of hard work I’ve been able to publish my book on 14 years of my life in Cuba. In May of this year accompanied by seven of my students (we have nicknamed them The Magnificent Seven) we met in a small town near Verona to help my new “baby” come to light. The book is simply called BazanCuba.
It only took 14 years of life and photography in Cuba, and afterwards two intense years of editing, layout, pre-press, and printing to bring the new book to the world.
I first arrived almost by chance to the island in the fall of 1992, where I started up a love story that lasted for 14 years. On the streets of Havana, I found again my lost Sicilian childhood, unconsciously sought in vain during my previous trips around the globe. "For many years I had strongly desired Cuba as you long for a woman that you meet once and are unable to get off your mind. I'm almost certain to have lived there in another life," he wrote in the pages of my journal. And in Cuba I found my soul mate Sissy and from our relation our twin boys Pietro and Stefano were born.
Thanks to the photos taken in my unrelenting perambulations on the island, I have garnered some of the most prestigious international photographic awards including a grant from the W. Eugene Smith Fund (considered documentary photography’s greatest award), World Press Photo first prize in the daily life category, and a fellowship from the Guggenheim Foundation. Since 2001, as many of you know, I have been teaching my own workshops in Latin America, New York and my native Sicily.
One of the most extraordinary aspects of my book has been the collaborative participation of over 40 students in the editing, sequencing and layout of the book. In fact I managed to self-publish the book thanks to the willingness of my followers to pre-purchase limited edition copies of the book that include an original print signed and numbered. The support from my students has given complete sovereignty over content, allowing me to tell my story in a personal and intimate way while supervising every phase of production to produce a book that adheres to my highest photographic standards. The printing of the book is truly incredible, with deep blacks and an amazing tonal range. See it for yourself when you’ll get your copy.
The book masterfully conveys both a reportage-type approach in which I try to capture the quintessence of daily living, photographing total strangers met for a few seconds on the streets, and a more intimate and personal approach in which I portray various moments in the life of my own family as well as the lives of my beloved farmer friends with whom I shared long periods of time in the Cuban countryside reminiscent of my native land. As writer Vicki Goldberg points out in her afterword: "Ernesto seems to have been born Cuban by temperament and to have become more Cuban through family ties and long years of residence. My account is not an observer's but an insider's, presented in an uncommon, even a labyrinthine, language."
Far from being an external spectator parachuted on the island for a limited time period, I chose to live my unrepeatable life experience from within, mingling with the Cubans, becoming one of them, sharing their pains and pleasures. Talking about my Cuban work I always likes to quote one of my sources of inspiration], Rainer Maria Rilke: "In this there is no measuring with time, a year doesn't matter, and ten years are nothing. Being an artist means: not numbering and counting, but ripening like a tree, which doesn't force its sap, and stands confidently in the storms of spring, not afraid that afterward summer may not come. It does come. But it only comes to those who are patient, who are there as if eternity lies before them, so unconcernedly silent and vast. I learn it every day of my life, learn it with pain. I'm grateful for: patience is everything."
My profound and personal participation in one of the most difficult periods in Cuban, euphemistically called El Periodo Especial by Fidel Castro, makes each image more throbbing and surprising. The images are contagious and touch the most profound chords of human's nature.
On Saturday the 19th of July, we had a great party at my house in Brooklyn. More than 30 of my friends and students showed up to take a first look at the baby. Within a week over 100 copies of the trade edition have been sold thanks to the always generous and moving enthusiasm of some of my students. Some of them have purchased over 20 copies of the trade edition to give as gifts to friends, photographers, gallery owners, curators and simple folks like you and I. I hop that you can do the same with your circle of friends. I do not have a distributor, all you with a soul will be my distributors.
Spreading the word that has been key to my workshops continues now with the book’s promotion.
I hope that you can give me a hand in promoting this very long project in my life. Even purchasing a single copy will be a great help and it will not be taken for granted. I thank you in advance for your contribution.
If you can, please write down a list of people that you want to touch with this book or that you believe want to be touched by it.
The idea that lays behind my philosophy is to try break new ground in self-book publishing and show that people with a generous heart and their emotional chords still attached to their soul are still a majority in our world.
Coming soon, a dedicated web page to the book will be available. Among other interesting features, you will be able to see the trailer to the 30 minutes documentary film that was shot during the making of the book and that will be released soon. A guest-book section will allow you to leave your comments.
The 280 page book contains 118 photographs divided into six chapters, excerpts from my journal, contact sheets, and observations by various authors that sum up my life and photographic philosophy. BazanCuba will be for sale via Internet and through some specialized bookstores starting in July, 2008 at $90 per copy + shipping. Each book measures 11.5” height X 11.8” width, and weights 5 pounds. It is available in English, Spanish and Italian trade editions.
Some Limited editions copies of the book are also available at $1,200 per book. Each limited edition contains an original silver gelatin print numbered, signed and dated on verso 24x30 cm (9.4x11.8 inches) Both the image and the book are cased together in a hand-made clothbound black clamshell box. Each edition is limited to 100 with 5 artist's proofs.
All prints were made from the original negative by my personal printer Fausto Perez Sanchez under my strict supervision and archivally processed on fiber base warm-tone double-weight paper. Each print has been selenium-toned to provide a more unique look to each photograph.
To purchase a limited edition or a trade copy of the book please contact BazanPhotos Publishing directly at the following e-mail addresses: ernesto_bazan@hotmail.com or contact@bazanphotos.com
I send you a big hug and look forward to hearing your response.
First Edition English ISBN # 978-0-9798303-0-3
BazanPhotos Publishing
www.bazanphotos.com
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Newsletter n.11
Dear students and friends 2008 is almost over. Many important things have taken place and among the ones that I find most relevant is Obama' s election as the next president of the United States. It truly shows the great desire for change that many people have shown in such unprecedented democratic election.
It makes me feel very proud that New York has been an important place in my life since 1979, the year I arrived to start my photographic career as a freshman at the School of Visual Arts.
Over 30 years have gone by and it’s with great pleasure that I announce that I’ll be returning to SVA as a guest speaker in February 2009 as part of a lecture series that I’ll start in the US to promote my book BazanCuba.
The lecture tour will continue in Europe and Latin America. In Italy the whole month of April will be devoted to lectures and books signing in several Italian cities. We will begin from the furthest south of Sicily, in the splendid city of Syracuse to move on to Palermo, Rome, Florence, Milan and Trieste. Here in Mexico, we just presented the book at the Manuel Alvarez Bravo Center in Oaxaca a few weeks ago and more presentations are being organized.
The first figures from the sale of my book have been very promising. After only four months since its arrival to US shores the English version of the book alone has sold over 300 copies without a single lecture, presentation or show. I feel proud that my work has been touching so many people, folks like you and I, who, like I like to say, still have their soul attached to the rest of their body.
Some of you have played, once again, a truly amazing role, in this new challenge of promoting and selling the book without a real distribution by buying many copies (several students have bought more than 20 copies of the trade edition alone to share it with family, friends, galleries, museums’ curators). I thank you again for your generous effort from the only two places I know: my heart and my soul.
Two American independent bookstores have also been part of this effort and I want to mention and pay tribute to both of them. Tim Whelan up in Maine has a very cozy and beautiful bookstore in Rockport, a true little photographic temple. You should check it out if you go up there.
When I used to teach at the Maine Photographic workshop every summer, we would get together and talk endlessly about good books on photography. He would show me books that he thought I should see. In my repeated visits, I remember him constantly saying to me: ”Ernesto your book on Cuba needs to be self-published, do it yourself man!” Every year he would repeat that to me. I’d agree with me, but I had no idea that I was able to turn this dream of ours into reality. It gives me great happiness to know that it’s no longer a dream.
This past August, as soon as Tim heard that my book had arrived to New York he called me and ordered 25 copies. By then end of the month he wrote a very moving e-mail saying that all 25 copies had been sold and that he wanted to order 14 more copies.
Photo Eye, the largest photo bookstore specialized in photo books in the US, sent out in their wonderful newsletter in early September the info that my book had just come out. A week later I received an order for 30 copies, which had already been pre-sold. A week after sending this initial 30 books, they sent a new order for 10 additional copies. They have been also great in selling the limited edition of the book.
I take this opportunity to thank Timothy Whelan, Rixon Reed and Melanie McWhorter for all their precious help with the promotion of my book.
In early September I took a boat from Civitavecchia, Italy bound to Barcelona. My good friend and student Daniele Coricciati traveled with me. The trunk of his car was loaded with copies of BazanCuba. We were heading to the Perpignan to attend the Visa pour L’Image photo festival, which this year was celebrating its 20th anniversary.
We had an amazing week, seeing old friends such as Kent Kobersteen, former director of photography at National Geographic and Kira Pollack photo deputy editor at the New York Times magazine, and meeting new ones such as wonderful Magdalena Herrera, director of photography for National Geographic France, a Cuban with whom I shared moving Cuban stories, and Asim Rafiqui who besides being a good photographer is even more importantly a good soul.
Jean Francoise Leroy and his wonderful staff were so gracious in arranging for all the promotion for the book including a very beautiful audiovisual presentation at Campo Santo on Thursday night. The highlight of the trip was my meeting with my good friend John Morris. He looked so beautiful and sharp at 92. One morning we had a wonderful breakfast and I gave him a copy of the book. It meant so much to me because we had been friends in New York since my arrival there. I like to consider him as one of my precious guardian angels. I still remember that memorable phone call when he announced to me that I had won the W. Eugene Smith award back in 1998, a month after the birth of my beloved twins, Pietro and Stefano.
The last day of our stay we did a book signing at Fnac and over 40 copies of the book were sold. Among the many buyers Maggie Steber, a wonderful human being and a great photographer. When she purchased a copy, I dedicated the book and hugged her. A few minutes later, she came back to tell me that she has started weeping leafing through the book. She had gone to the lady’s room to wipe off her tears before coming to tell me.
Many more similar stories have taken place and continue to take place almost daily since the book has come out. I’ll only add that it has been such a privilege to receive such a response from so many people that often I do not even know.
The students’ gallery has been updated with all the images taken by some of you in the last 8 months of workshops. Besides the beautiful, intimate and personal images taken, it has been, as always, a great reward for me to post your comments on the experiences that we lived together. You will also be able to read my introductions to the following groups: Tomato Soup, Easter in Sicily 08, March 08; the group Regulin, New York, June 08; Moon Shadow, Argentina, August 08; Anything Can Happen, Cuzco, October 08; group Fieles Difuntos, Oaxaca 08.
I’ve just completed my last workshop of the season in my beloved Salvador de Bahia. We had a fabulous time. Along with PN, Silvana and Simona we were blessed to photograph some very special moments like the Candomble cerimonies and the moving encounter with my farmers’ friends in the countryside. Soon the images of the group Two Vultures and a Sparrow will be in the students’ gallery.
Here below you will find the full BazanPhotos workshops calendar for 2009. Two new workshops have been added: a third one in Salvador de Bahia in August that will replace the one that I’ve been teaching in Argentina and the Iquitos workshop in the Peruvian Amazon. The dates of the latter have been moved from February to May due to the lectures’ tour that I’ll start in February in the US.
The main reason I’ve decided to add another workshop in Salvador has to do with the fact that I love shooting there and for that I want to spend more time there. Some of my best recent work is coming from this incredible place. My intuition tells me that I need to delve much more profoundly into the daily life of this adorable city where I strongly feel I belong to.
I’ll be back to Argentina in the near future to offer a new workshop experience there as well.
WORKSHOPS DATES FOR 2009
The Mexican Pamplona Experience – Tlacotalpan – Mexico THIRD YEAR
From the 28th of January through the 6th of February
The Magic of Salvador de Bahia –Brazil FOURTH YEAR
From the 5 the to the 14th of March
Easter in Sicily – Italy SIXTH YEAR
From the 4th through the 13th of April
The Amazon Adventure –Iquitos - Peru NEW
From the 18th through the 27th of May
New York New York SIXTH YEAR
From 22ndof June through the 1st of July
Salvador de Bahia and Itaparica island NEW
From the 5thth to the 14th of August
Tight Editing of Your Work – Veracruz - Mexico THIRD YEAR
From the 21st through the 27th of September
Intimate Journey – Cuzco – Peru EIGHTH YEAR
From the 1st through the 11th of October
Life and Death – Oaxaca – Mexico EIGHTH YEAR
From the 28th of October through November 6th
Unknown Ecuador – Cuenca – Ecuador FOURTH YEAR
From November 16th through the 26th of November
The Candomblè Feast in Salvador - Brazil SECOND YEAR
From the 3rd through the 12th of December
Please remember that early registration is advised. Also, do plan ahead of time your next workshop to make sure that you can organize your trip well.
I look forward to seeing some familiar faces and new ones. It has been this perfect combination of good souls united by this sheer passion for photography and life that has made my workshops what they are.
I’ve had a great year as a teacher, as a photographer and as a man.
A new book projects on the Cuban countryside is in the work and it will be my first color book. I’ve been also urging some of my most talented students to keep working hard on their projects in the hope that I’ll be their publisher when their images will look just right ready to be published. I extend the invitation to young talented photographer who have a great story to tell and share. It will take sometimes, but we will publish these books, we just got to believe in them!
We have just completed a very moving audio visual on the book BazanCuba. It will really provide a much broader historical perspective on the island and on my personal experience. It will be an amazing marketing tool that will contribute to the furtherance promotion my book.
Please let me now if you want to help me in creating new lectures in the city you live in. Many of you are already working on it, which I find uniquely special.
This is the main way I want to keep selling my book primarily reaching out to sensitive people not necessarily interested in photography, men and women who have an emotional response to my images.
Soon on the web page dedicated to the book www.bazancuba.com you will be able to read more comments by students and friends conveying their feelings about owning their copy of the first edition of BazanCuba.
As some of you already know, we have been also working on a documentary on the making of the book. Last May we shot the printing of the book in Verona. From the initial idea the script has grown tremendously. More additional shooting has been done such as when, this past summer, I rented a 20 feet truck and drove to a New Jersey warehouse to pick up my books’ cargo. Angelo and Landon were my two brave helpers. We made history by unloading over 300 boxes weighing almost 40 pounds each in less than five hours. Having it all on film makes it very special. We hope to have the documentary finished sometimes next year.
My hope is that you can continue to give me a hand in promoting the book on such a very long and important project in my life. Even purchasing a single copy will be a great help and it will not be taken for granted. If you haven’t purchased a copy yet, now it’s the time to do so. I thank you in advance for your contribution.
If you can, please write down a list of people that you want to share this book with or that you believe will be touched by it.
The idea that lays behind my philosophy is to try break new ground in self-book publishing and show that people with a generous heart and their emotional chords still attached to their soul are still a majority in our world.
Some Limited editions copies of the book are still available.
To order a trade edition copy book in the US simply send a check made out to me for $90+15 UPS ground shipping=$105 to my friend Bianca Orlando, c/o Circle Financial Group, 650 Madison Avenue, 17t floor, New York, NY 10022, tel 917-5414804.
Once you do so, please send me ernesto_bazan@hotmail.com and Bianca an e-mail to let us know that you sent the check. Her e-mail is biancamaria@gmail.com
I can’t even begin to tell how important it has been to be able to send by myself all the book’s orders that I received in the US. It has been a very humbling experience and a great work out to say the least. I bought myself a hand-truck, lots of padded envelopes and other important tools to pack the books. The sweat, the time needed to sign each copy, to package it, to take it to the post office have made me feel the physical and psychological “weight” of what it takes to publish the book all by myself. It has been such a great learning lesson, a very empowering one, to know that I NOW know what it takes to publish a book from the editing, laying out to choosing the right paper and inks, from freight shipping and custom agents to the more menial, but not less important, how feeling on your own arms the heaviness of each single copy. I feel very proud of this mental stamina of mine and I’m very proud of all of you that have helped me realized my dream. I thank all of you once again.
I wish each one of you a wonderful healthy New Year filled with many dreams and hopes to accomplish in 2009. As always, it will be a great privilege to hear back from you. Ciao EB
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Newsletter 10
Newsletter 11
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