New Images

Here are some images from recent contact sheets. Comments are appreciated!

Comments are welcome and greatly appreciated! Thanks all ya’ll.

The Golden Light Awards Grand Prize!

This morning, I received an incredible phone call. About 2 weeks ago, I entered my work in a contest called the Golden Light Awards in Rockport Maine. I entered the project competition for a body of work. I had trouble deciding what one of 6 categories to enter. I wanted to enter in the “Documentary & Photojournalism” category, but my work is moving away from being documentary in nature. So, to be fair, I entered in the “Personal & Fine Art” category. There were some prizes listed, as well as awards for the top winner in each division.

But it turns out it didn’t matter what category I entered, because I was informed this morning that I was chosen as the overall Grand Prize Winner!! How spectacular is that?! The details are still coming in as to what all of this means, but I know that I’ll be showing some prints in Maine (possibly in New York as well), I’ll receive free tuition to a class at the Maine Photographic Workshops, and I’ve won a handful of photo-related prizes (digital camera, gift certificates to photo-related business, etc.). I’ll keep you posted!

P.S. Contact sheet images are coming soon...Stay tuned.

Notice: Last Minute Show Opening!

I almost forgot, but I have 3 pieces in a show that is opening tonight at the Minnetonka Center for the Arts in Wayzata, MN, near the shores of Lake Minnetonka. The opening is from 6-8 pm. I will not be able to make it, but please, go check it out! The show will be up through July 21st, so if you’re ever out in that area, swing on in. Go to the Minnetonka Center for the Arts website for directions and hours.

If you can’t make it to the gallery, here’s basically what you’re missing (at 1:64 scale):

Contact Sheets Suck the Life Out of Me

Thanks mildly in part to the harassment of 2 friends, I finally had some film processed yesterday. I biked to ProColor and met an interesting person on the way back. Now I’m sitting at MCAD printing contact sheets - always the most pointless and tedious step for me. Don’t get me wrong, I see the point in making contact sheets, I simply hate making them. Stupid color processor, wasting my life 4 minutes at a time.

Also, I think I need to have a point to each trip that I go on to make photos. Sometimes, when I have a free day to make photos, I just pick up and drive to some town and see what there is to photograph. I don’t think that’s a good strategy. In fact, as I write it, I feel like it’s making me dumber.

Of course I need to have a point; I can’t just randomly drive up to a random town and make random photos. Or can I?... It HAS worked in the past. I don't know anymore.

Contact sheet favorites coming soon.

Getting Revved-Up for my Residency

A few months ago, I was informed that I was accepted to a Residency at the Anderson Center in Red Wing, Minnesota. I will be making photographs there from August 16 through August 31. I don’t have to pay them a stipend, nor am I paid a stipend, but I am given a small private room with 3 meals a day while I am there. I be creating work in a similar manner to my Faribault County series, but it will be a quick, intense, 2 week project about the people and places of Red Wing, as well as the surrounding countryside. I am REALLY looking forward to it as an opportunity to be able to make a lot of work. I haven’t been shooting as much as I could be shooting so far this summer. I’m teaching 3 summer classes, and that keeps me pretty busy. I NEED TO BE MAKING MORE PHOTOS!! Hopefully I can do more work later this week. I’ll keep you posted...

Background Info

So I wanted to show a few pieces that best describe my work from the past 3 (or so) years. Here are a few teasers. You’ll have to pay for more...

If you want to see more (or larger versions), please go to my official website. Head to the portfolio section and have a look-see. I have more writing about my work in the portfolio section as well. Comments are welcome and greatly appreciated!

Photo Slump

Autumn 2004 - about 1 and a half years ago. That was the last time that I was satisfied with the amount and quality of photographs that I was making. I’ve been teaching since about then. I love teaching, but it’s keeping me from my work more than I would like. My mind is set more on my next class and less on my own work.

I’m starting this blog because I’m becoming a little too overwhelmed with all of the teaching at all of the different schools - last fall I had 5 classes at 3 schools, this past spring I had 4 classes at 4 schools, and currently for “summer break” I have 3 classes at 3 schools. I want,... no,...I NEED to be creating more of my own work. I feel like I’ve been slacking off, and I’ve simply been uninspired in the last year or so. So I’m hoping this blog will help get my butt in gear.

PLEASE e-mail me;
HARASS me to create work;
FORCE me to show you new work;
QUESTION what I do;
ASK me the tough questions.

That’s why I’m here.

Contact Me

Steve Stenzel
Merriam Park Neighborhood of Saint Paul, MN

763-913-2977

stevestenzelphotography [at] yahoo [dot] com