Things I Photograph / Things I See:
Eliot Kamenitz & Natasha Sanchez

December 1-31, 2013
Opening: Wednesday, Dec 11, 7-10pm

In conjunction with PhotoNOLA 2013, Buffa’s will present a two-person exhibition featuring photographs by Eliot Kamenitz & Natasha Sanchez. Natasha, who is also a singer/songwriter, will begin the opening with a performance from 7-8pm.

Things I Photgraph – Eliot Kamenitz

In the fall of 1960 my 4th grade teacher Mrs. Hecht announced we were soon going to take a field trip to the natural history museum in New York City. She suggested we take along our cameras. Great idea…except I didn’t have one. Being a spoiled only child I played the “I need, I want, I must have” trump card and soon elicited from my parents my first camera. It was a twin lens reflex and my first test subjects were my folks. I still have that time suspended young image of mom and dad standing in front of their toy and candy store (did tell you I was spoiled?), her with the prominent red hair beehive hairdo and he with his apron and beginning belly paunch. And so I began to adore taking pictures. I still do. Been there, still doing that.
I would love to tell you about the mission statement of the photos you are viewing right now. The trouble is..I don’t have one. Heck. I don’t even have a clue of why I do what I do. Call it a blind passion, an addiction, a lust. I just get my fix by putting a camera to my eyeball and documenting a moment; one that stays forever. Some are just straightforward journalistic points in time. They can make you smile, or frown or just remember. Others images are just me romping thru the photoshop playground trying to emulate the master styles of Fauvists or Impressionists like Dufy or Monet.
I do this because I wish I could paint. But I can’t. So I try to push, pull and tug some photos to fool myself that I can.
The photos here on this wall represent about 30 years worth of work. God willing I will get 30 more at fulfilling this craving that never seems to be quelled.

Things I See – Natasha Sanchez

Through the lens of my camera or through a solar exposure on black and white photo paper, photography allows me to see the world in a new light. Yet, like many other mediums, photography has gone through some major changes over the years. From camera-less printing to pinhole, 35mm and now digital cameras, the instruments we use to create images may have changed but, the “song”, as they say, remains the same.

Yes, photography is my song. It’s my thoughts, emotions and my perspectives. It’s the lyric of the world as I see it in a moment of time, or, as in the case of a lumen print, how I choose to create it. It is hard for me to walk anywhere without coming across a sight that resonates with me.

Photography conducts my thoughts and conveys new ones. It helps me to let go of past beliefs or hold tight to present convictions. Photography – in all its forms – shapes my future and the world as I see it.