Golden Moments from Goldstein Lecture
Students ended last week with a lecture from Dina Goldstein, an award-winning photographer, at the SCAD Museum of Art. Goldstein, whose work is featured in the museum, began her lecture by telling the audience that she was celebrating 20 years as a professional photographer.
Throughout the entire presentation, Goldstein flashed images of her work from the very beginning of her career up until her most recent shoot, and would even share funny moments and insights that happened during the photo shoot.
When she discovered photography at our age, she instantly fell in love with it and described the whole process as treasure-hunting, explaining that finding that one “gem” in the entire roll of film excited her.
During the beginning of her interest in photography, she was inspired by many photographers and credited them in her lecture. She talked about how each of their work affected hers.
One particular photographer, Diane Arbus, whose work photographing the marginal people in society, resonated with Goldstein because she was attracted to the same kind of people. Other photographers in her list included Lynn Johnson, who “had a deep influence” on her, along with Mary Ellen Mark, Elliott Erwitt and Annie Leibovitz.
Goldstein also shared her first few job experiences such as working for a local newspaper, and photographing the concerts of U2 and David Crosby. Initially she thought her career was to be in photojournalism, but after a trip to Giza she realized that the job was too solitary for her and constantly kept her moving to “hunt down the next tragedy.”
She then worked on portraits. In spite of working for a magazine, she would also go out on the streets and shoot her own projects. She preferred going by herself even when she was in dangerous areas because she felt that the people she photographed trusted her more. One of her projects entitled “Trackrecord,” involved her visiting the Hastings Rasecourse in Vancouver every weekend for two consecutive years, photographing the regulars.
The “Fallen Princesses” series is one of her most popular works. She was inspired by her daughter’s obsession with Disney princesses and her mother’s illness at that time. She had no budget and had to collaborate with many volunteer students, friends and anyone, it seemed. “I had to do a lot of sweet talking!” Goldstein explained. She found models in agencies, parks, lingerie shops, and even Craig’s List. Her project became an overnight sensation, with her images appearing on different blogs, publications and forums. Even Disney had posted her images on their website.
Another popular project of hers, “Doll House,” was inspired by her daughters playing with their Barbie and Ken dolls. Goldstein wanted to examine the gender roles as she felt the manufacturers emasculated Ken. The series also went viral and found critical acclaim.
During the question and answer portion of the lecture, Goldstein discussed the new way of presenting yourself to a client and what she thought of her success. The photographer admitted that she was still struggling because “there’s so much to do.” She also advised students that even though they should dedicate themselves to their work, they should still make life their top priority.
