User:Pittercamp/frankrelle

Frank Relle (b. 1976, New Orleans, Louisiana) is a contemporary American photographer known for his long-exposure depictions of New Orleans architecture at night, particularly following Hurricane Katrina. He utilizes a special method to light his subjects, which includes a combination of high-pressure sodium, mercury vapor, and daylight-balanced hot lights. With this method he is able to "paint" images that highlight dichotomies of man and nature, past and present, prosperity and decay, capturing the mood and paradox of the South. Relle received national and international attention in early 2005 with his "Nightscapes" series, which exposed the destruction and abandonment of the 9th Ward in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Relle's work is included in the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and in the permanent collection at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. His photographs have been printed in the New Yorker, the Southern Review, and the Oxford American, as well as many other regional and national publications. Frank is the recipient of numerous awards, including a 2007 International Photography Award, as well as the Photo Lucida Critical Mass Top 50 Photographers of 2007 and 2010.

Career
After graduating from Tulane University with degrees in cognitive science and philosophy, Relle accompanied a local researcher to Canada in search of carnivorous plants. One of his duties on this trip was to photograph the plants being studied, a practice that piqued his infatuation with cameras and light. Frank eventually began studying photography in New York City, where he found assistant work with photographers Mary Ellen Mark and Arnold Newman. While working on movie sets and in photography stuidios, Frank gained a new understanding of lighting and patience. In 2004 Relle moved back to his hometown of New Orleans.

Nightscapes (2004 - 2008)
Relle's return to New Orleans coincided with Hurricane Katrina, a storm that left the city abandoned and displaced 90% of its inhabitants. Frank set about documenting the devastation in the years that followed, particularly focusing on what became of the structures that were left behind, risking run-ins with National Guard patrols in abandoned neighborhoods to get his long-exposure shots of the blighted houses. Showing his photos at local fairs, particularly New Orleans' yearly Jazz and Heritage Festival, Relle's photographs gained in popularity, and by 2007 he was named one of Photo Lucida's Critical Mass Top 50 photographers. Of Relle and his documentation of this now infamous era in New Orleans' history, arts lobbyist and educator Elizabeth Gordon said, “It was one of the worst natural disasters in the United States since the San Francisco 1800's Earthquakes. Someone had to record it in a way that would grasp its enormity and inconsolable loss, Frank Relle has done that." Of his own work, Relle was quoted as saying, “I'm trying to capture the spirit of these houses and the people who lived in them. ”

Relle's Nightscapes covers a wide spectrum within his architectural subjects, from the enormous cariage house in Livaudais, to run-down shotguns in Salcedo. This juxtaposition lead many of Relle's critics and collectors to see his photography as political, “Southern Gothic allegories ” that focused on dichotomies of rich and poor, which some considered exploitive. Relle contends that this was not his statement, saying, “I didn't want to capitalize on it [the destruction] ... with a photograph, the documentary value is very important .”

The series has been exhibited all over the country, was on the cover of New York Times Best Seller "Nine Lives" by Dan Baum, and was accepted into the permanent collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

One Life One Life (2007)
"One Life One Life" is a series focusing on murder scenes in New Orleans. Each photograph is a limited edition print, one of one. While shooting his "Nightscapes" series, Frank met a man on the street that convinced him it wasn't safe to be alone, roaming the streets of New Orleans, which at the time was the third most murderous city in America. Relle took the man's advice and hired an off-duty police officer to accompany him on his nightly shoots. Frank became interested in the stories behind New Orleans' murder statistics, and found that his ride-along officer could provide detailed personal accounts about the shooters and victims. These accounts formed the basis for Relle's documentation of the eerily quiet scenes where these murders happened. All proceeds from "One Life One Life" were donated to Efforts of Grace, a non-profit organization fostering community development and education.

Faces of Hope (2012)
Relle is a close friend of famed ex-New Orleans Saints Safety, Steve Gleason, who in 2011 revealed that he was battling ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Frank decided to raise awareness for Steve and his organization (Team Gleason) in a unique way, and provided an avenue for others in the community to do the same. "Faces of Hope" featured large-scale portraits of smiling people in the community that were then posted on walls throughout New Orleans' Bayou St. John neighborhood. In a report with Fox 8's Meg Gatto, Relle explained, “So many people in the community want to show something back for him and so by photographing the people, and then posting them around, it's like the images for Steve saying we're putting on our best face for you .”

Night Shade: Exploring Natural Spaces (2013)
"Night Shade: Exploring Natural Spaces" saw Relle's subjects change from his classic houses and structures, to nature. Frank showed this series for the first time at the New Orleans Old Felicity Church, juxtaposing the new photographs with his previous "Nightscapes" series just one floor below. New Orleans journalist Kat Stromquist says Frank is “creating haunting images of the dissonance between overgrowth and decay in the humid city. Some photographs frame City Park oaks with immaculate landscaping and symmetrical stars. In others, like images of the West Bank’s Brechtel Park, vines and epiphytes overrun trees to create a darklit forest out of Tolkien .”

Accolades

 * 2007 International Photography Award
 * 2006 Photo Lucida Critical Mass Top 50
 * 2010 Photo Lucida Critical Mass Top 50

Collections

 * Smithsonian National Museum of American History
 * New Orleans Museum of Art
 * Museum of Fine Arts Houston

Exhibitions

 * Louisiana Cultural Economy Summit
 * Southern Biennial
 * Center for Fine Art Photography