Photo by Jacob Drabik

The Lens

The Lens is the FotoFocus editorial platform, highlighting our programming and featuring in-depth conversations on photography and the moving image drawn from perspectives and insights in our community, throughout our region, and around the globe.


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AutoUpdate Exhibition Artist Announcement

Posted on August 22, 2019

FotoFocus ​is pleased to announce the 44 artists selected from an open call for inclusion in the group exhibition ​AutoUpdate​, which examines technology’s impact on photography and video. Featuring artists from the Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana, their work will be on view from ​September 14 - November 16, 2019 at ​The Carnegie in Northern Kentucky. The reception will be held on ​October 4 from ​5-8pm with a special performance by artist ​Maggie Lawson at 7pm​.

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS Joey Aronhalt Trey Barkett Britni Bicknaver Tyler Bohm Jay Bolotin D Brand Emily Chiavelli Elena Dahl Robert Ladislas Derr Claudia Esslinger Jacqueline Farrara Valerie Sullivan... Continue reading AutoUpdate Exhibition Artist Announcement

AutoUpdate: Photography in the Electronic Age Speakers and Schedule

Posted on August 1, 2019

The FotoFocus day-long symposium, AutoUpdate: Photography in the Electronic Age held at The Carnegie in Northern Kentucky on Saturday, October 5, will feature lectures and panel discussions from international artists, curators, journalists, and educators. The symposium invites speakers to review photography’s part in the current global crisis of information exchange; the fate of documentary filmmaking in a “post-truth” age; and offers a historical and philosophical assessment of digital imaging, past and future.

Preeminent artist Trevor Paglen will be the keynote speaker, addressing the symposium’s theme of digital technology’s impact on photography and... Continue reading AutoUpdate: Photography in the Electronic Age Speakers and Schedule


Thank You for Making Second Century a Success!

Posted on October 30, 2017

The FotoFocus Symposium, Second Century: Photography, Feminism, Politics, brought together a rich diversity of speakers, addressing a broad range of topics ranging from the January 21, 2017, Women’s March on Washington and subsequent political activism; Latin American films by female filmmakers; to feminist engagement of photography as both conceptual art practice and widespread implication through social media practices. Thank you to everyone who attended and participated in the 2017 FotoFocus Symposium. If you missed out or just want to hear more, videos of all the panels and conversations can be found online now. Shooting... Continue reading Thank You for Making Second Century a Success!

Photographing the American Dream

Posted on October 4, 2017

Our America has become more complicated as of late. Beyond the baseball fields, big college dreams, and idealized bootstrap philosophy that captures our attention, is a socio-economic ecology that is more honest than aspirational. When we talk about capturing America, we must include both sides of the American dream: the utopia of success and the frustration of everyday life. Photography has a unique way of allowing us to hold onto a moment in time. By sharing those images and exploring the perspective of both the subject and the photographer, we can better understand what it means to be an American. We’ll be closing our October... Continue reading Photographing the American Dream

FotoFocus Adds Landscape Photographer Justine Kurland as Keynote Speaker

Posted on September 29, 2017

Kurland, known for portraits of fringe America, will replace Katy Grannan among Second Century symposium’s lineup of featured speakers Cincinnati, OH – FotoFocus’s Second Century: Photography, Feminism, Politics symposium, taking place at Memorial Hall on Saturday, October 7, 2017, has added Justine Kurland as one of its keynote speakers. Kurland is replacing Katy Grannan, who is no longer able to participate due to a physical injury. Born in Warsaw, New York, Kurland is known for her photographs of utopian landscapes and of people who live on the fringes of mainstream America. Following in the photographic lineage of Robert Frank and Sally Mann, Kurland uses the... Continue reading FotoFocus Adds Landscape Photographer Justine Kurland as Keynote Speaker