Palm Springs Photo Festival

Palm Springs Photo Festival The Palm Springs Photo Festival is an intense week-long event for Professional, Emerging and Serious

On August 29 another old friend left this world. This is happening all too frequently - friends I looked up to as a youn...
09/01/2026

On August 29 another old friend left this world. This is happening all too frequently - friends I looked up to as a young photographer. died at 92 years of age. I first met Franco in the eighties in Italy and we became friends. Through Franco I met many heros when he asked me to teach workshops in the République of San Marino on the Italian coast, Tuscany and in Sicily - including Mario Giacomelli, René Burri and Eikoh Hosoe. Generous and with a quick wit, Franco had an infectious easy laugh. Famous primarily for his Italian landscapes made in the 1960s, he also created a major body of urban architecture and abstractions. He grew up in a small town near Modena and had a famous appreciation for all the regional foods and wines. He used to trade photography with local food producers and proudly showed me the contents of his several large refrigerators - wheels of Parmigiana, 20-year balsamic vinegar, meats, cheeses and delicious Italian vino. Franco, over the course of his long career, mounted more than 400 solo exhibitions across four continents, worked in fashion and advertising for major brands including Fiat, Versace, and Sony, and saw his photographs enter the collections of more than 50 museums worldwide. Our condolences to his wonderful lady, Uti and the photography community of Italy. - Jeff Dunas

On August 29 an old friend left this world. This is happening all too frequently - the friends I looked up to as a young...
09/01/2026

On August 29 an old friend left this world. This is happening all too frequently - the friends I looked up to as a young photographer. Franco Fontana died at 92 years of age. I first met Franco in the eighties in Italy and we became friends. Through Franco I met two three legends when he asked me to teach a workshop in the République of San Marino on the Italian coast: Mario Giacomelli, René Burri and Eikoh Hosoe, legends to use a much over used word. Generously and with a quick wit, Franco had infectious easy laugh. Famous primarily for his Italian landscapes made in the 1960s, he also created a major body of urban architecture and abstractions. He grew up in a small town near Modena and had a famous appreciation for all the regional foods, wines and Balsamico. He used to trade photography with these local food producers and proudly showed me the contents of his several large refrigerators - Parmigiana, 20-year balsamic vinegar, meats, cheeses and delicious Italian vino. Franco, over the course of his long career, mounted more than 400 solo exhibitions across four continents, worked in fashion and advertising for major brands including Fiat, Versace, and Sony, and saw his photographs enter the collections of more than 50 museums worldwide. Our consonances to his wonderful lady, Uti and the photography community of Italy. - Jeff Dunas

Yesterday one of the great greats of the 20th century left the world all the better for having been here and seen the wo...
08/22/2026

Yesterday one of the great greats of the 20th century left the world all the better for having been here and seen the world as he did. To know Jay was to know someone unlike any other. He was a one-off. The man took millions of photographs - he was partial to chromes and was famously featured on the cover of Sean Callahan’s American Photo coming up out of a Mount Everest sized pile of outtake transparencies with a giant lit Macanudo cigar in his mouth. He could mete our tough love but we all knew inside he was a warm giant of a man with a big heart. He vigorously defended his copyrights and commanded top dollar for his work in advertising during the Mad Men era of the 1960s. His favorite assistant, Stephen Wilkes directed a must-see film called Jay Myself about Jay and his move from the famous Bowery bank building he famously bought in the early 60s and lived and worked in for over 50 years. No billionaire ever lived in more square footage than Jay. Jay and Stephen came to the 2019 Palm Springs Photo Festival and taught a masterclass. Duane Michals was there teaching as well and Duane peppered Jay with hysterical interruptions during his lecture in the Palm Springs Art Museum. It was a magnificent evening. So long Jay -

An incredible photographer - Anton Corbjin. “Anton is a cross between a Russian spy, a gi**lo, a priest, and a painte...
08/12/2026

An incredible photographer - Anton Corbjin. “Anton is a cross between a Russian spy, a gi**lo, a priest, and a painter. He is perceptive, secretive, genuine, reliable, and like most, what drives him is his next project.”. - Tom Waits. A don’t miss it exhibition at Fotografisca Berlin. Bringing an identity to the work is the photographer’s most important challenge. Anton has it in spades.

Yesterday, one of the all-time great photographers left the world after 94 years. There was never anyone like him and my...
06/10/2026

Yesterday, one of the all-time great photographers left the world after 94 years. There was never anyone like him and my guess is there won’t ever be one like Duane Michals in the future. An irascible comedian who loved to shock us, once, while on the stage at the Annenberg Theater at the Palm Springs Photo Festival 2018 telling hysterical jokes at full speed, suddenly dropped one of the most important nuggets of insight a photographer could ever receive: “Don’t show me what’s in front of your camera, show me what you want me to see.” Doesn’t get more profound.

Born on February 18, 1932 in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, Duane arrived on the photography scene in New York in the 1950s. He began telling stories with his photographs for his personal work and changed the way we thing about photography.

I had the great honor of welcoming Duane to four of the 19 Palm Springs Photo Festivals. I can’t think of a more inspirational four days than to have spent them with Duane. I first met Duane in Arles in 1988 but didn’t really get to know him until 2009 when he accepted my invitation to come to Palm Springs. He returned in 2014, 2019 and again in 2024.

One last great story: At the last festival, Duane, then 92, wanted to go to the liquor store to but a dozen newspapers. We took him there and bought them. On the way out of the store he tripped (!) and went straight down. We all froze! OMG. A second later he turned to us and said “I think I broke my dick.” You can’t make that up. (He was unhurt).

All of our lives were better for having known Duane. RIP. Regards to Fred.

The great Swiss photographer René Groebli, got the call today. As a serious photographic literature collector, his poet...
05/06/2026

The great Swiss photographer René Groebli, got the call today. As a serious photographic literature collector, his poetic and beautifully photographed book made on his 1954 honeymoon in a Paris hotel room of his beautiful wife ranks among the top greatest photo books ever published. He was 99 years of age. - Jeff Dunas

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