Worth Watching
There are a number of very good DVD’s on the work of photographer’s and other artists. In my teaching I show them specifically when related to a special topic, or to introduce students to the work processes of photographers. One of the best that I use often is Shadow of A House: Photographer Abelardo Morell, by Allie Humenuk. If you’re not aware of Morell’s work his website www.abelardomorell.net is a good starting place, but to fully appreciate this artist Humenuk’s film is a must see. Humenuk is a cinematographer with an impressive body of work and her documentary of Abelardo Morell is one I never tire of watching, each viewing revealing new insights into the creative process.
Morell is best known for his camera obscura photographs, although the range and beauty of his other subject matter is highlighted in the film. He first collaborated with Humenuk on the film In Camera: The Making of A Camera Obscura Photographs that shows the intricate process required to create these images. Rebecca Richards, in an In Camera Magazine profile “Allie Humenuk: A Film Makers Journey” writes about this first collaboration and how it spawned the making of Shadow of A House. “After that first successful filmmaking collaboration, Humenuk knew she wanted to continue. ‘I knew there was something else there,’ she says. ‘Abe was finding magic in places that most people overlooked. He was making us see the ordinary as something extraordinary.’ “ (1) The result of this second collaboration is an engrossing documentary on the work and life of this Cuban born photographer. The film opens with Morell setting up a camera obscura photograph, and from here Humenuk takes us into Morell’s world, poetically revealing his relationship to his subject matter and the family that is so much a part of his creative endeavors.
(1.) Richards, Rebecca “Allie Humenuk: A Film Makers Journey”, In Camera, Number Sixty-Seven/ Volume Six October 2003
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