I’d like to welcome Matthew McAllister to the blog. Matthew is a project management intern this summer and we’re excited to have him on board! -Jessica

The MediaStorm crew got back from the LOOK3 Festival of the Photograph a little over a week ago and we’re still processing the amazing experience we had! LOOK3 is hosted in Charlottesville, Virginia and gathers photographers from across the country and around the world. As a new intern with MediaStorm, it was quite a way to start the summer!

Speakers included Antonin Kratochvil, Massimo Vitali, Sally Mann and Nan Goldin. Additional talks covered a wide range of topics from a discussion with Steve McCurry on how he got the now infamous National Geographic cover photo of Sharbat Gula, to the showing of a video piece about high school Proms by Martin Bell and Mary Ellen Mark. Everyone walked away from each and every session inspired and in awe of the work people were doing.

What struck me was that even though this entire festival was about photography, the equipment and gear people used to make these amazing pieces was the last thing they talked about. All of the artists care deeply about their work and the subjects they photograph, and it is this passion that comes through the image and makes it amazing art.