Argentina: Con Fuerza

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|| SportsShooter.com: News Item: Posted 2005-09-30

Argentina: Con Fuerza
Brooks Institute documentary class to premiere multi-media show and gallery exhibit in Santa Barbara on October 1, 2005

By Nick Mantzel, Brooks Institute of Photography

Photo by Nick Mantzel

A ranch worker rounds up cattle from a grazing field to take back to their pen.

Once a year, Brooks Institute of Photography offers a documentary class that allows students to travel to a foreign country. In May and June 2005, I had the opportunity to travel to Argentina along with five other students and Visual Journalism Instructor and SportsShooter.com co-founder Joe Gosen.

The trip is something that has had a positive effect on our lives, as well as our perception of the world around us. We are all excited to share our experiences through a multi-media show, an 80-page book, a Web site (http://documentary.brooks.edu/argentina), and a print show. We are also putting the finishing touches on a DVD.

At first I was a little skeptical whether the work from our group would achieve the quality of work produced by previous documentary classes. The first four documentary classes visited China, India, West Africa and several countries in Southeast Asia. Those were lead by the legendary Brooks instructor Paul Liebhardt. Then our Visual Journalism Program Director (and SportsShooter.com member) Jim McNay lead trips to Central Mexico, Cuba, Costa Rica, The Czech Republic and Australia. Typically those documentary classes had a dozen or more students working on research, fundraising, photography and postproduction. However, our group consisted of only six students and I believe we have not only achieved our goal of putting together an amazing body of work, but we have also managed to raise the bar in many areas for documentary trips to come. You can see the work from several previous documentary trips at: http://documentary.brooks.edu.

Photo by Joe Gosen

Brooks Institute student Nick Mantzel in Argentina.

Every student worked hard to tell stories about the people, places and things that make Argentina unique. My favorite adventure in the country occurred while working on a project about the beef industry. I traveled out of Buenos Aires via an overnight bus to a town called General Pico, which in many ways seemed to be "the small town Texas of the South".

There I visited the El Madroño ranch where I got to have my first experience photographing on horseback, as well as rounding up cattle. After six hours of riding I was sore beyond belief, had nearly been stampeded over and had learned the not so subtle differences between going on a controlled trail ride and riding a horse who preferred to be in control most of the time. I still don't know how my gear survived! All things considered I had the time of my life and the experience will always stand out in my mind as why my chosen career path is one of the greatest in the world.

We are all grateful to the people in Argentina who were so willing to share their way of life with us and I personally can't wait to return.

After months of sacrificing sleep and sanity, and working out postproduction kinks, we are proud to announce that our show, "Argentina: Con Fuerza," will open Saturday, Oct. 1, 2005, in Santa Barbara at the Lobero Theatre. Doors will open at 6:30pm and the show will be followed by a print show and reception held at Brooks' new Cota Street Learning Center.

SHOW INFO:

Photo by Don Rypka

Brooks Institute of Photography students in Argentina: David Sowers, Nick Mantzel, Antonio Franco, Jack Mata, Brandon Nightingale, Al Cuizon and instructor Joe Gosen.

Brooks Institute of Photography's Argentina Documentary Class proudly invites you to Argentina: Con Fuerza. There will be two multimedia shows, gallery exhibits and books signings. The first will be held in Santa Barbara, in conjunction with a "Sneak Preview" of the new Cota Street Learning Center, and the second in Ventura. All events are free and open to the public. Refreshments will be available at each event. For more information you can contact the receptionists in Santa Barbara and Ventura at 805-966-3888.

Santa Barbara Premiere - Saturday October 1, 2005

Multimedia Presentation - 6:30 p.m., Lobero Theatre, 33 East Canon Perdido Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101.

Gallery Exhibit and Book Signing - 8:30 p.m., Cota Street Learning Center, 27 East Cota Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101.

Ventura Premiere - Saturday October 8, 2005

Multimedia Presentation - 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., Ventura Campus Screening Room, 5301 North Ventura Avenue, Ventura, CA 93001.

Gallery Exhibit - A student print show will be on display throughout the evening and copies of the book will be for sale.