Glendalis The Life and World of a Youngest Daughter
Glendalis Featured in The New Yorker
Kickstarter for Glendalis Reaches its Goal
Making a splash in the press:
Glendalis by Angela Cappetta written in Blind Magazine by Miss Rosen.
Angela Cappetta’s project Glendalis featured in i-D Vice.
Family Photography in NYC. Medium Format, with Real Film.
The Life of a Young Latina
Glendalis The Life and World of a Youngest Daughter. Glendalis is the eponymous protagonist of this body of work. Just like mine growing up, her friends and family present as an active, supporting cast. In this case, the work observes the life and world of a youngest daughter. I do this by photographing pieces of her world, layered in, and sometimes easily left out. In the search for Glendalis’ narrative I strive to determine if, through the admiration of the day-to-day, it is possible to learn about a family. The project exists in that very voyage. Important to note that the project is shot exclusively in the pre-gentrified fields, blocks and apartments of the Lower East Side. This is where this family occupied a multigenerational house on Stanton Street. I was raised this way-it is the same as my own family system. To me, it is like breathing.
However, in spite of the notion that I created a beatific family narrative, the times were not as such. Crime, incarceration, gangs and death surrounded the neighborhood. This was something I knew a thing or two about growing up in one of the most economically stratified cities in the country. I wasn’t and continue not to be moved by larger social narratives or political climate. I’ll shoot what I’m drawn to and I’ll shoot anywhere. After a fashion, being embedded in a project is organic, no matter what is going on around the neighborhood or subject I have chosen. It is a skill unto itself.
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Technical notes:
I process my own C41 film and RA4 prints. Naturally, I like my darkroom time. Important to note that with a hands-on technique I get a better read on my negatives.
- Color 6×9 with some 35mm and 70mm Negative Photography.
- Chromagenic Prints Prints are 11×14″ proof size, and 16×20″ to 20×24″ exhibition size.
Why I Use Real Film
So, I hand process my own C41 film in small batches in my darkroom and make RA4 prints. I am, essentially, a darkroom photographer who is embraces every step. Besides, if it wasn’t messy it wouldn’t be any fun.
Why Shoot Medium Format for Glendalis a Young LatinX Woman
Furthermore, choice of camera is as intentional as the choice of subject. he gracious proportions of the 6×9 offers an opportunity to see a lot. This particular viewfinder lets me see little details around the 4 lines of the frame. Plus, the parallax always leaves a little surprise when I’m looking at contact sheets.
Each medium-format photograph becomes a new fact. Leave it alone, let it happen, and fire at the right time. I liken it to a bow and arrow.
I look through the viewfinder and wait for something beautiful. It isn’t me but the camera makes it special. The story in front of the lens is the violin. I’m plucking the strings of the moment to make a sound. In the end, I have composed something that sounds like several instruments working in unison. Thus, it is my own kind of symphony.
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Docu-Style Lifestyle Film Photography, Lower East Side. Family photography in NYC. Select prints still available for sale.
Glendalis The Life and World of a Youngest Daughter