Tony Bonanno
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Projects/Portfolios
CubaStreet
Introduction
My goal with the CubaStreet series was to create photographs that conveyed the emotion, the feeling, and the reality of what the Cuba experience meant to me, a visitor, an outsider. I deliberately chose not to romanticize Cuba with color and selective subject matter that skewed the reality of hardship and struggle that is today’s Cuba. I found that in black and white I could more effectively capture a glimpse of Cuban life and record the strong spirit that defines the Cuban people.
This collection of images was made with compassion and affection for the people and the country, and, as much as a photograph can, they reflect the emotions my visits engendered within me for this lovely island, too long isolated but ever beautiful.
Synergy
Introduction
The human form and the New Mexico landscape combine to form a visual synergism. The graceful contours and beauty of the model's body blends with the rugged, natural landscape of the Galisteo Basin. The end result is a composition in which the female nude form and the landscape complement and enhance one another.
Hooves & Dust
Introduction
The Hooves & Dust series has been praised by both horse lovers and art collectors. The series was initiated in 2005 and is an on-going project. Shooting locations include the former Rock Springs Ranch in Tumalo, Oregon and actor Val Kilmer's Pecos River Ranch in New Mexico. The work is in numerous private collections in the United States and abroad.
Articles about the series has been featured in HORSES IN ART Magazine (Spring, 2006) and in RangeFinder Magazine (January, 2007).
White Horses of the Camargue
Introduction
The Camargue horse is an ancient breed of horse indigenous to the Camargue area in southern France. It is considered to be one of the oldest breeds of horses in the world. For centuries, possibly thousands of years, these small horses have lived wild in the harsh environment of the Camargue marshes and wetlands of the Rhone delta. There they developed the stamina, hardiness, and agility for which they are known today. They live in semi-feral conditions in the marshy land of the region. The Camargue horse is the traditional mount of the "Gardians" (no U) who herd the black Camargue bulls used in bullfighting in southern France.
The artist's goal in photographing these beautiful animals was to explore the intersection of light, water, and movement that emphasizes the power, grace and beauty of this special breed of horse.
It was important to capture the maritime element that they evolved in and adapted to so well.
ERNESTO MAYANS Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, United States
Sterling Fine Art, Silver City, NM, United States
Gardiens and White Horses, Tony Bonanno, Chusco Press, Santa Fe, 2018
Hooves and Dust, Paul Slaughter, Rangefinder Magazine, Santa Monica, 2007
Hooves & Dust, Sarah Crampton, Horses in Art, Jamul, CA, 2006
Artist Statement
For most of my professional life as a photographer I have been immersed in the impersonal and objective requirements of commercial photography. But because I was trained in the classic genre of photo-journalism with an emphasis on composition and elements within a photograph that evoke feeling and emotion, I found that my commercial work became increasingly less fulfilling. Recently I began to feel an ever stronger desire to pursue personal projects, ones which would allow me to experiment with the kind of imagery that originally inspired me. And thus, CubaStreet, Synergy, and Hooves and Dust.
Tony Bonanno,
Santa Fe, New Mexico USA,
April, 2011
Tony Bonanno is a professional photographer based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Tony’s specialties are the fine art market, event & assignment photography, architecture & interiors, and travel & documentary work. He enjoys teaching and mentoring other photographers and is an instructor at the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops.
Tony grew up in Washington, DC, but soon left the city for more rural landscapes. He spent many years working in isolated and remote areas managing and protecting public lands prior to becoming a full time photographer. Tony has served as the official photographer for numerous political figures including former Governors Bill Richardson and Arnold Schwarzenegger. He photographed the President of the United States and First Lady for Intel Corporation. In 2005, Tony was selected as a New Mexico Heart Gallery photographer.
His fine art work is targeted towards collectors and the corporate environment. His photography has been featured in numerous galleries throughout the US and Mexico. He was the recipient of the prestigious Leo Diehl Award at the Creative Arts Center in Chatham, Massachusetts and was the feature artist at the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History (1990-91).
Tony maintains a state of the art digital imaging studio in Santa Fe. He served on the Board of Directors of the New Mexico chapter of the American Society of Media Photographers from 2002 through 2010. He is a member of the Stock Artists Alliance, Editorial Photographers, the Society for Photographic Education (SPE), a Business Partner of the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, and a member of both Canon Professional Services and Nikon Professional Services.
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