(photo courtesy of New York Observer)

[Update: Also see article about New York Photo Festival 2008 Kicks Off, 15May2008]

An article by Daryl Lang in the Photo District News (pdnonline.com) points out the growing number of photography exhibits and photo community in Dumbo. Manhattan’s Flatiron District has been the Photo District. But the article mentions that photo districts have moved from neighborhood to neighborhood in the past, following cheap rents. Dumbo no longer has cheap rents, but there are many photo galleries and now bookstores that sell photography books. It doesn’t hurt that the neighborhood has some of the most photogenic streetscapes of the two bridges and historic buildings along the waterfront.

In related news, VII Photo Agency, LLC (viiphoto.com), signed a lease for 5 years at the Jay/Plymouth corner in the 20 Jay retail building known as 28 Jay Street (2,396 sf). VII Photo will exhibit photography, have a bookstore and offices in the space. VII Photo is considered one of the most prestigious photo agencies, so it’s nice to see them in Dumbo. This coming spring (May 14-18, 2008) will be the First Annual New York Photo Festival will take place in Dumbo sponsored by PowerHouse Books, VII Photo, and Two Trees Management. The New York Photo Festival is a “joint commitment to contemporary photography promises to deliver a dynamic, high-quality event in what is arguably the photographic capital of the world. The festival will celebrate both contemporary photography and the raw, indomitable, creative, and inspirational talents of those who produce this work. Photography, one of the most important media of our lives, is surprisingly uncelebrated, particularly in the United States.”

Other photo publishers and photo galleries in Dumbo mentioned in the PDNOnline article:

PowerHouse Books
37 Main Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201

Umbrage Books
umbragebooks.com

Nelson Hancock Gallery
111 Front St. #204
Brooklyn, NY 11201

Wessel + O’Connor Fine Art
111 Front Street, Suite 200
Brooklyn, NY 11201

Klompching Gallery
111 Front Street, Suite 206
Brooklyn, NY11201

Not mentioned in the article is Underbridge Pictures located at 111 Front Street, Gallery 202, a photography gallery which focuses on images of architecture. There are also ongoing photography exhibits at one of the many galleries in Dumbo. New retail spaces such as Zakka at 155 Plymouth Street or PS Bookshop at 145-A Front Street stocks many fine art and photography books. Previously mentioned on DumboNYC is the current Surface to Art exhibition at 70 Front Street.

{Brooklyn’s Dumbo Courts The Photo Community, 1Nov07, PDNOnline}