Talk

MFA Photography, Video and Related Media presents a talk with Thomas Holton (MFA 2005 Photography, Video and Related Media) about his photography series, “The Lams of Ludlow Street.” A long-term photographic project takes dedication and fortitude, but it also requires an ethical commitment to one’s subject, especially when photographing people or communities. For over 20-years, Holton has photographed the Lam family in New York City for his project “The Lams of Ludlow Street,” not only documenting their everyday lives from their changing family structure to the excitement of going to college, but also becoming a part of their lives. Joining Holton to discuss his series and the challenges of the long-term photography project is photo-editor and curator Elizabeth Krist.

Thomas Holton is a photographer and educator based in New York City. He received a BA in cultural anthropology from Kenyon College and an MFA in photography from the School of Visual Arts. His ongoing project, “The Lams of Ludlow Street,” has documented the life of a single Chinese-American family living in Manhattan’s Chinatown over the last 20 years. The project was published as a book in 2016 by Kehrer Verlag and has been shown in the United States and abroad at venues including The Museum of the City of New York, the New York Public Library, the China-Lishui International Photography Festival and the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. His work has also been published by the New York Times, Aperture, The Guardian and many others periodicals. Holton has taught at the International Center of Photography and was co-founder of the VisuaLife photography program, working with at-risk teenagers in collaboration with the Children’s Aid Society in New York City. He is currently the photography instructor at the Trinity School in New York City.

A founding member of the Visual Thinking Collective, Elizabeth Krist was a National Geographic photo editor for over 20 years. She is on the boards of Women Photograph and the W. Eugene Smith Fund. She has freelanced for The New Yorker and Magnum Photos. Krist curated “Women of Vision” at the Orlando Museum of Art as well as installations at the last three Photoville festivals. She teaches at the International Center of Photography and La Luz. For more than ten years, she helped program National Geographic’s Photography Seminar, and she also participates in the Eddie Adams Workshop. Honors include the 2020 John Durniak Mentor Award from the National Press Photographers Association, and recognition from Pictures of the Year International, Overseas Press Club and Communication Arts. Krist has judged for CatchLight, Leica, the Lit List, Lenscratch, The FENCE, Pictures of the Year International, FotoEvidence, Best of Photojournalism, Ian Parry and the RFK Journalism Awards.