Now hanging at the Vermont Comedy Club in Burlington, VT, my latest one man show: Speedy Delivery: The Street Photography of John Rovnak. The opening reception will be Sunday March 4, at the Club from 6-7pm. If you can’t make the opening night, the show will be up through May 2018, please check it out if you can. Best times to view the show are Thursday thru Sunday, 7-10pm.
“John Rovnak came to street photography in 2013 by way of the U.S Postal Service. Mail in one hand, his iPhone in the other, John has observed the streets of Burlington’s Old North End through a camera lens. These images are a thoughtful meditation on the everyday lives of everyday people. Even found objects, be they discarded chairs or cigarette butts, are framed by John in such a way that suggests that the observable world is art waiting to be discovered. John’s titles, which are at times witty or humorous (and sometimes both), add extra dimension and meaning to his shots. “Love Seats”, which would otherwise be a photo of cast-off chairs, suddenly begets a more whimsical take on the Kama sutra. Even the title of this show, “Speedy Delivery”, is a sly wink to his appointed rounds.
What’s most remarkable about John’s street photography, however, is that his images hew hard and fast to three simple rules:
1. He only gets one shot at the photo.
2. Once the shot is taken, he can only edit or manipulate the photo once.
3. The first title that comes to his mind must be the one he uses; no second chances.
Clearly, these rules have done nothing to hamper John’s self-expression. The end result of this unique perspective is, in his own words, ‘street photography with levity.'”
-David Zapanta
john rovnak 