Tod Cohen’s photographs possess an artistry and insight well beyond those from traditional event photographers. He is an artist, and his works have been exhibited at a number of venues in his home state of Virginia. These shows are a true testament to the fine quality of his work and to the humanity of his vision.
Recent shows:
Tod Cohen recently presented an exhibition entitled 8 Years/8 Days: A Time Portrait of a School in Charlottesville, Virginia, at Cville Coffee and at the Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport.
The roots of this show began in 2002, when Tod Cohen applied his Day in the Life approach to documentary photography—following one family for a single day—to his children’s school. Selecting one day each year, Cohen became a “fly on the wall,” a style that allowed him to capture children’s natural expressions and gestures as he tracked a typical day at the Charlottesville Waldorf School.
The resulting visual diary moments include the morning handshake with the teacher, interacting with friends, and artistic work such as painting, knitting, and playing the recorder, in addition to the children’s daily lessons and outside play. Through the eight years one can see similar activities repeated, with individual students maturing before one’s eyes, culminating with a group of eighth graders graduating in spring 2009.
This project became the source for images featured in a notecard set created in support of Waldorf schools nationally.
