Philly Photo Nights

by Lori Hill

art

Jim Kane knows what people think about group travel: nightmarish trips on a claustrophobic air-conditioned bus, the driver on a squelchy microphone pointing out tourist traps along the way. He and his year-old company, Culture Xplorers, are trying something different. "Our focus is to bring travelers together with locals, to learn about living traditions," he says. "It's about making friendships and bonds with the people there." The groups are small (four to 10 people per trip) and the destinations mostly Latin American for now (Peru, Brazil and Mexico). Though its profile is growing (NPR's The Savvy Traveler joined Culture Xplorers on its recent trip to Mexico for the Day of the Dead celebrations), it wants to retain its individualized, personal approach to group travel.

Now, together with Joe Cesa of Joe's Coffee Bar and CBop Imaging, Culture Xplorers has launched Philly Photo Nights, a monthly interactive discussion of travel and photography, what Kane calls "a community-building event." He invites those in attendance to have coffee, exchange ideas and, most importantly, hear the stories behind the pictures from the photographers themselves. The inspiration for the event came from -- where else? -- a trip, to France specifically, where Kane saw a gallery that held an open critique each month of aspiring photographers' work. He thought Philadelphia could use the same sort of interactive venue, and last month's well-attended debut -- with portfolios of India and Easter Island -- was confirmation. This month's featured photographer is Aized Rabbani, whose images of Syria and Jordan should provoke timely discussion (Kane will also show photos from a 2003 trip to Brazil, pictured). On tap for the coming months: portfolios of treks through Italy and Greece.

Philly Photo Nights, Thu., Nov. 20, 7-9 p.m., Joe’s Coffee Bar, 11th and Walnut sts., 215-592-7384. For submission guidelines to become a featured photographer, visit www.culturexplorers.com/phillyphoto.