Candela is a commercial fine art photography gallery and publisher holding 8-10 exhibitions a year for regional, national, and international artists. Notably, the gallery hosts an annual (free) open call called UnBound!, which serves as a survey of the medium and offers an additional collection opportunity to accepted artists.

Candela seeks to elevate the discourse around contemporary photography through compelling narratives and conceptual bodies of work, emphasizing science and politics, as well as experimental applications of the photographic medium, including alternative processes, cameraless photography, and mixed media works.

Candela has published ten books over thirteen years, working with their roster of featured gallery artists to publish and exhibit projects including Chris McCaw’s Sunburn, 100 Views of the Drowning World and Dr. Falke’s Oraculum by duo Kahn & Selesnick, and most recently, Memory Orchards, an anthology about photographers and their families.

our story

Candela Books was founded in 2010, by Gordon Stettinius, as an independent photobook publisher to enhance the legacy of New York photographer, Gita Lenz. Candela Gallery was founded shortly after in 2011 to support Candela’s early publication efforts. Since its conception, Candela Books has published ten titles, accompanied with featured exhibitions.

Our gallery is in its thirteenth year of producing exhibitions, supporting artists, developing collectors and creating a space that invites conversation and engagement around the photographic medium.

our philosophy + values

Curiosity energizes our team and allows us to show work which sparks creativity and dialogue. Our love of process, politics, science and subversion pulls us in new directions every day. This openness naturally fosters a desire to evolve, to meet new artists, and to continually redefine how our business operates. We carry this attitude into both our physical and virtual space, encouraging visitors to engage, ask questions, take away new ideas.

We work to expose followers and visitors to new applications of the medium. Photography, as a means of communicating ideas and as an art form, continues to evolve rapidly and our intention is to pay close attention, to mark the moment, and to be a source of inspiration.

our collection + unbound!

Each summer, we’ve hosted a distinctive juried and invitational exhibition – UnBound! – which is intentional in its support for photographers, using all proceeds from an annual fundraising gala event to purchase works from the exhibition. The Candela Collection presently numbers over 120 works and artist books. We have committed to donate the Collection, ultimately, to another significant permanent collection. Our UnBound! and Candela Collection initiatives are designed to generate sales, create career opportunities, and foster community for photographers in all stages of their career. There have never been submission fees, as we feel it is important to broaden support for photographers rather than rely on photographers for funding.

our team

As a small staff we all work daily to engage with and support emerging and established artists alike by mounting exhibitions, taking work to art fairs, and participating in portfolio reviews around the country. As we specialize in photographic arts, broadly defined, we have a special appreciation for the object and its craft. We enjoy all conversations: with our community, with our collectors, with students and, especially, with artists.

Our services include consulting, providing advice for growing collections, the acquisition of specific artworks, managing unique commissions, offering career development for artists, lecturing on the medium, and conducting privately guided tours. And we can, of course, arrange to accommodate all of your framing, delivery, and installation needs.