Debbie Carlos. Beautiful images, pictures with soul and identify.

© Debbie Carlos

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Bela Doka is a Hungarian photographer that is releasing a new limited edition book, “The Sundays in Life“, distributed by Schaden. I could not find images from that series of work but I wanted to refer to his photography in this post. What I find most fascinating about his style is the ability to present people in ways that are intimate and causal but striking. His images have energy and passion, immediacy and originality.

© Bela Doka

© Bela Doka

© Bela Doka

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Jane Bown, one of the most revered photographers in the UK, and one of the most significant portrait artists of the last 5 decades, is an example of excellence by being persistent while being consistent. This is the story of a newspaper and a photographer that partnered to create one of the most outstanding collections of images of people that matter, celebrities or not, since 1949, the year when “The Observer” (a sister paper of The Guardian) published the first photograph by Jane Bown. Since then the partnership has continued, six decades of reporting, six decades of art. What is most remarkable is how along the years, even using a very similar style, the portraits don””t look dated, they look fresh and vibrant. This enduring quality is what makes her work so special. The excellence of persistence and consistency.

As part of the publication of a retrospective collection of her work, a book titled “Exposures” (that Amazon.com is yet to import to the USA), “The Guardian” has published online an outstanding multimedia retrospective of her images. There is a corresponding exhibition of 100 portraits ongoing in London, at Kings Place Gallery, on display until November 21st, 2009.

© Jane Bown (The Guardian)

© Jane Bown (The Guardian)

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© Lina Scheynius

I usually prefer to look at photographs that are organized as a cohesive series of images, but the work of Lina Scheynius, a photographer from the Sweden, is bold and reminds me that good photography is not only about seeing differently but also about expressing it with a distinct visual language, even when this involves to reveal the intimate. Not all the images fit my taste but each image becomes something new and it builds a response of  surprise. The surprise of real life.

You can see more work at her Flickr site. Don””t miss to look at the series of polaroids.

© Lina Scheynius

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© Rory Carnegie

Take a look to the work of Rory Carnegie, a photographer located in London. The different series are very cohesive while showing quite a large variety of work. Excellent pictures all around. The series “Autoportraits” , where the subjects press the shutter to take their own picture, is awesome. 

© Rory Carnegie

© Rory Carnegie

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Extraordinary photography by Ferit Kuyas. The series “City of Ambition“,  a series of colour photography from Chongqing (China) one of the largest cities in the worlds is impressive but I like also to highlight the beautiful simplicity of the work in the series “Archetypes“. 

 from the series “City of Ambition” © Ferit Kuyas

from the series ”Archetypes”, © Ferit Kuyas

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Natascha Libbert is a photographer located in the Netherlands who is attending the photography program at the Royal Academy of Arts with plans to graduate next year. On the side, she works as a flight attendant, providing some interesting opportunities to combine her photographic interest with her job.

At her website you will find a number of diverse projects that contain very interesting images. Original and clean compositions that highlight beautifully the moments of every day life with a perfect touch of sensitivity.

from “Men at Airshow” © Natascha Libbert
from “The Move Additions”  © Natascha Libbert

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Sometimes simple ideas work very well to form a cohesive portfolio of images. “A Rare Breed” is a series of simple portraits of redheads, a theme that works strikingly well. Subjects portrayed in simple poses against simple backgrounds using just daylight to highlight the beautiful color of the hair. Like every good portrait series, it is the human gesture what makes this series so interesting. There is only one picture that I definitively would remove from the series.

A review of “A Rare Bread” was published at the New York Sun here. The pictures will be in exhibition at the NY Studio Gallery [New York City, USA] until september 27th.

“As redheads, we are used to being one in a crowd and regularly noted for our appearance.  Experiencing life in this way from infancy through adulthood influences who we are.  As a natural redhead, I know our hair color affects more than just our appearance.  As only 1% of the entire human population, our distinctive coloring is a relevant topic from day one.” – Julia Baum

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Great photography can be created by finding a moment of chance, by seeing the right gesture, by encountering the right light, and by framing a striking composition that places all the elements in relationship with each other. Great photography can also be imagined and created by mixing elements of reality in ways that become a new imaginary world, different from our real life but able to touch our feelings. Photography becomes then a dream of our reality. This is how I see the work of Tom Chambers. His images are both so real and so surreal that I have to respond to them. They become part of a story that I like to know about. 

Usually, photography by its nature wants to document a precise moment in time. My work doesn’t consist of documenting but rather illustrating fleeting moods that can’t be captured by a traditional camera or seen by the naked eye. Therefore, I consider myself to be both an illustrator and a photographer. My grandfather was a painter. Maybe I am following a family tradition within a different artistic realm. Tom Chambers

You can read several interviews with Tom at his website. If you are interested to learn more about his photo- compositions look here, with a description on how the final image of the car and girl below was created by visualizing the collage of a lake, with a classic car, and his neighbor’s daughter. Tom’s work will be exhibited at the Oswald Gallery until October 30th.

© Tom Chambers

© Tom Chambers

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© Michael Crouser

I’ve been sad in the bullring, but also exhilarated beyond what can be found in everyday life. It makes one silent and it makes one gasp and stand and cheer and hide one’s eyes. And it is beautiful, if one cares to pay attention. Form and shape, made and gone. Partnering with that which wants you dead.- Michael Crouser [source].

For anyone who has seen a “corrida” [bullfight] it will come as no surprise if I say that the “corrida” is a mix of intriguing passion and elegant cruelty that some excuse because of its intense cultural tradition. The form, the style, the rules, the audience, the roar of the “bravos”, the connoisseur, “el matador”, the pure bravery of the bull [toro bravo], all colored with blood, painted with sweat, covered with dust, to bring the best and the worst of what humans are. It is an spectacle to photograph, the challenge to capture the dance of death.

Los Toros, a series by the great photographer Michael Crouser, was build over 16 years, and is being published in a beautiful book, with an introduction by the acclaimed Peruvian writer [and former candidate to the presidency of Peru] Mario Vargas Llosa. This is the best photographic series of the tradition of Los Toros I have ever seen. Pure art, not less. Few issues ago an interview with Michael Crouser was published in Lenswork, and you can read it at Michael’s website.

© Michael Crouser

I am a photographer, and have been one since I was fourteen-years old. But it was not until 1996, when I emerged from my darkroom after spending, almost literally, a year and a half inside, that I felt I had found something of a voice in my work. When I looked over the stack of prints I had made, I started over-applying what had been learned and developed over this time to the earlier prints in the project. The prints that eventually came from this effort were reflections of a technical and aesthetic maturation, and I began to see the emergence of something truly very personal – a more refined mixture of what I had seen, how I had seen it and what I could make of it. At this point I felt my work could belong to no one else. 

The prints are soft and dark, and although they can be somewhat ominous, I feel that many of the images also work toward a calm smile, or have the beginnings of a short, tight story. I try to eliminate the extraneous visual elements, leaving only the necessary shapes to form the composition. I’m not someone who consciously produces very literal, visual metaphors for my state of mind or the state of the world, but I would say that my best work feels like me, and thus it is the best expression of who I am. - Michael Crouser [source]

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©  Henrik Kam

With a mix of both fine art personal images and commercial photography the work of Henrik Kam is quite beautiful. Looking at his work reminded me that small details can turn an image from just ordinary to extraordinary. Take for example the image of the small pier above. Well crafted, nice tonality, smooth colors, but just a regular subject that becomes unique and different from the splash of water over the pier. This small detail defines the attention, and builds the interest of an image that otherwise would be forgettable.

Or the pictures below,  a diptych of two images that combine each other to highlight complementary patterns that become strong and interesting. This photographic design, based on simple concepts, defines the exquisite portfolio of Henrik Kam.

©  Henrik Kam

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© Daniel Mirer

I like photography that doesn’t have the pretension to exaggerate the visual language of the image. Images that are not too complex, not too simple, just the right blend of subjects, light and composition to create pictures with interest, photographs that are a great pleasure to look at. This is what caught my attention when I discovered the work of Daniel Mirer, a photographer located in New York City.

His work is fresh, with presence, and feels just right.  Perhaps it is because he masters one of the skills that I appreciate most, the ability to enhance the message -and impact- by simplifying the image. At large, in Daniel’s work, this is achieved by great but unassuming compositions.  His work covers diverse topics like portraits, location photography and the visual study of spaces, all defining a very cohesive body of work.

His most recent series called “ArchitorSpace” will be exhibited at the beautiful Light & Sie gallery in Dallas [Texas, USA], from September 18th to November 1st of 2008.

from ArchitorSpace, © Daniel Mirer

“The ArchitorSpace photographs display my specific interest in and fear of the banality of spaces in enclosed areas within post-industrial architecture. These places are typologies of contemporary post-industrial architectural aesthetic that makes the individual appear so displaced within the uncanny. The photographic strategy is to purposefully make these images heavy with absence; forgotten places that are entirely familiar. These deserted (non-site) environments reveal no history or functionality.”- Daniel Mirer

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© Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre

Beautiful images and very intriguing topic. The ruins left behind in cities as they evolve and transition in time.  The two french photographers, Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre, have traveled across Europe and the U.S. to portray vanishing architectural icons,  concert halls where music has been forgotten, industrial buildings that saw better times, buildings reduced to the skeleton of concrete and metal.

© Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre

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© Alex MacLean

Looking at things from a different perspective can lead to special photography.  Aerial photography, given its unique vantage point, is a specialty that takes advantage of this approach, but it has its own special challenges, challenges of composition, challenges of light, and challenges to create an image that is not a cliché.  Alex MacLean, a photographer specialized in aerial photography, has some excellent work. The portfolio I liked most the is “playing” but you will find many other interesting images browsing his portfolio.

Alex work will be published soon in an upcoming photobook.

 © Alex MacLean

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© Richard Misrach

“I’ve come to believe that beauty can be a very powerful conveyor of difficult ideas” – R. Misrach

Reading Singular Images I saw the post about Richard Misrach and I wanted to refer to few links that describe his series called “On the Beach” because I find it fascinating. Living on the coastal areas of South California, I have been always attracted to the playground that the ocean and beaches are for the people, and how in the vast magnitude of the ocean and the landscape we become both significant and insignificant.

I had explored photo series on that topic for my own work when few months ago I learned about Richard’s work. I can only imagine the incredible beautiful prints coming from 8×10 negatives. If you are in Washington DC area, the National Gallery of Art has prints in exhibit until September 1st 2008. Unfortunately the corresponding book is out of stock, even when it was published last year.

See some of the images here. An interview and an article on the exhibits.

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©  Mitra Tabrizian

British Iranian photographer and filmmaker Mitra Tabrizian is a professor of photography at the University of Westminster, London, England. Her work looks to me like storytelling in single stills, where each individual image conveys a sense of intrigue and mystery that feels part of a longer storyline and, at the same time, it holds as a complete photograph with the strong intensity of the moment. It is certain that her photographs are about telling reality, telling stories, like a filmmaker can do. Visually elegant and intense.

©  Mitra Tabrizian

Well, my uncle was a painter… It was almost by accident. I’d always been interested in class divisions in Tehran. They were severe. I started taking pictures. But you take pictures of the poor, and then what? Do you put them on a wall? Gradually I became familiar with critical theories, with how you read an image. I realised that regular documentary work might not necessarily be the answer.-Mitra Tabrizian

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© Elizabeth Fleming

A core quality of excellent photography, like any other form of art, is to elicit emotions in the viewer. Even considering the many necessary components of good images, the quality of the moment, the gesture, the emotional load of the image usually overtakes the center of attention and defines the reaction to the photograph.

Oftentimes, the subject defining the emotional quality of the image is obvious [perhaps too obvious, and that can be detrimental to the image] but some photographers have the ability to convey emotion as an underlying message, subtle, elegant, extremely sensitive. Few months ago I came across the work of Elizabeth Fleming, and from the moment I saw her photographs I was affected in a emotional level that I will never forget. Her work has exquisite emotional quality. I lost her website but now, finally, I was able to find it again and I also found her interesting blog.

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© Mohammadreza Mirzaei

The creative experience and appreciation for art is, without a doubt, a unifying experience across cultures and people. It is in this context that I have strong interest to learn about the work of photographers that are located in countries that at this time are less represented in the global art community. This post introduces the work of Iranian photographer Mohammadreza Mirzaei whose work is exquisitely beautiful and original. These images strip down to some of the simplest components of photography focusing on the quality of lines, the quality of the moments and a photographic composition to make the subjects both significant and insignificant at the same time.

© Mohammadreza Mirzaei

In the words of Michale Kenna describing the work of  Mohammadreza Mirzaei:

Mohammadreza Mirzaei photographs with precision and dispassion. Setting up his camera at a distance, he sees and records anonymous people, “humans”, making cameo appearances, alone or in groups, frozen against backdrops of expansive and empty white skies.

“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women are merely players. They have their exits and their entrances…”- William Shakespeare.

We can view Mr. Mirzaei’s photographs literally, as pure documents of time passing in a specific place at various given moments. Life goes on, people come and go, interact, continue on their separate ways, and the land and sky always remain. Or, we can look a little deeper and interpret the images allegorically, as a comment or exploration of the nature of our human condition. Mr. Mirzaei, with reserved sensibility, kindly provides us with an opportunity to quietly reflect and consider the reasons for our existence.

It is a worthy subject to ponder, and this is a worthy group of photographs. Thank you Mr. Mirzaei. – Michael Kenna 

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© Li Wei

In times when one would think that any subject in photography has been explored, we find the work of Li Wei, a Beijing-based artist-photographer, whose theme is to photograph impossible scenes [he is the primary subject]. By creating these pictures, without the help of photoshop, his work is strikingly original.

This is staged photography pushed to the edge, a kind of acrobatics and performance mixed with photo-reality to create scenes that break the common sense and are truly unexpected. Although some images look to me “cheese” others are quite interesting [surprising]. You can see some videos on how the images were staged here [my guess is that at least some cloning out of the ropes may involve photoshop].

© Li Wei

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© Sylvain Dumais

Often times photographic commercial work is much constrained to fit the aesthetics of the clients and the market. This imposes significant limitations for the photographer but even can have a reverse effect where photographers themselves [consciously or unconsciously] shape the style of their work according to what the market likes to purchase. This loop leads to less creativity and to a world of commercial photography where most images looks similar to each other where it becomes difficult to see the real vision of the photographers.

© Sylvain Dumais

Because of this I am always very glad to learn about photographers that keep their distinct style, and drive their commercial work by their own aesthetic vision, and sensitivity.  Sylvain Dumais, a photographer [and filmmaker] represented by Wonderful Machine, has very interesting work in his portfolio. Beautiful, different, with emotional sensitivity, …  with his own style.

© Sylvain Dumais

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© Remi Thornton

Night photography is a complicated art in itself. It requires the ability to see light in places where there is no light, to compose images without seeing in the darkness all the elements that are located in front of the camera, and to imagine [or just discover after the fact] how the the light that can’t be seen will shape the objects during long exposures.

Remi Thornton is a photographer that captures the light in the dark. His work has images that are simple and yet they are very interesting. Using existing light and isolating elements that create compelling compositions while giving a feel to the scenery that is both familiar and unnatural.

© Remi Thornton

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© Rachel Barrett

The qualities of fidelity and authenticity in photography are associated with the documentary aspect of images when they represent the evidence of reality as it is.  I find fascinating the dual role of photographs when they become both documents and objects of art. This is documentary fine art photography.

• Documentary, “Presenting facts objectively without editorializing or inserting fictional matter, as in a book or film”.
• Fine Art, “Art produced or intended primarily for beauty rather than utility”.

I like very much this type of pictures [no wonder Stephen Shore is one of my favorites photographers] and therefore I was very glad to learn about the work of Rachel Barrett, a recent graduate from the School of Visual Arts in New York.

At her website you will find a number of interesting projects that are not only beautiful but also capture the intriguing reality of America. They are documents of this time and place.

© Rachel Barrett

Her most recent project, “Newsstands in New York City” is specially interesting to me, as it is a documentary that could have been shot in many places, including my hometown in Spain. I recall the times when I grew up that newsstands were so intertwined with our life that they were common components of the city landscape and part of my days. Sadly, I saw the newsstands disappear in my hometown. Now Rachel documents the loss of this tradition in New York City [see New York Times article on Rachel's project]. This is wonderful documentary fine art photography.

© Rachel Barrett

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© Asako Narahashi

Images of water landscapes taken from the land are common. From a different angle, diving magazines will often times show striking images images of the edge between water and the land, from the perspective of a diver or swimmer. But here it comes the work of Asako Narahashi, a Japanese photographer, that provides a perspective I have never seen before.   Her series “half awake and half asleep in the water” are just amazing.

You can see images here, here and here. A photo-book with her work was published by Nazaeli press, with the 2nd print coming this August 2008.

© Asako Narahashi

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© Morgan Silk

I came across the work of commercial photographer Morgan Silk, and I was surprised. This is because it is not often the case that you see such beautiful and artistic work in the website of a commercial photographer. The images are not organized in themes but sort of mixed what makes for a nice discovery to browse the portfolios and archives. If you get over the images that are overly edited in Photoshop [the sad trend that exemplifies commercial work] you will find many images that are really great. Morgan’s work has the refined aesthetics of fine art, images that are compelling and interesting and use the elements of composition with elegance but subtlety.

© Morgan Silk

© Morgan Silk

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© Daniel Traub

Daniel Traub is an American photographer located in China. His new series, City’s Edge, continues his work documenting the edge, the transition, of the rural and urban China. Cities are about buildings and about people, and even more, about how rural migrations to urban space and the growth of cities creates new spaces, forcing people to adapt to their new environment. What makes Daniel’s work special is his ability to both document the urban landscape and the people who reside in these cities. Once you visit his website, it is worthwhile to browse through the different portfolios, all about China.

An informative interview with Daniel [with many images] was published at the ASMP site (American Society of Media Photographers).

© Daniel Traub

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© In Camera 2003-04, Luis Mallo

One of the qualities that makes images attractive to the viewer is the presence of patterns. Sometimes patterns are obvious, other times they can be inferred from the juxtaposition of different objects or subjects that convey the sense of a repetitive sequence. Visual patterns become far more interesting when they are interrupted, a visual sequence that suddenly is stopped by a different component of the image.

Looking at the work of Luis Mallo, it is very obvious that he plays with patterns and the interruption of sequences as the main visual concept in the design of his images. This is work about patterns that become the main subject of the image, well composed and very interesting.

© In Camera 2001-02, Luis Mallo

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© JP Jespersen

Quite interesting images by JP Jespersen. Landscapes, night photography and don’t miss his family images and his blog.

© JP Jespersen

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© Jem Southam

One of the best landscape photographers of this time. See images here, and here.

Jem Southam has been a key figure in British photography for over twenty-five years. Working exclusively in the landscape genre, his prevailing thematic concerns are the changes, large and small, occurring within the British countryside. His photographs are the result of patient observation and contemplation over long periods of time. Often producing series, Southam layers and juxtaposes images that not only reveal cycles of nature, but the interactions of humans with their environment. He has said that he proposes “histories,” both social and natural. [source]

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© Justin James Reed

I love photography that doesn’t have the pretension to be more than just a beautiful representation of regular places and subjects. The views that we encounter every day, every moment, but are unperceived by most of us, most of the time. It is the difference between seeing and looking.

Justin James Reed has the ability to see beauty in places that surround our life, and captures these places without pretensions, jut by composing a perfect image. Clean lines, clean geometry and exquisite composition to make us appreciate the beauty of the places that surround our life. This is photography at its best.

© Justin James Reed

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© Tom Wool

It is common for societies and ethnic groups to think of themselves as a superior culture when compared to other communities. No matter how advanced or undeveloped the society is, seeing others as “more barbarian” makes for a self-serving attitude of thinking that the law of the world should be dictated by only one culture.

This attitude is a recipe for disaster, leading to conflicts, confrontations and genocide. Consider the attitude of the U.S.A government today for an example of self-proclaimed superiority. Of course one should ask if military power and money is what should define a superior culture. Or read the book “A problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide” to understand why communities kill each other and human life does not appear to hold the same value when it affects individuals from different cultures. Fortunately, even with the current status of the world, it seems that societies now are less violent than in the past (see the excellent talk of Steven Pinker at TED here).

Photography is a great vehicle to convey the commonalities of human societies and individuals. The understanding that we are indeed “One”, and that our small differences are a cause for richness not conflict, is the best tool to paralyze the tendency to think otherwise, to stop genocide and violence. It is in this context that the work of photographer Tom Wool, with his project One, comes into place. One, is a series of 160 photographs of a cross section of indigenous, ethnic and cultural groups across the world.

It is about the idea that we are unique and at the same time we are “One”!

How inspiring is that!

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© Brea Souders [from Time Between]

Sometimes I come across work that surprises me. It is unexpected, it is photography that grabs me. Work that has the intense quality to represent what I feel photography is about. Discovering the work of Brea Souders was to look at the kind of images that symbolize the reason I love photography.

They are real, they are captivating, they make me wonder, they make me think, they make me wish I would know more about them. Take a look for yourself.

Captivating, indeed.

© Brea Souders [from Time Between]

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© Samantha West

 I just found the work of Samantha West. Her photography is most about “moody” -and interesting- portraits but the project that by far is the most compelling to me is “Musings” … not sure what the project is about [there is no artist statement] but the series of photographs are quite intriguing and very nice. To see them you will need to browse at her website from Portfolio to Various Projects.

Art Volume 1 published an interesting [and long] interview with Samantha.

© Samantha West

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© Dustin Fenstermacher

Few weeks ago I disocovered the work of photographer Dustin Fenstermacher. His series portraying cat shows are excellent. His photographs have many qualities that I like. Besides having original compositions, what works extremely well is the storytelling, the sequence of the images. I can feel myself at the cat show, it is photography that has the quality to involve the viewer. But it is not only about cats … look at his portfolio and you will see quite interesting photography there.

His work picked my interest to run few questions and learn more about Dustin.

Could you tell me what drove you into photography? Why did you become a photographer?

Honestly, I really can’t quite recall what compelled me towards photography. Growing up I always enjoyed taking photos but thought it was a bit too difficult of an undertaking to learn the mechanics and intricacies of an SLR. And don’t even get me started on how expensive it was to develop all of that film.

During college I attempted to take a photo course, but the introductory class was available to art majors first and all other students – I was a communications major – had to get permission from the professor. Needless to say, the class was filled to capacity every time I made an attempt to join.

After college I made an impulse buy at a Kmart that was closing, picking up a two megapixel point and shoot made by Canon. Outside the occasional photograph taken at a show, the thing collected dust. Then, a little over three years ago, I found myself with a lot of free time after my band dissolved. I began documenting my walks around Carlisle, a town in central Pennsylvania. Friends of mine who went to school for photography gave me pointers and kept urging me to take photos. I guess I had some kind of unique vision that would come out at some point. I just took note of the world as I saw it.

So, one could say that I became a photographer because I was bored. But I felt like my entire life was preparing me for this endeavor, as I wouldn’t have the perspective I have now if I would have seriously gotten into photography even five years ago.

You describe yourself as a self-taught photographer, what were your influences for your work?

Because I learned photography through trial and error and picking up tips from my friends, I was initially influenced more by my friends and surroundings than famous photographers. I will be forever indebted to the likes of Clint Baclawski and Laura Kicey for their roles in shaping my photographic sensibilities. Filmmakers like the Coen Brothers and Wes Anderson emit a certain feeling that appeals to me; the Coens for the slices of Americana permeating in each of their films and Wes Anderson for the whimsical nature, color choices and his aesthetics.

Photographers that tickle my fancy nowadays include Martin Parr, Chris Buck, Jill Greenberg, Jan Von Holleben and a multitude of others. Or you can just disregard everything I’ve just said and believe me when I state that I’m solely influenced by the Nintendo-64 classic, Pokemon Snap.

© Dustin Fenstermacher

Tell me about the Cat show project? It looks like a photojournalist project … was it commissioned?

While I intended to do a series on cat shows, the project as you see it began as an entirely different animal. What I originally wanted to do was photograph owners and their show cats, so I attended cat shows with the intention of shooting cute cats and sending the images to the show owners. I figured that would be an excellent way to break the ice.

Unfortunately, of all of the cat breeders I messaged, only one got back in contact with me about getting their portrait taken. While I was disappointed by lack of a response, this turned out to be better in the long run, as I found the photos produced by going to the cat shows to be far more interesting to me than any portrait I had in mind. Thus, I kept going to the exhibitions, discovering new subtleties during each excursion.

My intent with the series was to go beyond just shooting photos of cats and the surroundings, which some people might think is ridiculous. No, I wanted to do photos that looked at the items and surroundings found at cat shows, twist them a little and create little stories or critiques out of them. Honestly, when I’m at these things it is as if I’m a child with a toybox the size of a football stadium.

Which type of commercial works are you trying to do? Do you also like to explore editorial work?

In a perfect would I would get commissioned to go to out of the way places and photograph what I find. I’ve been getting the opportunity to do just that as of late, covering the presidential primary campaign in Pennsylvania by meeting people on the street and exploring places that are somewhat removed by modern culture.

I really enjoy taking a wide variety of work, be it portraiture, reportage or shooting found objects. Inspiration can be found anywhere, and I just love being able to shoot and make a living doing it.

© Dustin Fenstermacher

I find very interesting how you juxtapose -different- images in the website, it works very effectively. Do you do the editing yourself? Which criteria do you use to select which images to show and how to juxtapose them?Well, the first edit is done all by my lonesome, but friends and fellow photographers provide input and are always invaluable with their ability to help me distil my work into something manageable.

During this process themes begin to emerge and visual puns become apparent. Some of my favorite pairs of photos happen via happy accident, other pairs were conceived after taking a photo at one place and thinking of something that would best match it at a later date. I’m fairly casual with my picture taking, noticing elements that connect disparate photos after the fact. The unintentional focus of my personal work is intentional, as it allows me to take photos of things I wouldn’t shoot had I possessed some sort of strict criteria for what I could take photos of.

The photos of the non-cat show variety are a mix of things I’ve done both for pleasure and editorial/commercial work. To be honest with you, I’m a bit slow in placing new commercial images on the site.

You are using Wonderful Machine to represent your work. Please tell me what is the key advantage you see of having someone representing your work and the caveats? Is this something you recommend to all artists seeking commercial work?

I don’t know if I have enough experience working without a rep to weigh in. My professional career is still in its nascent stages. I have gotten a bit of exposure and work through my association with Wonderful Machine, and would recommend representation for people who seek commercial work, but it definitely isn’t for everyone.

Thanks very much Dustin.

I found at PDN pulse a nice video interview with Dustin Fenstermacher about this projectthat adds more information about his work.

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Check out the excellent work of Aaron Schuman. Aaron is also the Editor of the excellent online photo-magazine, Seesaw magazine.

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© Chris Buck

In the last PDN Magazine this image of Chris Buck was selected as part of the PDN Photo Annual 2008. Here below is a short description of the image by Chris Buck and a link to a movie with footage of the session.

The Bad Boys of Vice

I recognized this as a unique opportunity so I spent some time compiling ideas before this sitting with the editors of Vice Magazine for Wired; “naked, holding pieces of raw meat in front of their bits”, and “two of them forcing a stuffed animal into the third’s behind” were amongst my favorites.

But often my challenge for a photo shoot is coming up with an idea that sounds so inoffensive that even the most prickly publicist can’t deny me it. So, kissing a baby it was, and only the truly heartless could say no to this. – Chris Buck

The movie with footage of the session.

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© Graciela Iturbide

“The unconscious obsession that we photographers have is that wherever we go we want to find the theme that we carry inside ourselves.”—Graciela Iturbide

The work of the great Mexican photographer, Graciela Iturbide, is very special. I find most fascinating the ethnic portraits reflecting her own people and culture of Mexico. These images are not only beautiful, but they hold the essence of great photography: the power to amaze. From the influence of perhaps the most celebrated Latin American photographer, Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Graciela has become on its own a very influential artist. Her work was recognized recently as the winner of the Hasselblad Foundation International Award in Photography for 2008.

“I think you can see Graciela Iturbide in all of my photographs. I feel that photography is a regard within a regard—between the gaze of the photographer and the gaze of the subject the image becomes a reflection of the person taking the picture.” – Graciela Iturbide

A good way to experience her work is to look at this book. This book combines together Iturbide’s most expressive work, including select self-portraits. On the web there are some galleries with a limited number of images like in art-net and the Hasselblad gallery. Unfortunately the online galleries are just just a brief sample of the vast work of Gabriella.

© Graciela Iturbide

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Sometimes photography that depicts the objects that define our “regular life”, the things that are with us and so become part of our ignored existence, is the photography that best defines who we are. No portraits are needed then, we can see the person emerging from the “stuff”. An example of this is “Sandy’s Deli” by Korean photographer, residing in New York City, Hee Jin Kang.

“For two years, I photographed at my parents’ corner store, Sandy’s Deli, located in a New York City borough. Through this photographic investigation of a place, I created a portrait of my parents without pointing the camera directly at them. Working with a 4×5 camera, I saw layers of accumulation, and objects that, in their disarray, made rhythmic juxtapositions. This accrual of stuff can be peeled away to reveal something simple, poetic and intensely personal, even within a public space like a Korean deli.” – Hee Jin Kang.

© Hee Jin Kang

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© Emiliano Granado

Beautiful images showcased in a beautiful website. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication, as Leonardo da Vinci said.

A lot of artists will use bios/ or /statements/ to ramble on and on trying to give their work additional power or legitimacy. Not here. My photographs are what they are. Straight up reality. I’m just using my camera as an excuse to peer into peoples’ lives and observe them.- Emiliano Granado

© Emiliano Granado

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© Christopher LaMarca

A good idea for a photojournalism project should have relevance, should have immediacy, should cause controversy, should touch a topic outside of the mainstream media and should affect the emotions of the viewer. Pair that with beautiful photography, images that drive the narrative with beautiful aesthetics, and the result is work with significance and impact.

I am describing “Forest Defenders” by Christopher LaMarca, a great project that exemplifies all these qualities and has served to launch further Christopher’s career, with numerous awards and publications. In this project, Christopher LaMarca has been photographing environmental activists who protest logging in the once protected areas of pristine national forests.

These days I am particularly sensitive to logging and the destruction of trees. Few weeks ago I went to “my” canyon for a run in the afternoon to find it fenced, access totally restricted, the trees destroyed and cut in pieces, and all the signs of new multi-million dollar houses coming in. It happened in few days, just few days to destroy it. Anger is not enough to describe what I felt. A sense of loss that I will not forget.

Remember the “qualities” when you search for ideas of your next project: relevance, immediacy, controversy, unconventional, emotional. This will be a good start for the project.

I have been photographing these activists and loggers since the summer of 2003. My connection to this project revolves around the passion and endless work that consumes these people who live in the back-country for months at a time; and who are willing to sacrifice their comforts’ to stand up for their beliefs. Although these activists are often seen as radicals or eco-terrorists, little has been documented about their activities outside of these stereotypes. These stunning landscapes will continue to be decimated due to political pressure and lack of education, these are some of last truly wild places left in America.- Christopher LaMarca

© Christopher LaMarca

This project garnered him numerous awards, including PDN’s 30 New and Emerging Photographers To Watch and NPPA’s Best of Photojournalism. His Forest Defenders project was featured in the 2006-2007 ICP triennial, Ecotopia, along with being published in Aperture and Art Review.

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© Wayne Lawrence

Wayne Lawrence is a documentary/portrait photographer based in Brooklyn, New York. I find his portraits really excellent. Most images appear to be shots of regular people taken in the street, or maybe, not so regular people after all.

I find particularly compelling the intensity of the subjects in his images. They convey a sense of meaningful presence, energizing the moment, and at the same time convey a sense of timelessness. Time has no value, past and present remain the same in their life.

© Wayne Lawrence

© Wayne Lawrence

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© William Greiner

There are some photographers that master the use of color to the extend of becoming the most important subject of the photograph. It is not about the elements depicted in the frame, it is not about the light, it is about the color. William Greiner, uses color as the main excuse to arrange the other elements in a picture. It is simple, and delicate, no need to saturate the image full of colors, juts to arrange some color elements in subtle ways. I love it. It is no surprise that one of his influences was William Eggleston.

Making Room magazine published a very interesting interview with William Greiner on his work in new Orleans after Katrina.

“At the age of twelve, I bought my first camera by mail order. It was a cheap 35mm model with no light meter. I would spend hours in front of my house photographing automobiles as they passed. The process was an experiment in exposing film in different ways and achieving different results. This experience hooked me on the magic of the medium.” –William Greiner

© William Greiner

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© Matthew Dols

I like the series by Matthew Dols, “Women w Text“. Text added as a caption to the image can provide quite a different feel to the understanding and perception of the photograph, and in this series it works beautifully. The other work of Matthew is very interesting as well. He tends to push the image to the extreme of light, with high contrast, extensive use of dark and highlight areas. It works.

Look also at the Work in Progress, very interesting photo-collages. More pictures with text can be seen here.He prints the images in silver gelatin paper, nice. And if you are interested I found that some of the pictures are for sale [quite inexpensive] at Absolutearts.com.

I am writing this journal as though you might read it. I have this desire for you to read this because it’s those things that I mean to say, and never do. It’s who I feel I really am, but never show.- Matthew Dols

I personally like a lot when the artist blends an interesting caption with an interesting image, like Matthew does. I am not sure why this is not used more often. Mixing words with pictures actually elicits different reactions from the viewer than just looking at either one alone. There is biological basis for a synergy between both visual and language inputs as the neuronal pathways involved in receiving, processing and integrating the information are different but they can cross-over to generate a different emotional reaction when activated simultaneously. Perhaps one of the best examples of this is the image “This Photograph is my Proof” by Duane Michals. I can repeat enough how much I love that image and the caption.
Here it is a challenge for you to consider. Try to use captions in your existing photographic project, and see if you can engage a different response from the viewer. You have nothing to loose, and lots to gain.

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© Darin Mickey

Darin Mickey has a photographic style that is intriguing. His work focuses on photo realistic images, with subjects being ordinary people and ordinary places, but they turn to look unusual. The people in his photographs look lifeless, although they are indeed well alive. The people and the street scenes in his images appear artificially frozen, immobile, isolated. I am not sure on the visual clues that convey that feeling. Perhaps it is the lighting, the isolation of the elements in the composition, perhaps the fact that the people never look at the camera. What ever it is, I like it a lot.

A couple of series worth to mention are “on land” and the great “Stuff I Gotta Remember Not To Forget“. This last was a photographic recording of Darin’s father at work and at home. It is a unique visual story that shows with incredible candor the everyday life of his father while working as a salesman. It is a remarkable work; even when the images look sort of lifeless, they convey humor and tenderness. The work was published as a book by J&L Books.

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Jarrett Murphy, is a recent graduate from the Rochester Institute of Technology, in Rochester, New York. I find his night landscape photography quite original. His images play with shapes, curves, lines and isolated objects conveying a surreal feel to the scene, that otherwise would be quite mundane. I had the opportunity to run few questions with Jarret and get information on his artistic interest.

These photographs reject and embrace one of my greatest disappointments—that with the deluge of commercial imagery, what was once extraordinary has become common. As commerce increasingly co-opts and embellishes images of natural beauty it simultaneously exalts that beauty and subverts it. To draw people back to reality, it must become hyper-real. I have chosen a process that allows standard subjects to be fantastical, for through long exposure I create single images that appear to freeze single moments but actually represent multiple moments. The finished photograph allows me to create the illusory reality that is, in part, a fantasy.

These images juxtapose the human and the natural. Each image records the duality of man’s presence and absence, as nature is being constructed around and by civilization. To record these landscapes impacted by but vacant of human presence, I impose my own presence while excluding myself and my influence from the scene. Imposing my own presence is lighting these landscapes, while excluding any tangible elements or footprints.- Jarrett Murphy

© Jarret Murphy

The juxtaposition is present in most of the images, but is meant to be subtle. Some of the photographs have roads running through the foreground with tire tracks on them, some have fences or other structures. And sometimes the landscape itself is the result of human influence, such as many of the parks that I’ve shot in that were engineered and designed. The idea is not to see actual people in the images, but to know that the human influence is pervasive, and that nature is being formed by us, or forming itself around us. – Jarrett Murphy

• Please tell me about your beginnings as a photographer and artist?

I do somewhat feel like I was raised to be an artist by my parents, although I’m pretty sure that’s not what they intended. They encouraged me to make as much artwork as wanted, even, as I mentioned, letting me draw or paint on the walls of my bedroom. Art supplies were the only expense they told me they would continually pay for, within reason. I expect all they intended was for me to have an outlet, a backup plan for making sure I didn’t wind up disturbed.

As far as photography goes, I didn’t get into that until I was in high school. I took it the first semester I was allowed to, I guess I was jealous of seeing the upper classmen on the bus showing people their contact sheets. I liked the class, needless to say, and took advanced photography the next semester. There were no classes above that offered, but I took advanced photography again, and they gave me credit for it as long as I did new projects. Then I took an independent study in photography the following year.

• Could you describe your experience at the Rochester Institute of technology? What are the most important topics you learned at school?

I’ll answer those questions backwards I suppose. I’m not sure if I could name any classes I took that were all that much more important than others. I can say that fine art, advertising, and photojournalism students all take the same classes for the first two years, then you choose which field to go into for the next two years. I went to RIT intending to be a fine art photography major, but at the end of my second year I went into advertising photography. Those classes taught me more about light than fine art would have.

My experience at RIT was pretty average I assume, except that most students, even art students didn’t really go out much. There were about five of us that would go out every weekend (all photographers; margaretlejeune.com, nicholasduers.com, kevinnorrisphoto.com, sarahanneward.com, www.seandyroff.com). I guess the single experience that stands out in the midst of the Sony news is a show at an RIT affiliated gallery mid senior year. I wouldn’t have entered if a friend of mine didn’t work there and encourage me to enter. It was perfectly themed for me, surreal landscapes. I had shot my first photograph of the series in April, 7 months earlier, one more in June, and hadn’t shot any more of them. Two of my best friends, Sarah Anne Ward and Kevin Norris, came to the show and told me it was a waste of my time to be shooting anything else. I shot the third photograph of the series the next week. Ever since then I’ve been shooting with my girlfriend, Margaret LeJeune, around New York, Pennsylvania, and now Arkansas.

• Tell me about your influences and how they shaped your work? What is the key aspect of the work of these photographers that you find more influential to you: style, composition, career, aesthetics?

Michael Kenna, Gregory Crewdson, Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison, and Simen Johan. Obviously Micheal Kenna for making beautiful images at night. Crewdson, ParkeHarrison, and Johan all make surreal images, some of which are quite beautiful as well. I know what my subjects are going to be, the most important aspect for my images is that they are beautiful, realistic, and at the same time at least somewhat surreal.

• What comes to you next? Are you lining for a career in fine art or in commercial photography or in both?

I know it’s difficult, maybe next to impossible, to make a living doing fine art, but that’s my goal right now. I apply to almost every juried show that accepts photography that I find, and with the recent news about the world photography awards shortlist, I’ve started applying directly to galleries and museums.

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© Ye Rin Mok

I like a lot the simplicity and the casual look of the work of Ye Rin Mok. In this time of overly complex [or manipulated] images in the commercial area it is very nice to see work that focuses on the fundamentals of the aesthetics, with simple and nice compositions that work very effectively. Ye Rin Mok, maintains the same style, casual but beautiful, when photographing portraits, fashion, objects or the landscape.

© Ye Rin Mok

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© Wakaba Noda

I like photography of unremarkable subjects that become “remarkable images” because they make me think, they make me wonder, they make me search for the meaning of what I see. Wakaba Noda, a young photographer from Japan and residing in Sweden, has good examples of images that intrigue me. Her recent work, Making a Map, has just been published by Farewellbooks.

“Trying to create a perfect place by assembling photographs of small wonders, Noda makes a map of a world not defined by geography, but by the possibilities that photography offers.” – Farewellbooks

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“The ability to keep things in perspective is very important for a journalist. In a tense situation you need the ability to be there, yet somehow step aside; to keep a cool head and keep working without getting frustrated.” -Philip Jones Griffiths

“Not since Goya has anyone portrayed war like Philip Jones Griffiths” – Henri Cartier-Bresson

Some photographers report stories, some report history. Few of them make history with their work. Philip Jones Griffiths was one of them. A photographer that elevated the job of photojournalism to the point of affecting events, not just reporting them. Recently, Philip Jones Griffiths passed away, and I wanted to post something in his memory.

At Magnum’s blog there is a beautiful essay by Stuart Franklin remembering Philip Jones Griffiths, who was with Magnum since 1966. Of all his extraordinary work in photojournalism, the period that defined most his career was the War of Vietnam, where he created a very large body of photography, some of which was published in several books that are one of the most important visual references of that war: Vietnam Inc, [images]; Agent Orange [images]; Viet Nam at Peace [images].

Agent Orange, a book reporting the consequences of the use of this lethal agent, is a report to never forget, a book that had significant impact at the time. One of the best pieces of photojournalism ever done.

A retrospective book of his work, Dark Odyssey [images], covers his forty-years in photojournalism from his native Wales to the villages of Vietnam, Europe, Africa, and Asia in more than one hundred black-and-white photographs.

At the Musarium website you can find a very interesting interview with Philip Jones Griffiths (video clips) where he narrates the purpose of the book “Vietnam Inc” as well as other topics related with photography. At photohistories there is another great interview with the photographer and at his website you will find extensive information on his work.

© Philip Jones Griffiths (Magnum)

“The first picture of his [Henri Cartier-Bresson] I ever saw was during a lecture at the Rhyl camera club. I was 16 and the speaker was Emrys Jones. He projected the picture upside down. Deliberately, to disregard the subject matter to reveal the composition. It’s a lesson I’ve never forgotten.” -Philip Jones Griffiths

Philip Jones Griffiths crafted a large body of work where composition played a key role in the visual aesthetics of his photography. This wonderful image above is an example of exquisite composition. A perfect arrangement of the subjects in the foreground with large lines driving the viewer towards the end of the street, thus providing situational context while revealing the energy of the moment.

[In memory of the late Philip Jones Griffiths, with respect. MGG]

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© Louie Palu

Ben Hogan from Planet of the Books was kind to inform me about the interview he just posted with photographer Louie Palu. His recent work, Cage Call, was awarded with the Critical Mass Award Book, and published in a book with 50 images. The purpose of this project was to describe visually the live of miners in northern Canada, capturing day-to-day activities of these workers below and above ground. You can see the images at his website. L. Palu is working on a multimedia of this work that will be posted at his website in the future. It should be quite interesting when it is available; this a perfect project for the use of multimedia.

Sometimes I will wait in a spot for minutes or hours, I go on gut feeling and instinct. In the end I spend as much time shooting as possible. I like to think a lot about what I am doing and then after I have shot, forming concepts and ideas as to the kind of emotion, light and form I feel best combines to find the picture I need to say what I feel. There is no model really, I feel it and I shoot.

As for editing, I spend a lot of time editing. People underestimate the power of good photo editing. I have had many great teachers, the two which made the most impact on me are John G. Morris and Ken Light. For me moments happen and I capture them with the camera if I am lucky. The editing process is to build a body or sequence of images that come together to say one thing or how I feel.- Louie Palu

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© Alexey Titarenko (“City of Shadows”)

Russian photographer’s work, Alexey Titarenko [b.1962], blends the temporal aspect of life with the solid presence of streets and cityscapes. Images of change and images of immutability.

By using long exposures, he creates images where humanity appears fragile, ghost-like, temporal, perhaps even insubstantial. The mood of his photographic work, sad in a way, melancholic in others, conveys the contradictory feeling of immutability and change. The change that that occurred in St.Petersburg after the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s and the slow process of a society that was fixed in a dictatorial regime and wanted to emerge from its dark past, was the driver for his work “City of Shadows“.

To see his remarkable photography you will need to visit several online websites. Lens Culture has some images of his series “City of Shadows” including an interview with the photographer. At Lens Culture you can also find some images of his work in Cuba, “Habana Sketches“, made between 2003 and 2006. Other online galleries, including work from his series “Venice”, can be seen here.

© Alexey Titarenko (“Venice”)

© Alexey Titarenko (“Habana Sketches”)

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“The Blue Hole”, by Robert B. Hass

For some reason I find myself posting little about nature photography. Not that I don’t like it, but it happens that it is difficult to see images that are truly distinct and not overdone clichés. Because of that, I try to look at nature photography from the point of view of descriptive photography: a nice representation of the beautiful world we live in. I don’t try to ask or look for more than a beautiful image of a beautiful subject. I try to put “originality” on the side when looking at the images.

One type of nature photography that is always striking is areal photography, with Yann Arthus-Bertrand being the most recognized photographer in this genre, and his work “Earth from Above” one of the most sold photobooks in the history of photography.

By now, aerial photography has become more of a chiclé but I am going to do an exception and refer to the work “Through the Eyes of the Condor” by Robert B. Hass, from the National Geographic (book). The images are as good as it gets; great areal photography from south America.

The online virtual gallery posted at National Geographic with accompanying audio narration by the photographer is a great example of the use of digital technologies in the web to display photography. [the images are small in the online gallery, but you can download desktop size images, to decorate your computer].

Even when this are beautiful images, somehow, I feel a bit hollow, with a sense that I have seen similar images way too often to really appreciate them as – perhaps – I should. Even when I don’t ask for “originality” in nature photography, the reality is that without “originality” I loose interest on the image quite rapidly. Look at the example above of the Blue Hole in Belize. Really beautiful place and image, but a cliché by now.

Do you get the same feeling about nature photography? Is it too repetitive for you to feel interested? Do you ask for originality in nature photography? Are you just satisfied with an image of a beautiful subject?

It is possible to be both descriptive [photograph the natural world] and create unique artistic images where not only the subject but the composition, the light, the image itself, the quality of the print, are truly distinct. But very few photographers are able to provide a unique and original view of nature, ala Nick Brandt.

After all, it is not that different from any other photographic genre, indeed.

It is all about “originality”.

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