Joseph O. Holmes April 8, 2011
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in United States.Tags: United States
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Columbus Circle, New York City 2005
Joseph O. Holmes (b. 1954, USA) was raised in a factory town in rural Pennsylvania where his father taught him how to develop and print photos in the home darkroom. Joe has exhibited in dozens of group and solo shows in the United States. Among other awards, he was honored with a Curator’s Commendation at the Houston Center for Photography (2010), first prize in MPLS Photo Center’s 2010 Portraits Exhibition, Honorable Mention in the Silver Eye Gallery’s Fellowship Competition (2008), and Honorable Mention in the PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris Competition (2007). He was a winner (2010) and finalist (2007) in Critical Mass/Photolucida and twice invited to the Review Santa Fe juried portfolio review (2007 and 2010). Joe is represented by The Jen Bekman Gallery (NYC) and Wall Space (Santa Barbara and Seattle).
About the Photograph:
“I was once invited to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade from the enormous windows of Jazz at Lincoln Center, fives stories above Columbus Circle, and I thought I’d take the most amazing photos. But after an hour up there, I couldn’t get a single interesting shot. It just wasn’t happening. I finally gave up, put away my camera, and sat down, only to look up and see what I’d been missing the whole time: across the room against the windows was a row of silhouettes apparently looking out over the late autumn leaves of Central Park. The scene had nothing whatsoever to do with a parade. And so I got out my camera and took what became one of my favorite shots. I’ve never forgotten the lesson I learned that day: I have no obligation to document a scene or an event. My job is to look around for an image that will make me happy. Sometimes I come home with a wonderful picture that’s 180 degrees from what I thought I’d be shooting.”
Carey Kirkella April 4, 2011
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in United States.Tags: United States
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Julia throwing doll, Middletown, New York 2008
Carey Kirkella (b. 1977, USA) studied photography and media arts at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY; earning a BFA in 1999. Her work has been recognized by the Santa Fe Center for Photography, the International Photography Awards and Critical Mass. She was included in the Noorderlicht International Photography Festival, and in the recent book ‘Flash Forward – Emerging Photographers 2009′ by The Magenta Foundation. In October 2009, she received the ‘Kick Award’ through the international competition ’10 Best 10′ by WIN-Initiative and Resource magazine.
About the Photograph:
“This image is from an ongoing documentary portrait project about my niece Julia as she grows up in Middletown, NY. It was Easter and my brother and I were sitting on the floor of our sister’s living room. Julia handed me one end of a jump-rope and then simultaneously flung her doll in the air while turning the other end of the rope. It was one of those split second moments that I would never be able to recreate if I tried. Julia is a healthy seven year old girl full of life and creativity and drama. She’s an only child. I’ve been photographing her regularly every few months since she was about three years old. I hope to capture the spirit of her childhood, and to explore ideas about growing up in a typical, middle class family in a suburban town in America today. She inspires me.”
Scott Strazzante March 28, 2011
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in United States.Tags: United States
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From the “Common Ground” Project. Lockport, Illinois 2000/2009
Scott Strazzante (b.1964, USA) was born and raised in the shadows of the steel mills on the far southeast corner of Chicago. The son of a tire dealer, Scott first became interested in photography when he started taking his dad’s Canon AE-1 to Chicago White Sox games. After graduating from Ripon College, he began, what has now been, a 24-year career at Chicago-area newspapers. In 2000, while employed at The Herald News in Joliet, Scott was named National Newspaper Photographer of the Year by the National Press Photographers Association and the Missouri School of Journalism. In 2007, he won 2nd place in POYi’s Newspaper Photographer of the Year competition. A seven time Illinois Photographer of the Year, Scott spent the last nine years at the Chicago Tribune where he works as a general assignment photographer.
About the Photograph:
“In 1994, I told, in images, a simple tale of two senior citizen cattle farmers who lived and worked on a 118-acre tract of land in Lockport, Illinois, thirty-five miles southwest of Chicago. After publication, I continued to document the daily lives of those farmers, Harlow and Jean Cagwin, on my own time as a personal project and that work eventually evolved into a study of aging, the disappearing family farm and suburban sprawl. In 2007, the story turned into something totally different, when I started photographing the Grabenhofer family, who live at the end of a Willow Walk subdivision cul de sac, on the very land that the Cagwins once toiled. The study of the two seemingly disparate ways of life is told in diptychs, comparing and contrasting the lives of the Cagwins and the Grabenhofers.” (more…)
Max Whittaker March 14, 2011
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in United States.Tags: United States
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Kids Playing in Trailer Park, Olivehurst, California 2004
Max Whittaker (b. 1976, USA) is a freelance photojournalist based in Sacramento, Calif. He studied history at the University of California, Davis, and became interested in photojournalism while on a climbing trip in South America. Max worked at newspapers in Iowa and California before going freelance in 2004. He’s covered the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, presidential campaigns, and social issues in California. He’s a regular contributor to The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Getty Images, and is a founding member of the Prime collective.
About the Photograph:
“This picture is part of a project I shot over six months on the dissolution of the Andina Village Trailer Park in Olivehurst, California – near Sacramento. The park had been taken over by the county for unpaid taxes, and sold to a developer. The residents were evicted, but had a hard time finding new housing that’s as cheap as the trailer park. The park was terribly rundown, dangerous, but I marveled at the way the kids seemed to ignore all of it. They played on the decaying trailers and molding furniture, seeming to have much more fun than other kids their age who had fancy toys or video games. At one point, they were goofing around and seven-year-old Quentin Lay innocently balanced some coins on his eyes as a friend crept up behind to scare him. Eventually, the park was bulldozed. The residents moved away, often out of state to find cheaper living expenses. The developer has yet to build on the lot and it’s now a vacant lot choked with weeds.”
Wenjie Yang March 3, 2011
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in United States.Tags: United States
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Joann, Brooklyn, NY, 2010
Wenjie Yang (b. 1978, China) is a freelance photographer currently based in New York City. She graduated from the International Center of Photography’s Documentary Photography and Photojournalism Program in 2010. Wenjie earned a BFA from the Beijing Film Academy and comes to photography with a background in advertising production and production of movie crews. Her work have been published in National Geographic, The New York Times, Travel + Leisure, Marie Claire, Elle Décor, Oggi, Burn Magazine, Lens, and Voyage. Past exhibitions include: Low City at 456 Gallery, New York (2010), Of Bodies And Other Things at ICP, New York (2010), Xiaobing Xu National Photography Museum, Tongxiang, China (2010).
About the Photograph:
“Joann is from an immigrant Korean family. At the age of 26, she is already working as a curator and director of a gallery specializing in Asian arts located at in the Chelsea art district in New York. When I saw her for the first time she was taking a cigarette break outside her gallery, waist-touching long straight hair, looking seductive and free. She gladly accepted my invitation for a portrait session after a brief conversation. I went to her apartment in Brooklyn and I was warmly welcomed by her. One of Joann’s first questions was ‘what do you want me to do?’ My answer was simply just be yourself, as if I am not here.” (more…)
Rachel Mummey February 14, 2011
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in Ohio University, United States.Tags: United States
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Urban Dreams. Iowa City, USA 2010
Rachel Mummey (b.1983, United States) has spent the last two years working towards a Master’s in Photography from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Her work has been featured in Photo District News and News Photographer magazines and online at New York Times Lens Blog, The Neiman Storyboard, Multimedia Muse and Kobre Guide websites. Most recently she was awarded as the 65th College Photographer of the Year with stories placing gold and silver in the documentary category as well as gold in individual multimedia story. She was awarded the 2010 Kit King Scholarship by the National Press Photographer’s Association. Pictures of the Year International recognized her photography in 2009. Currently she’s interning at The Palm Beach Post.
About the Photograph:
“I made this image while documenting a project about youth in families who have moved to Iowa City, Iowa from Chicago. I returned to my hometown after moving away for graduate school to find myself looking at my community with an outsider’s perspective. I heard many people from my community making blanket generalizations about socio-economically disadvantaged families who were moving from Chicago. I wanted to bear witness to these families lives just to see what their lives were like. Historically, railroads, rivers and other barriers have segregated towns, like Iowa City, all across the United States. This was a program called Urban Dreams that teaches disadvantaged youth how to ride horses. The program was only up and running for a handful of weeks before it fell apart. This particular image is when Arthur first meets the horse he is going to learn to ride. Although it was clear that he and the other kids were out of their element, they protested that they knew how to ride horses already. I was trying to contrast the urban culture with the rural environment.”
William DeShazer January 27, 2011
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in United States.Tags: United States
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Marching Band Members, Illinois 2009
William DeShazer (b. 1981, USA) is a Photojournalist currently working for the Chicago Tribune. He graduated from Western Kentucky University in 2007 with a degree in Photojournalism. William has held internships with The Idaho Statesman, The Flint Journal, The Herald (Jasper, IN) and The Dallas Morning News. He has freelanced for The Courier-Journal, The Star-Ledger, and Golf Week and was a staff photographer with the Concord Monitor. William has been recognized by College Photographer of the Year, Photographer of the Year, and the National Press Photographers Association. In 2006 he earned First Place honors for Photojournalism in the National Hearst Journalism Awards Championship. William also won first place for the 2009 Illinois Photographer of the Year.
About the Photograph:
“Marian Catholic High School color guard member Jasmin Weaver, bottom right, puts her make-up on with other members of the color guard before the bands final performance at Bands of America Regional Championships. In situations like this I always find myself circling the individuals or group and just keeping my eyes open for something a little different. The color guard makeup was so elaborate I knew I wanted to make a photo that involved it to fit the story. The Marian Catholic Marching Band has been to the Grand Nationals and won more than any other school in America. They have won seven times and are the only school to win three years in a row. This is from an essay following them through the State Competition, the Regional’s Competition, and the Bands of America Grand Nationals Championships during their 2009 season.”
Bryan Thomas January 17, 2011
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in Ohio University, United States.Tags: United States
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Nelsonville, Ohio 2010
Bryan Thomas (b. 1982, USA) is completing a master’s degree at Ohio University’s School of Visual Communication. Bryan graduated from Dartmouth College with a degree in English, in 2005. Following college, Bryan worked on the editorial at GQ Magazine for over two years; ultimately, returning to school in the fall of 2008. He has since taken classes at the School of Visual Arts, the International Center of Photography, and the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. Bryan interned at The Concord Monitor and attended the Eddie Adams Workshop in 2010. He’s been recognized by PDNedu, Sportsshooter.com, and The Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar. His work has been exhibited at the Getty Images Gallery in London. In January 2011, he’ll begin a six-month internship at the St. Petersburg Times.”
About the Photograph:
“This photo was taken in Nelsonville, Ohio during the winter of 2010. After driving around with a group of teenagers looking for a fight, Sean Stump was leaning out the window of a friend’s car to see if his opponent was going to show up. During that winter, I’d begun a project “The Things We Did While You Were Gone” about growing up in the town of Carbondale, Ohio. Carbondale, like many towns in Southeast Ohio, was a former coal town that, after decades of relative success, had fallen into decline and disrepair since the extractive industry had left town. The odds facing these kids were staggering. At least one-third of Carbondale was living below the poverty line, the median age of a household was only 26 (ten years below the national average) and a combination of drug-addiction, crime, and/or disability had effected almost all of the households where I spent time.” (more…)
Reed Young January 12, 2011
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in United States.Tags: United States
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Barrow, Alaska 2010
Reed Young (b. 1982, USA) is a freelance photographer based in New York. After graduating from Brooks Institute in 2005, he was awarded a year long residency at FABRICA, the Communication Research Center of Benetton Group in Treviso, Italy. At FABRICA he worked for a number of publications while finding his voice in journalistic portraiture. He has worked for publications including New York Magazine, Dwell, Fast Company, Inc., Wired Italy, GQ Italy, Colors Magazine, Ventiquattro, D La Repubblica, and Apollo. In March he was selected as one of 2010′s PDN 30 up and coming photographers to watch.
About the Photograph:
“In April of 2010 I traveled 300 miles north of the arctic circle to the small town of Barrow, Alaska. I wanted to focus on this town for many reasons, but the most interesting to me was that over 40 percent of the residents are non-native people who have immigrated to Barrow with the hopes of making more money than they did back home. To do this I needed to learn both sides of the story and I was lucky to meet the Panigeo’s, a native family who live at the edge of town. This is a photograph of the head of the family, Mabel Panigeo. Only recently have modern amenities like the Internet, television and brand-name clothing become available in this isolated town. Like most of the older natives, she hand made this traditional Eskimo parka from a pattern that has been passed down for more than 1,000 years. Mabel is concerned that her grandchildren’s generation will lose the traditional Inupiat values and customs if she doesn’t continue to reinforce their integrity.”
Bryan Shih December 6, 2010
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Halfway House. Richmond, Virginia
Bryan Shih (b. 1969, USA) works on long-term, self-funded documentary portraiture projects. He switched from radio and print journalism (NPR, The Financial Times) to photography a few years ago under a Fulbright-sponsored project in Japan documenting a 14th generation sword maker, before returning to the University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism to complete his masters, with a project on Prison Converts to Islam. Among several ongoing projects, he is currently working with a prominent veterans organization on a project slated for the 2012 San Francisco International Arts Festival.
About the Photograph:
“I took this portrait of Abdel Ameen at the industrial laundry where he worked in Richmond, Virginia. Abdel converted to Islam in prison and was a resident at Hijrah House, one of the only Islamic halfway houses in the United States. Transitioning out of prison back into society is difficult for anyone, but the scarcity of Islamic centered re-entry resources often adds to the obstacles confronting prison converts to Islam. I spent the week living with him and several other residents as part of my graduate thesis. A lot of the people I photograph are from groups and communities that are on the margins, and that does something to their psychology. It’s a challenge and an honor when I can get them to trust me and reveal something unexpected and real – at least for that instant when my shutter is open and the light is cooperating.”
Jonathan Hanson November 29, 2010
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in United States.Tags: United States
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Martin Luther King Day, Baltimore MD 2009
Jonathan Hanson (b.1981, USA) received his B.A. in Magazine Journalism and English from Drake University and attended Ohio University’s Visual Communications MFA for a year and attended the Eddie Adams Workshop in 2010. He has been based in Baltimore for the past two and a half years after spending close to a year between Santa Fe, NM and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico where he worked for the Santa Fe Workshops. After his adventures in Mexico, he returned to the U.S. and began his freelance career. His work has been recognized by The Magenta Foundation Flash Forward Award 2010, the National Press Photographers Association and The International Color Awards. Clients include, The Wall Street Journal, The London Times, The New York Times, Bloomberg News, NPR, The Advocate, AARP Bulletin and USA Today among others.
About the Photograph:
“On a snowy MLK day in January 2009, I headed down to MLK blvd. to photograph Baltimore’s annual parade as part of a project I have been working on about Baltimore’s struggle with violence, poverty and violence. My goal with this project is to show the harsh realities while maintaing the pride and resilience of the subjects and community members. The young man in the image greatly symbolized the attitude I am trying to convey and furthermore, it was captured on a day where the community gathered together to celebrate progress and a national icon.”
Magnus Wennman November 26, 2010
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Senior Sweetheart Beauty Pageant, USA 2006
Magnus Wennman (b.1980, Sweden) has been working as a photojournalist since the age of 17 when he started his career with a local newspaper, DalaDemokraten, in Sweden. Since 2001 he has worked as a staff photographer with Scandinavia’s biggest daily paper, Aftonbladet. He has prestigious awards both in Sweden and internationally including two from World Press Photo and nine from Picture of the Year International.
About the Photograph:
“Doris Ulrich, Ruth Gibson and Francesca Piscottano ready themselves in the dressing rooms. Once a year a group of elderly women meet in Fall River, a small village south of Boston, to answer the fairy tale yet still modern age old question: Who is the prettiest in the land? There are many beauty pageants, but just one Ms. Senior Sweetheart competition: this pageant is the only one in the world for women aged 58 and over. Since 1978 the pageant has invited women from all over America to spend eleven days in Fall River, starting with dress rehearsals, practicing their group performance and excursions around New England. The contest peaks with the “Ladies Ball” and the crowning of the new queen.”
Greg Kahn November 18, 2010
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Naples, Florida
Greg Kahn (b. 1981, USA) started his photography career as one of ten recipients of a week long trip studying under National Geographic photographers during the North American Nature Photography Annual Summit in San Diego. After graduating from George Washington University, Greg worked at a the Independent Tribune, a small daily newspaper outside of Charlotte, North Carolina. He then moved to Naples, Florida for a staff position at the Naples Daily News in 2007. Recently his work on the the housing foreclosure crisis in Florida garnered him awards in both Pictures of the Year International and the NPPA’s Best of Photojournalism including the 2010 NPPA Photojournalist of the year (small markets) and the 2008 and 2009 NPPA National Clip Photographer of the Year.
About the Photograph:
“This image of Lee Shearer, 13, was taken at the starting line before the Naples Fitness Challenge Triathlon. I was positioning myself to make photos of the runners sprinting off the start line, when I noticed the teenager standing uncomfortably in front of all the competitors. It was odd to see such a young athlete in front of the field of adults. He seemed lost in his own thoughts as he stood waiting for the starting gun to go off. The other triathletes kept packing in tighter and crowding him as though he didn’t exist. Just then, he took a long deep breath and his cheeks puffed out as he let the air go. I caught up with Shearer after the race and he told me he was intimidated by the field of adult competitors. He explained he competed in the teen triathlon the previous day and was rattled challenging a more experienced group of athletes.”
Laia Abril November 8, 2010
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“Femme Love”, Brooklyn New York 2009
Laia Abril (1986, Spain) holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and studied photography at ICP in New York City. She began working on documentary projects in the Balkans, covering the 13th Funeral of Srebrenica and the Independence of Kosova, first for a Spanish NGO and then for Spanish newspapers. In 2009 and 2010 she was a finalist on the Ian Parry Award participating at the Getty Gallery in London first with her photo project about the young lesbian community in Brooklyn and then with the project ‘The Last Cabaret’ about a porno sex-life club in Barcelona. Most recently she was Editor-In-Chief and photographer of the Dance issue of COLORS Magazine and was awarded a second FABRICA scholarship to develop a personal photo project during the next year.
About the Photograph:
“Femme love is a project that began with the intention of depicting notions of femininity in young lesbian women but which developed into an intimate exploration of a single couple’s love. Mox and Jenny maintain a sincere relationship, ignoring the prejudice and prying eyes that the ‘otherness’ of their relationship attracts. Their chosen home of Brooklyn is to some extent a passport to the freedom they crave, but both have experienced long, difficult and emotional journeys in obtaining their current happiness. They are simply like any other loving couple in their twenties and in love.”
