Dave Jordano October 16, 2009
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in United States.Tags: United States
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From the book “Articles of Faith” storefront Churches of Chicago
Dave Jordano (b. 1948, Detroit, Michigan) received his degree in photography from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit in 1974. Moving to Chicago in 1977 he established a successful freelance photography studio and for 30 years he specializing in food and product photography, shooting major campaigns for national and international clients. Since his return to fine art/documentary photography, he received the Curator’s Choice Award in the Houston Center for Photography’s annual membership competition in 2004. and was a finalist in Photolucia’s 2006 “Critical Mass” national book award. His first book, “Articles of Faith”, was published by The Center for American Places at Columbia College in 2009. His work is included in The Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
About the Photograph:
“Sometimes pictures are so obvious that they can often sit lurking in the corner of your view without notice. While working on a three and one-half year book project documenting the interior spaces of Chicago’s south-side African American storefront churches I noticed this young girl sitting on a pew playing with a piece of paper, quietly passing the time while watching me work. Minutes went by as she continued to fold and unfolded the piece of paper. It was an odd shape so I asked her what it was. It turned out to be a choir song sheet that was torn into the shape of a heart. All of the songs that members of this church felt were important to sing were indelibly marked on this precious piece of paper. Artifacts like this one, while seemingly insignificant, help define the very core of the cultural and social identity, shared interest, and spiritual awareness of a particular congregation. Their presence defines and articulates the collective unity of the church through their continued use and preservation. I wanted to capture the individual personality of these unique churches mainly through the documentation of their adornment, object placement, and decoration. I asked her to display the paper for me and she collaborated willingly by holding it with the most delicate grip of her fingers.”
Christopher LaMarca October 14, 2009
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in United States.Tags: United States
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Garfield county, Western Colorado 2008
Christopher LaMarca (b. 1975, USA) studied Environmental Studies and Biology at the University of Oregon, a degree that led him to pursue photographic projects documenting environmental issues. His work on the protection of old growth forests against logging garnered him numerous awards, including PDN’s 30 Emerging Photographers, PDN annual 2009 and NPPA’s Best of Photography. His Forest Defender project was featured in the 2006-2007 ICP triennial, Ecotopia; along with being published in both Aperture and Art Review. His first book Forest Defenders: The Confrontational Landscape, was recently published by PowerHouse Books.
About the Photograph:
Linda Allen and her husband take “old abandoned houses and give them love.” She’s lived in Garfield County almost her entire life. Her Rulison home lies within several hundred yards of a gas well. “This has got to be one of the prettiest places that was ever put on the face of the Earth. I get up at five every morning because I love seeing the sun hit that mountain. I have bears that come down in the yard, wild turkeys and coyotes and elk, deer and foxes. We don’t have no pets; these are my pets.”
Jean-Michel Clajot October 12, 2009
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in Benin.Tags: Benin
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Scarification, Benin 2008
Jean-Michel Clajot (b. 1971, Belgium) began his professional career with his first trip to Somalia. After a stint as a photographer for various newspapers, he worked the next 10 years for News Press Agencies in Brussels (Reporters Press Agency). In 2006, he concentrated on Africa. He believes there is much more to this great and unknown continent than war, Aids, hunger, poverty. In 2007, he signed up with Cosmos Photo Agency in Paris, France for worldwide distribution and as well as Aurora Photos for North American sales. He has been working for over three years on scarification in Benin.
About the Photograph:
“Scarification, as a cultural activity, is widely performed across Africa. In essence, it is the practice of incising the skin with a sharp instrument, (such as a knife, glass, stone, or coconut shell) in such a way as to control the shape of the scar tissue on various parts of the body. Cicatrisation is a special form of scarification, whereby a gash is made in the skin with a sharp instrument, and irritation of the skin caused by applying caustic plant juices forms permanent blisters. Dark pigments such as ground charcoal or gunpowder are sometimes rubbed into the wound to provide emphasis. These cuts, when healed, form raised scars, known as keloids. The most complicated cicatrisation was probably found in the Congo Basin and neighboring regions, and among the Akan speakers of West Africa.”
Claudia Wiens October 9, 2009
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in Burma.Tags: Burma, Myanmar
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Buddhist Nunnery in Sagaing, Burma 2008
Claudia Wiens (b. 1972, Germany) is a photojournalist based between Cairo and Istanbul, and she travels frequently to other parts of the world for her work. She contributes regularly to international publications such as Geo, BBC, Marie Claire UK, Colors among others. She is the author of two photography books, the recent one about Myanmar. In 2006 she received a project grant from Kulturwerk for her book project about daily life in Myanmar, which she finished in 2009. Her work often portrays unfamiliar aspects of the Middle East, and has frequently been featured in exhibitions in Germany, Egypt, and England. She speaks fluent German, English and Arabic, and is currently studying Turkish. She is represented by Getty Images/Global Assignments.
About the Photograph:
“I was working on my book project about daily life in various parts of Myanmar when I was lucky to find a nunnery in Sagaing where I could stay for as long as I liked. The nun Ma Singha was so kind to share her tiny room with me and introduced me to nunnery life. To my surprise she spoke fluent English and was very talkative and we had lots of giggles at night when we couldn’t sleep because of the humid heat. Life in the nunnery was not a serious matter as one could have expected, in contrary many of the nuns were very light-hearted. Early in the mornings and in the evenings they gathered in their nunnery temple for prayers. This was when I took this picture. The mantras and singing of their prayers always created a wonderful peaceful spiritual atmosphere. I am very grateful that they let me share these moments and gave me a chance to have an insight in their lives.”
Philip Cheung October 7, 2009
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in United Arab Emirates.Tags: United Arab Emirates
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Interviewing Sheikh Talib Bin Saqral Qassimi, UAE 2008
Philip Cheung (b. 1979, Canada) is a photographer based in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. He has worked extensively in the Middle East and specializes in both reportage and portraiture. His clients include: The New York Times, British GQ, Getty Images, Le Monde, Monocle, Conde Nast Traveller, Macleans, The Globe and Mail and Das Magazin (Switzerland). In 2009 Philip was selected for the Magenta Foundation’s Flash Forward book for emerging photographers. He has also been awarded by Photo District News, Applied Arts, Coupe and the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage.
About the Photograph:
“I was on assignment in Ras Al Khaimah, an Emirate that has had to focus on developing the industrial sector as apposed to oil, and is situated in the northern part of the United Arab Emirates that borders with Oman. A writer and I were invited into the palace of Sheikh Talib Bin Saqral Qassimi, the son of the ruler of Ras Al-Khaimah for a rare interview. Inside the majlis (a sitting place) we were drinking tea, coffee and snacking on dates and various sweets when a member of the Royal family came in and passed around traditional incense to the guests, who would wave the smoke into their face and beards.”
Mathew Scott October 5, 2009
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in United States.Tags: United States
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Venice, California 2008
Mathew Scott (b. 1978) was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. At age 21 he moved to San Francisco, where he eventually went to school, and in 2006, he graduated with a BFA in Photography from the Academy of Art. Whether in landscape or portraiture, his camera brings into focus the paradoxical tensions existing just under the surface of everyday life. The juxtaposition of two Americas- the urban and the rural- overlap (and compete) in his photography, as startling images elicit a struggle of dualities. With a throw away gesture, he gives us Yin and Yang, light and dark, compassion and sarcasm. Mathew currently lives in LA, where he continues to impart truths that to a lesser eye would go unnoticed. You can find his images within the pages of your favorite publications,and you can view his ever growing collection of Stock Photography sold exclusively through Veer.
About the Photograph:
“This photo was originally taken as part of my “Observing: Venice” series, but after editing my images for the project, I felt this image was best left on its own. I wanted to capture subtle signs of life, or stories with in the image. I would first find a location I liked, one with all graphical elements I was looking for, then I would set up, and wait for the scene to come alive. Sometimes this takes hours, or sometimes there is always something going on, and I just have to wait for the right moment. Either way, its all about patience.”
Ryan Anson October 2, 2009
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in Philippines.Tags: Philippines
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Wedding Preparations. Davao City, Philippines 2004
Ryan Anson (b. 1978, Kenya) is a freelance photojournalist based in San Francisco, CA. Anson grew up in Kenya, and since 1998, has worked in 20 African, Asian, and Central American countries. A recipient of several journalism grants and fellowships, including from the International Reporting Project (2005) and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting (2007 and 2008), Anson has published stories in a variety of magazines and newspapers such as The Washington Post, The New York Times, Newsweek, TIME-Asia, The Saturday Times Magazine (Times of London,) Smithsonian Magazine, and the San Francisco Chronicle. Anson is currently developing a multimedia project that features his many years of work photographing Southeast Asia’s diverse Muslim minority communities.
About the Photograph:
In late 2001, I received a small seed grant and moved to the southern Philippines to document the various militant groups who have been waging both Marxist and Islamic insurgencies for more than three decades. My work initially concentrated on how the armed conflict routinely displaces local indigenous and Muslim communities. In 2003, I began to focus more on the Islamic culture of this part of the Philippines, a mainly Catholic country made up of 7000 islands and incredibly diverse regional cultures. I shot this image in early 2004 during a wedding near Davao City where a small Muslim minority group called the Kalagan people live amidst millions of Catholic residents. I was initially surprised that the bride let me in the changing room to spend time with she and her relatives as they applied the finishing touches to her dress and make-up. However, like many Filipinos in this region, Joanna and her family welcomed me as a guest and allowed me to photograph them in a very intimate environment. While there are pockets of conservative Muslim communities in the southern region of Mindanao, most families tend to blend a lot of Filipino customs and expressions of culture in their daily lives and sometimes in their practice of Islam.
Grégoire Bernardi September 30, 2009
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in England.Tags: England
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From the series “The New Burlesque”, England 2008
Grégoire Bernardi (B. 1983, France) began as a self-taught photographer from the age of seven. He began studies in art and photography at ETPA in Toulouse until 2003 later returning to Marseille where he worked as a reporter-photographer from 2003 to 2007 with the “Reportages” agency. In 2008, he relocated to London to continue his personal work. His photographs have been published in: VSD (Fr), Les Inrockuptibles (Fr), Groove (Fr), Playboy (French and Italian edition), L’Express (Fr), Let’s Motiv (Fr), Men’s Health (Fr), (Fr), Nautiques (Netherland), Ship & Shore ( Germany), 20 Minutes (Fr), Le Journal du Dimanche (Fr), Le Monde (Fr), and The Times (Uk).
About the Photograph:
“This picture was taken at the Shepherds Bush Hall, in West London. I was working with a journalist on a project about the New Burlesque in England and we asked to photograph the duo Pustra & Vileen because they looked like very different than other performers. When I start the shooting, a pianist was playing downstairs, and the ambiance became very quiet and warm. I went on the other side of the bar, it was very small so it was difficult to move. I said nothing to them, the music gave them their cue as they changed their poses very slowly and followed the lens with their eyes. The ambiance was like a old silent movie, something was happening between us, it’s hard to explain, but we didn’t need any words to speak together. During those kinds of situations, I know why I decided to be a photographer.”
Jan Banning September 28, 2009
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in India.Tags: India
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Surinder Kumar Mandal, tax inspector, Bihar India
Jan Banning (b.1954, Netherlands) was born from Dutch-East-Indies parents. He studied social and economic history at the University of Nijmegen and has been working as a photographer since 1981. His documentary work, rooted in both art and journalism, has been exhibited and published widely in books, magazines and newspapers. The central concern in his work is the theme of state power; Banning has produced series on the world of government bureaucracy (which received a World Press Photo and several other awards) and the long-term consequences of war. Currently he is working on a portrait series of World War II “comfort women” in Indonesia.
About the Photograph:
“This photo is from the self-initiated project Bureaucratics, resulting in a book (published by Nazraeli) and travelling exhibition of 50 photographs: the product of an anarchist’s heart, a historian’s mind and an artist’s eye. It is a comparative photographic study of the culture, rituals and symbols of state civil administrations and its servants in eight countries, selected on the basis of polical, historical and cultural considerations: Bolivia, China, France, India, Liberia, Russia, the United States, and Yemen. In India I visited hundreds of offices of members of the executive. The visits were unannounced and the accompanying writer, Will Tinnemans, by interviewing kept the employees from tidying up or clearing the office. That way, the photos show what a local citizen would be confronted with when entering.”
Penny de los Santos September 25, 2009
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in United States.Tags: United States
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Tejano culture in Laredo, Texas, 2002
Penny de los Santos (b.1968, Wurzberg Germany, U.S. Military Base) is a documentary photographer based in Texas. Her clients include National Geographic Magazine, Saveur Magazine, Time Magazine, Newsweek among others. She has received numerous awards and grants including the World Press Joop Swart Master Class, National Geographic Photography Grant, National Press Photographer’s Association College Photographer of the Year 1998, 1998 Recipient National Geographic Photography Internship, Kodak Eddie Adams Workshop Grant, Marty Forsher Fellowship from the Parson’s School of Design NYC and a Kodak Profession Grant in conjunction with World Press Master class.
About the Photograph:
“In 2002 I was awarded the National Geographic Photography Grant to continue my ongoing documentary work on the Texas/Mexican border and Tejano culture. This region of Texas is a place where cultures clash and are constantly being redefined. I spent a total of four years developing the body of work, to this day I am still documenting the culture and the geography. This photograph was taken in the Texas/Mexico border town of Laredo. The young woman is being fitted for a dress by the designer, at right, her mother and designers assistants. She is being introduced into “high society” at a ball and pageant that happens annually by the Society Of Martha Washington. This induction into “high society” is based on family heritage and class and has been passed down from generation to generation since the 1950’s.”
