T.J. Kirkpatrick February 12, 2015

The Spot Bar in Steubenville, Ohio 2012

T.J. Kirkpatrick (b. 1984, USA) is an independent photographer living in Washington, D.C. while working on long-term projects across the country. T.J.’s work is split between seeking the connections shared by different people and observing the quirks of American cultures. After receiving a degree in journalism from Boston University, he spent several years on the staff at various newspapers in New England. He has since worked throughout the U.S., in East Africa and Southeast Asia, and in 2009 was an intern for VII Photo Agency and a student at Eddie Adams Workshop XXII. His work has been recognized by the American Photography 28, 29 & 30 annuals, the International Photography Awards, and NPPA Best of Photojournalism, among others. T.J.’s clients include Esquire, Time Magazine, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

About the Photograph:

“This image is from the final weeks of the 2012 presidential election, when I based myself in Ohio to freelance for a variety of clients who had me running all across the state. I had already spent many months on-and-off of the campaign trail in various states in 2011 and 2012. Steubenville is a steel town on the Ohio River that has seen a steady population decline since many steel mills in the area closed in the 1980s. While I was there, Bloomberg contacted me looking for images of the campaign away from the candidates. I spent a day with volunteers for both the Obama and Romney campaigns covering their various phone bank and canvassing efforts, and another day at local hangouts like The Spot Bar making daily life features. Since it was expected that Ohio would be instrumental in picking the next president in the 2012 election, it felt like a good spot to place myself for the last couple of weeks before election day.”

“I spent a good deal of my time on the campaign trail trying to show the set-up, or, if you will, peaking behind the curtain to see the guy manipulating the wizard. Part of that effort involved meeting the people who were expected to buy into the show, and I got the sense that many of the locals were just worn out from the extended and aggressive campaign. The number of undecided voters in Ohio counties that had any chance of a swing were pretty small, but both campaigns had huge get-out-the-vote machines in place that caught up the deciders along with any voters who could be swayed. By the end of October it had all gotten a bit overwhelming, which is some of the feeling I tried to show with this bar scene from The Spot Bar in Steubenville, Ohio.

Jessica Todd Harper February 5, 2015

Mary Ann, Marshall and Becky. USA 2012

Jessica Todd Harper (b. 1975, USA) spent hours of her childhood wandering around museums looking at depictions of interior and family life by painters such as Mary Cassatt, Vermeer, John Singer Sargent and John White Alexander. After a childhood of copying these masters with crayons and later pastels, she turned to photography and started looking at the families around her. The sold out “Interior Exposure” (Damiani 2008) won recognition from sources as varied as Oprah Magazine, PDN, and the Lucie Awards.  Her latest book “The Home Stage” was recently published and with many painterly references, looks at family life with young children. Jessica’s work is collected by museums and appears regularly in publications ranging from Die Zeit to Real Simple. She is represented by Rick Wester Fine Art.

About the Photograph:

“This is a portrait of my cousin, my sister, an ancestor from four  generations ago and my ketchup stained little boy. We were all gathered for cocktails and dinner at my uncle’s house, a space where the family members from the past simply take up a lot of wall space. So it is likely that wherever you are, there is a painting of an ancestor in the background. This photograph is part of my book The Home Stage, that explores the home environment and life with small children in my family and friends’ families. In this particular image of multiple generations, I am reminded how much our environments and the stories we hear about our families influence us. The ancestor in the painting, Mary Ann, is shown at the age of 16. Hers is a tragic story as she died in the Arctic, the biggest steamship disaster before the Titanic.  I grew up hearing about the adventures and tragedies of long ago family as if they were still with us.  And sometimes, as in this photograph, it is almost as if they are”.

Robbie McClaran February 2, 2015

From the project Hot Rod and Betties. Portland Oregon 2014

Robbie McClaran (b.1955) is a documentary photographer based in Portland Oregon. His work focuses on the American people and landscape. Robbie began his study in photography in 1975 at the Center for Photographic Studies with C.J. Pressma, and continued at the Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester NY, where he studied with Nathan Lyons. His commissioned work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Time, Smithsonian, Esquire, Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated, Bloomberg and Forbes. The prints from his controversial 1996 book project, Angry White Men, are in the permanent collection of the University of Oregon. His personal work has been featured in Plazm, Photo District News, The Photo Review, ID Design, and has been recognized by the American Institute of Graphic Arts, American Photography, and Communication Arts. Robbie is represented by Redux Pictures.

About the Photograph:

“Most of my recent personal work has been large or medium format black & white film based projects that involved traveling to other parts of the country. I began to think about working closer to home on a series of short stories, one or two day projects working with a small camera in color. The first of these was on Hot Rod culture and I began with the Portland Roadster show. My idea was to juxtapose images of the cars with the people who are the car builders, collectors and fans. I’ve always had a little bit of gear head in me so not only did the show present a wonderfully colorful opportunity, it was a lot of fun.”

“Hot Rod culture is unapologetically macho and the women who are part of it are known as Betties. In an age of increasing concern over the impact of the automobile on the environment, hot rod culture continues to celebrate speed, chrome, oil, rubber and steel. It is quintessentially American for better or worse. The idea was to shoot fast and loose, not quite shoot from the hip but almost. So there’s a high failure rate working that way. But you also get these wonderful moments that would otherwise escape with a more deliberate approach. This image of the red haired young woman was made in the method described above, a fleeting moment in passing. So I was particularly pleased to see the resulting image.”