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"This is what fracking looks like from the surface. The pipes leading into the well head are connected to the trucks in the background. These trucks force water mixed with proppant - sand and tiny ceramic balls that keep the cracks propped open (hence the name) so that oil can flow towards the well pipe - and chemicals down into the well at 10,000 PSI." - John Mireles

The Bakken formation is a rock unit from the Late Devonian to Early Mississippian age occupying about 200,000 square miles of the subsurface of the Williston Basin, underlying parts of Montana, North Dakota, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Oil was first discovered within the Bakken in 1951, but past efforts to produce it have faced technical difficulties. Hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling technologies have caused a boom in Bakken production since 2000 and the area has emerged in recent years as one of the most important sources of oil in the United States. 

Oil production has now outstripped the capacity of the pipelines to ship the oil out. It was Bakken crude oil carried by train that caught fire in the Lac-Megantic derailment in Quebec last year.

In John Mireles' series he combines portraits, landscapes and documentary imagery to tell us about this oil boom in North Dakota.


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Hyper-local is the future. Hoxton Mini-Press is a new publisher making books about East London. You can buy books individually, very reasonably priced at £12.95, or take out a subscription for future books. 

"I've Lived in East London for 85 1/2 Years" is the first from the series 'East London Photo Stories' and features photographs by Martin Usborne of Joseph Markovitch who "has left London only once to go to the seaside with his mother. He loves Nicolas Cage, has five sugars in his tea, would have married a six foot two Hispanic woman but in the end had bad chest catarrh and never had a girlfriend."

The first run is already sold out but a second printing is in the works for next month.

You can see Usborn's photos in '51 Faces of Hackney,' an exhibition on now through March 30th, at The Proud Archivist, 2-10 Hertford Road, London N1.

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All images © Martin Usborne


This is what a free Getty-served embedded image looks like. I'm hoping this means at least any website that gives a shit about how it looks won't be inclined to go this route. 

What I do think it means, and I have been saying this for years, is that if a publisher wants to differentiate themselves from the rabble they will HAVE to pay for content. But if the industry can't provide photographers with enough revenue, they won't be able to produce good content for future consumption by anyone. 

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William Lyon Mackenzie King and Winston Churchill, 1941 © Yousuf Karsh

We're all familiar with the portrait of Winston Churchill that Yousuf Karsh made in December, 1941, after Churchill finished his famous "some chicken, some neck!" speech at the Canadian Parliament. The story behind the Roaring Lion, as the photograph has come to be known, is not apocryphal: Karsh did whip the cigar from Churchill's mouth. But the funniest part of the story is that William Lyon Mackenzie King, Prime Minister of Canada, kind of set Karsh up. He hadn't told Churchill he was to be photographed and Churchill was not amused upon being delivered to Karsh's set. "Why was I not told?" he bellowed, and apparently everyone else in the room laughed. "This did not help my cause any!" complains Karsh, in this fabulous clip from "60 Minutes with Morley Safer." 

Churchill gave Karsh permission to make one more photograph, in which he is smiling broadly, as he is here, where Mr King has clearly enjoyed his little game.

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"Ten thousand impressions of what happened to my friends today"
(10,000 pieces of photographic papers from images posted on my social media in one day. On canvas, 36 x 48 in)

A smart, well-executed, fun, insightful and current project from LA-based architectural photographer and fine artist Chang Kyun Kim. "We are given countless images and abundant info every day and the Internet society seems to connect people with different ideas and thoughts. However, I believe majority of people choose just a few media and the images from these major media play a huge role in defining what's beautiful and ugly, what's good and evil and even what to expect from things that we've never seen or experienced before. In this sense, I believe it is very likely that we all have some similar memories that are directed by the given images.

In this series, I wanted to visualize the state of before or after certain collective memories - that seem to be chaotically diverse and complex, but similarly patterned after all - by deconstructing certain images we often see online and randomly placing the deconstructed particles on canvas."

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Six thousand impressions of Times Square
(6,000 pieces of photographic papers from an image of Times Square in New York City. On canvas, 30 x 40 in)

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Twenty five hundred impressions of the most searched celebrities
(2,500 pieces of photographic papers from images of 10 most searched celebrities in 2012. On canvas, 36 x 48 in)

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Three thousand impressions of U.S. Senators
(3,000 pieces of photographic papers from images of 100 U.S. Senators. On canvas, 30 x 40 in)

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Two thousand impressions of Las Vegas
(2,000 pieces of photographic papers from images of Las Vegas Strip on canvas, 30 x 40 in)

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Twenty five hundred impressions of Central Park in four seasons 
(2,500 pieces of photographic papers from images of Central Park in New York City on canvas, 36 x 48 in)

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Three thousand impressions of Jesus Christ 
(3,000 pieces of photographic papers from a portrait of Jesus Christ on canvas, 30 x 40 in)
All images © Chang Kyun Kim

Take a look at Chang's black-and-white negative renditions of California's modernist architecture in "Recalling modernity in reverse" over at the Photography & Architecture blog.

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From the Harlem series © Harvey Stein

Last year, there was much celebration of the launch of Harvey Stein's new book "Harlem Street Portraits," and his publicity tour continues. Stein will show and discuss images from his 20+ years taking photos in Harlem as well as other images from New York City, on Wednesday, March 5th, 2014, at the Mid-Manhattan Library. 

Stein was interviewed by the inimitable Miss Sara Rosen who kindly gave permission for us to reproduce her article. Enjoy!

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Harlem Street Portraits reveals Stein's reverence and love for the friendliness and warmth of Harlem's everyday men and women, and the vibrant and bustling vitality of a historic place that has been the center of African American life and culture for over 100 years. Shooting with a wide-angle lens, Stein's close encounters with families, couples, friends, the elderly, and youth are honest, direct and involving. Each portrait is more than a depiction of a person; it is an intimate record that necessitates direct engagement between photographer and subject showing the mutuality between people.

We are pleased to have Stein here today to share his thoughts about the work he has done on this project for over a decade.

Please talk about Harlem as you know it, as a place you've described to me as "your office." What is it about the streets uptown, the people, the energies that exist on the sidewalks of this world, a place that makes public life an act of art ?

Harvey Stein: I enjoy going to Harlem since I feel it has a street intensity that isn't found in many places in New York City. It's busy, generally friendly, and really beautiful. The avenues (running north/south) are wide, broad and lovely, with old apartment buildings framing the pavements. The cross streets are often filled with brownstones and lots of trees. I have found that the people are quite friendly, open, and emotional. Indeed, the public life is robust, with people hanging out on stoops, and socializing. I seek out visually interesting environments in which to photograph people, and unfortunately in New York, these environments are being gentrified and commercialized. Harlem hasn't escaped this. It seems cleaner; there is less graffiti, nicer store fronts, new buildings and development, more white faces populating Harlem. It is changing, and I think that my images peripherally document that. But my focus is always on the people and how they interact and get along in their neighborhood.

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Please talk about the portrait, the way in which people compose themselves, for to be asked to be photographed is not only a compliment, but an honor. I'm always interested in the response of subjects, and how it sets the stage for the photograph. What do you enjoy most about the moment?

HS: I'm not sure that people think it's an honor or compliment to be photographed on the streets. In Manhattan, at least in midtown or downtown, I'd say that 50% of the people I approach to be photographed say no, in Brooklyn only 25% refuse, in Harlem, maybe 20% say no. It depends on the day, whether there is an event going on, how I'm working, etc., etc. Some people grudgingly say yes, others seem to really enjoy it. You never really know what the response will be until you try. And that's what I do, I try and keep trying, never getting upset by a refusal, and always keeping on. I stay cool on the streets, not showing how much I might want a shot, and always remain friendly and respectful.

I try to be casual when photographing on the street; I don't really need or want people to do anything other than to be themselves. Poses are not of interest to me, just people being natural. I ask that they look into the camera and not smile. I believe that portraits are stronger and more engaging when the face is serious, and the gaze is direct. So I guide them somewhat, and am not interested in the subjects composing themselves or performing for the camera.

My street photography is different from most other photographers in that I always try to get close, and use wide-angle lenses to reveal my subject in his/her environment and context. I want the environment to suggest things about the subject that may add another layer to the image. For me, a face is usually not enough; I want their body language, the clothes worn, and some of the foreground/background elements. Ultimately, I am seeking to make as strong and evocative an image as possible, but with permission. I don't really enjoy photographing people candidly; this feels empty to me.

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Please talk about that moment of connection, when you, your subject, and your camera connect, capturing a fraction of a second forevermore. After all these years shooting, do you know you "have it"? What do you think that illustrious yet elusive "it" is in the act of street photography ?

HS: I like to think about freezing time with my images, that a person or scene I just photographed will never exist like this again except in the photograph. Nothing makes the passing of time and hence aging more vivid than photography.

I try to speak to my subjects; I want them to be aware of me as I am of them. Perhaps it validates my existence. I seek a collaboration and connection between us, even if very fleeting. I think I enjoy this moment because I am curious and learning something about the person. And learning something about myself. That is my "high".

I sometimes think "wow, that was a great shot, that person really worked with me", and it will result in a wonderful image. It's a feeling not always correct. And it doesn't happen often. For me, that elusive "it" in street photography is when I do make a strong connection with an individual, when we might talk for a few minutes, share the passing scene, and that I photograph 5-10 frames and think I've made a really good image. It's rare, and since I still shoot mostly film on the streets, it takes weeks if not months, sometimes years to realize what I did.

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Stein's archive includes many wonderful bodies of work. Here are some of my favourites from his series 'Coney Island 40 Years."

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From the Coney Islan series. 
All images © Harvey Stein

Thanks to Harvey for his patience!

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Carnival ride, Pontotoc, Mississippi © Betty Press

A decade ago, after many years of living in Africa, photojournalist Betty Press moved to Mississippi. Around 2011, still struggling to feel truly at home, "and being a liberal in politics and religion, I decided the best way to deal with this unease was to explore the state, mostly rural and agricultural, through a series of road trips."

"I started by visiting small communities listed in Mississippi Atlas & Gazetteer, with unusual names like Love, Darling, Expose, Dogtown, Midnight. Often there was very little going on and sometimes it was hard to find the place. When I did, I would look for people out and about. Southern hospitality and politeness are still important and I was welcomed, even as an outsider. Other times I would visit local festivals celebrating music and culture like the Juke Joint Festival and Redneck Festival."

Betty Press is best known for her photographs taken in Africa. We previously published some from the delightful collection "I Am Because We Are - African Wisdom in Image and Proverb." 


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Larissa drying apricots, at the dacha. From the essay A Radiant Shoreline on the Horizon. © Simon Crofts

"Paradise is made from a mixture of cow shit and straw."

In the Land of Endless Expectations is a project consisting of six picture poems about the Slav heartlands, by Simon Crofts, with accompanying essays and stories. Simon is rolling them out so sign up for updates.

A rich project that you will lose yourself to. Get tea!

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Slava at home, Kherson, Ukraine

"Some, as I did, sink into a torpor and think of how to "shed the burden of time". Deep inside they often cherish the mad hope of surviving to a future in which they will recover their lost selves - something that will be possible only when true values have come into their own again. Their whole life consists of waiting for the first glimpse of a promised land, like a radiant shoreline on the horizon. Even though no such thing has ever existed on our planet, and never will, they have no eyes for anything else."
Hope Abandoned, Nadezhda Mandelstam

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Serguei and Svetlana at home, Kherson, Ukraine

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Koktebel, Crimea. All images © Simon Crofts

Nadezhda Mandelstam's husband, the poet Osip Mandelstam, picked up pebbles from the beach of Koktebel, put them in his pocket and carried them back to Moscow. In his essay Conversation about Dante he consulted his Koktebel pebbles to help him understand Dante. He was not alone - in the film Roads to Koktebel, by directors Khlebnikov and Popogrebskiy, the village of Koktebel becomes a kind of place of pigrimage, a name symbolising some kind of promised land that you begin to doubt even exists, for a young boy crossing Ukraine on his own trying to be reunited with his father.

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Michelle Dunn Marsh has been in the world of book publishing for 20 years. She and her partners have recently launched a new company, Minor Matters, that is printing under a non-traditional model, sort of print-on-demand. Books are $50 and they only go into print once a minimum of 500 buyers have committed. 

Why 500 people?
"We are interested in cultural resonance and in community. It is our belief that if we cannot generate a minimum audience of 500 people willing to commit $50 for the project to exist as a book, then the work may find its public life in other forms. A minimum of 500 orders at $50 is a break-even financial proposition."

In a recent interview Marsh said "Aperture is the right fit for some, Taschen or Chronicle are the right fits for others. I'm not looking to do books that are going to sell 10,000 copies, frankly. We've developed a more boutique model. It's not about taking away from what those institutions are doing, it's about adding to it."

The first 500 people who purchase are even listed within the book and each title will be given six months to reach the target 500+.

Fancy a Larry Fink book? Go put down your dosh now! 

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Flintshire, from the series 'Brighter Later' © Brian David Stevens

A Fine Beginning is a collective showcasing contemporary photography made in Wales. Their exhibition, "Made in Wales," features 17 artists, including friend of aCurator and generally top man, Brian David Stevens. Mark your calendars for March 14, 2014.

"A Fine Beginning, from which this collective takes its name, is the first chapter of Dylan Thomas' unfinished novel Adventures in the Skin Trade. The central character of the story leaves his parents home in South Wales for Paddington Station and when asked where he's going, Samuel Bennett replies, 'I don't know where I'm going, I haven't any idea in the world, that's why I came to London'."

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See Stevens' feature on Billy Childish; his Remembrance Day project They That Are Left; and Portraits.

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