From Project Lives, published by powerHouse Books, image © Margarita Colon 

The photographs making up the new powerHouse book Project Lives were created by residents of New York's housing projects. They learned about photography in an intensive 12 week course, and set out to document their lives. "This is photography from the inside out." The new photographers featured include Marcy Morales, 72, living in public housing for 30+ years who says "It's not where you are being raised, it's how you raise your kids, right?"; and Jared Wellington, 12, who says "I try to find myself in the photos... My mom used to live here when she was younger, and played on the same basketball courts I play on now." The newly discovered artists were given single-use film cameras and set free to record their own experiences of living in the city's seemingly never-improving housing. 

The program was instigated by photographers and educators George Carrano, Chelsea Davis, and Jonathan Fisher. The book includes some wonderful full page photos, commentary, and a ton of NYCHA facts (like the 422,639 backlogged repair requests.) Read more and buy a copy over at powerHouse.

© Jared Wellington

© Elodie Jean-Baptiste

© Aaliyah Colon

© Alina Navarro

© Sheik Bacchus

© Margaret Wells

I had moved to New York by the early 90s, when Mayor Guiliani finally decided to evict the squatters, who were mainly living down on the lower east side of Manhattan. It was big news at the time. My parents don't read my blog so I can confess that I spent a fair amount of time in squats in London in the mid-80s. I don't know how else I would ever have learned to cook lentils or stomach hash. Ash Thayer moved to a squat in 1992, and began documenting "New York's legendary LES squatters." As Luc Sante writes: "Anyone wondering about the end of bohemia can consult this book, which documents its last incarnation, at least in New York City. Few bohemians can ever have worked as hard as the squatters, who earned their homes and their lives; they were rewarded with forcible and violent eviction. Ash Thayer's remarkable pictures chronicle a time, only two decades ago, that seems impossibly distant now." (b-t-w Sante's book, Low Life, about the seedy history of NYC is a great read.)

All images by Ash Thayer, from Kill City, out now from Powerhouse Books

From "Organic: Farmers & Chefs of the Hudson Valley" by Francesco Mastalia, published by powerHouse Books.

"Woodstock showed the world how things could have been, and for this reason it's important that we never forget this experience, this place, this time, this dream that came true, if only for three days..."

The road to Woodstock © Baron Wolman

Baron Wolman was Rolling Stone magazine's first photographer, working with stars such as Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and all the greats of the day. Living in the Haight in its heyday, he photographed some of the musicians in his home studio. In 1969 he was on the road photographing music festivals around the USA on assignment for Rolling Stone magazine when word started to trickle through about a major musical event happening in upstate New York. Joining the long traffic jams, Wolman made it to Woodstock, along with, ultimately, hundreds of thousands of other people.

His latest book, Woodstock, (Reel Art Press) is filled with Wolman's photos of the atmosphere and events occurring around and beside the live bands at this, the most famous music festival of all time.

"Woodstock" is beautifully printed, with rich blacks and lush gold tone. It includes a foreword by Carlos Santana and features an extensive Q&A with Baron Wolman and Woodstock creator, Michael Lang.  

There's a great bookstore edition but it also comes as a limited edition that includes a print of these chilling cows, and an actual, rare, original Woodstock admission ticket.

In the blurb for the book, Baron says "The thing to remember about the 1960s, even near the end in '69 was that everything was totally different, the behavior was new and unexpected. Plus, the 1960s were simply wildly photogenic in every way imaginable. The changes that were taking place in the heads of the people were visually manifested. I mean, how could you not take pictures?" 

"No one could have predicted the enduring influence of the Woodstock experience. Yes, the bands were first rate and there were many of them. And the setting... was picture perfect and tranquil, a bucolic setting for relaxing with friends and listening to music and getting high. But in unexpected ways, Woodstock became more than a concert for all of us. I ended up spending most of my time out in the wild with the crowd because what was happening 'out there' was just too interesting not to explore."

Wonderful well-rounded project from British photographer Tim Allen, that not only beautifully documents true artisans in five practices, but raises money for charity. The series were all made around England's south east county of Kent. Here's Tim's story: 

Tim has a few other great projects online - check them out. He talks about the project with Tom McLaughlan over at Ministract. And if you love these photos, make a donation and get a copy of the book. 

Coming next month from Kehrer is a cracking-looking book of photographs by Nancy Baron made in and around Palm Springs, a desert resort city about 100 miles east of Los Angeles in California.

"For most people, Palm Springs evokes images of a resort town of exquisite homes, glittering swimming pools, lush palm trees, and stunning golf courses where the rich and famous go to relax and retire. For others, Palm Springs signifies a town that has faded with time along with the passing of a long procession of A-list celebrities that flocked there during the mid 20th century from Hollywood elite like Bing Crosby, Lucille Ball and Bob Hope, to Presidents from Eisenhower to Ford to Reagan."

According to Wikipedia, Palm Springs has one of the highest concentration of same-sex couples of any community in the United States. Aren't any of them working as interior designers?

There will be a solo show at the dnj Gallery in Santa Monica's Bergamot Station from September 6 - November 1, 2014, with an opening reception and book signing September 6, 6-8pm. 

After a few dedicated years of hard work and travel, the one and only Linda Troeller has published "Orgasm." The book contains photos and interviews with women on sex, sexuality and orgasm. It is, naturally, coming soon. 

Daylight Books will unveil it at Photoville in Brooklyn Bridge Park, September 20th, 2014, and the book will be given release in early November. Hands above the table and no sharing - get your own copy here.

"These photographs portray people whose lives have been changed by accidents, medical malpractice, and defective products."