Joe Gato is a Cuban-born photographer living and working in South Beach. Joe submitted images for consideration and I love this photograph from his personal work.

It's a fun visit so take a trip to Joe's website - his behind-the-scenes ballet images are enchanting.

Edifice © Joe Gato

Jiri Rezac proposed his tar sands story to me shortly after the magazine launched, from London where he's based, and it was obvious the story would make a fascinating full screen photo feature. We met for coffee in New York during a brief pause in his schedule and nattered for as long as we could. He was shooting a green technology project in Mumbai, Shanghai and Hong Kong and about to nip off to Brooklyn for a portrait. Since we met, I've realized how little I know, and how little I do. Jiri has barely been at home and I was wide-eyed learning that he was off on the Rainbow Warrior for two weeks with Greenpeace. He's a workhorse, and a really sweet and humble man.


© Jiri Rezac





Greenpeace 1 - Israel 0

"In the spirit of the current world cup fever, my good friends at Greenpeace scored the first goal this morning by stopping a coal shipment into Israel. Boarding the 290 metre long Orient Venus at the crack of dawn, the operation went smooth as clockwork: three activists were on board within minutes, and pictures travelled to the world's media without a hitch in time for the breakfast news in Europe. Life could hardly be better here on board the Rainbow Warrior right now..." Jiri Rezac, July 8, 2010

Manjari Sharma's Shower Series was probably the most talked about by the reviewers at the end of ASMP's fine art portfolio review in May. Her bathroom confessionals really stood out and Manjari spoke about the personal project with true passion, being amazed herself at how her subjects had let go once the water hit them.

"Secretly I have been told by my subjects that it is thrilling and adventuresome to be in my shower; Secretly cheating my traditional and tame Indian upbringing I live through all of my subjects; Fighting their wars and braving their fears for those few hours where we are connected through this pious space."

Fast forward just a few short weeks and not only has she received a lot of press, she won a commission to shoot an ad campaign for Grohe.

"Custom showers were built in a studio and a series inspired by my personal project was recreated in New Delhi. Ten Indian models were selected for the shoot and the result is currently being used on billboards in several cities in India."

So there you have it: follow your passion, shoot what you love, devote time to personal projects and then present them eloquently, to as many people as possible.

See behind the scenes on Manjari's blog. 

From the original 'Shower Series' © Manjari Sharma

In Dirk's blog, The Heavy Light, he gives us the opportunity to learn a lot of interesting things about who he shoots, how he shoots and indeed why he shoots!

He sent me a printed magazine of 'The Sultans' a little while ago, and has just written up the back story on how some images taken in India led to his project on older Turkish men. Make some tea and check out parts 1 and 2.

From 'The Sultans' © Dirk Anschütz

A slideshow of some of Michael Putland's best Clash photographs.

Afterlife 2 © Michael Massaia

Baron Wolman recently introduced me to the work of Michael Massaia, a young, New York-based photographer who uses a large format view camera and makes his own platinum/palladium prints. He describes the images as "one shot" candid scenes that have been pushed to their limit via film developing and printing techniques. Should you find yourself in Texas, Michael has a solo show of his platinums opening on June 12th at Afterimage Gallery in Dallas. He is also represented by Gallery Two Seventy in NJ.



Afterlife 1 © Michael Massaia

The family of Wynn Bullock announces a new website dedicated to the great man with work spanning four decades, and a traveling exhibition 'Wynn Bullock's Color Light Abstractions' is on now through June 26th at the Center for Photographic Art in Carmel, CA.

Typewriter, 1951 © Wynn Bullock