Photographers


Sissel-Annett_Longing17.jpg


This photographer was introduced to me by Elisabeth Aanes who runs NORDPhotography, a center for workshops located in the middle of Norway. 

Ever since she was little, Sissel Annett felt she should have been born a twin. Exploring this feeling has produced this dream-like body of work, using identical models and also turning the camera on herself. More over at Blurb. Oh and she's shooting film on an old Rollei. Yum.

Sissel-Annett_Longing33.jpg

Sissel-Annett_Longing20.jpg

Sissel-Annett_Longing1.jpg

Sissel-Annett_Longing27.jpg

Sissel-Annett_Longing13.jpg


chris_sellas_Petri_01.jpg

Blue Lacoste Sandal. © Chris Sellas

Clever Chris Sellas, whose series 'You. I.' ran here in the blog, has stayed in touch which is not only lovely but it's a good idea, people! I went rummaging about on his site and felt the need to publish some germs. "All of the bacterium samples were collected along my Monday commute from New Haven, Connecticut, to New York, New York, November 24, 2007."

This reminds me of the study of the London Underground done recently that showed up never-before-seen bacteria and masses of rodent poo. Researching said study I learned something - that in 1956 Britain's "...Ministry of Defence turned large parts of the country into a giant laboratory to conduct a series of secret germ warfare tests on the public" releasing bacteria on the Northern Line. At lunchtime no less! The Grauniad goes on to say "In most cases, the trials did not use biological weapons but alternatives which scientists believed would mimic germ warfare and which the MoD claimed were harmless. But families in certain areas of the country who have children with birth defects are demanding a public inquiry."

chris_sellas_Petri_02.jpg

Webster Bank upper level ATM buttons.

chris_sellas_Petri_04.jpg

People's United Debit Card.

chris_sellas_Petri_05.jpg

6 Train, handrail.  Not too bad!

All images © Chris Sellas

azhar_chougle_02.jpg

Exchange Rate, 2012 © Azhar Chougle

Here's a cheeky little series from shockingly young, Indian-born, Brooklyn-dwelling, SVA photography grad Azhar Chougle : 'Unfamiliar Moments Across the Atlantic.'

"America, in my mind, maintains an amusing state of irony and indecisiveness. These photographs serve as a reflection of my own alienation, frustration and intrigue as I adapt to its atmosphere. Examining random encounters with the American image, the results are a baffling and bizarre recreation of a culture overlaid by a foreigner's perception."

azhar_chougle_04.jpg

Preventive Care, 2012

"The portrait I paint of America is an honest and playfully critical inspection that describes the way in which I relate to where I find myself."

azhar_chougle_01.jpg

American Spirit, 2011

azhar_chougle_05.jpg

Modernization, 2011. All images © Azhar Chougle

TWSIMONSEN_FOXISLAND.jpg

Here's another find from Nordic Light. Tom Simonsen is a gallerist and photographer who came for a portfolio review with me. I love doing them, but I worry about the conflicting information photographers must sometimes receive. Bjørn Opsahl and I gave Tom similar reviews but Tom told me someone else told him to take this photograph of the dog out. It must be tricky to avoid taking the advice one agrees with, but Tom really took everything to heart. I'm happy to publish my two favourites from his portfolio.

TOM_SIMONSEN.jpg

Images © Tom Simonsen

Simen_Overgaard_08.jpg

© Simen Øvergaard

Simen Øvergaard is one of many delightful photo students I met at Nordic Light Photo Festival. Simen attends Bilder Nordic School of Photography in Oslo, and this body of work is part of 'Shameless,' 37 graduating students of 2012 exploring sexuality and shame, with their own visual voice and style. Simen says his is "...a project presenting and neutralizing places that are made for humans to have sexual intercourse. Nothing to hide, it is just sex."

Simen_Overgaard_07.jpg

Simen_Overgaard_06.jpg

Simen_Overgaard_02.jpg

Simen_Overgaard_04.jpg

Simen_Overgaard_03.jpg

Simen_Overgaard_05.jpg

All images © Simen Øvergaard


Superman_final_web.jpg

Superman, Hollywood © Bjørn Opsahl

Bjørn Opsahl and I met at Nordic Light last week. We knew we were going to be on a panel discussion together but didn't know anything about each other. Fashion and portrait photographer Bjørn is obviously a bit of a heartthrob and hero, some of the students in the audience for his presentation were gooey. Bjørn was self-effacing during his great slideshow, claiming to be nervous to present in English - he was flawless. He talked about having been a roadie and a rocker and his progression to shooting bands, with no formal photographic education; how being ballsy is how to get great shots, especially when you're shooting celebrities; doing anything that's needed to get the shot (like getting a full back tattoo) and the skills required when handling handlers. 

This particular photograph was the culmination of a few days stalking a Hollywood Superman look-alike. Bjørn talked about how he crawled the curb each morning until he got the right shot. 

Bjørn, baby, how about a new website?

Robert Pledge's exhibition CONTACT/S, hosted most recently at Nordic Light, is monumental.

One would not expect anything less - the show, the layout, photographs from the building of the Berlin Wall to the falling of the Twin Towers, there's nothing to be done but really see, remember, hold photographers in awe and, if you're like me, let the tears run. Perhaps the one uplifting series was the gorilla who rescued a little boy who fell over the railings at the Chicago zoo showing us the humanity we can't see in most of the rest of the photographs. Even the first second of the new millennium, shot in Times Square, is full of Guiliani's disturbing mug.

And of course, the contact sheet is disappearing fast.

Leaving the show, I felt John Botte's interview deserved another airing.

John Botte: The 9/11 Photographs from In The Loupe on Vimeo.


Koen_van_de_Wouw-plasticzak2.jpg

Title: untitled. Artist: unknown. January 2010, Berlin. Photo © Koen van de Wouw

"Last Expo is an online exposition. It is a collection of photographs taken of orphaned art in its final resting place. It's a commemorative album of forgotten human imagination."

Koen_van_de_Wouw-mieren.jpg

Title: untitled. Artist: unknown. March 2011, Amsterdam.

"I walked in the centre of Amsterdam, minding my own business, when I noticed a stray piece of artwork lying next to the trash. I thought maybe this was the first time that this painting had seen the light of day. I wanted to adopt it, but then I realized that this was a big moment for the painting - its debut".

Koen_van_de_Wouw-.jpg

Title: untitled. Artist: unknown. July 2010, Los Angeles.

"For young artists, it is difficult to get your work onto a stage to be seen. It's not easy to get a place in a museum or at the current photo exhibitions. This is why I chose to create an online exposition. It's cheap and the whole world can see it."

Koen_van_de_Wouw_01.jpg

Title: untitled. Artist: unknown. April 2009, Amsterdam.

Koen_van_de_Wouw-kliko.jpgTitle: untitled. Artist: unknown. April 2009, Amsterdam.

All photographs © Koen van de Wouw

Jennifer_Loeber_08.jpg

'Cruel Story of Youth' © Jennifer Loeber

Counter Culture Summer Camp sounds wonderful; we uptight Brits didn't do this sort of thing... Jennifer Loeber enlightened me by sharing her project 'Cruel Story of Youth' and speaking from the heart.

"This series explores my personal reconciliation with the slowly fading memories that once had an indelible impact on my path to adulthood. I spent several weeks living with and documenting the emotional landscape of the current inhabitants of the counter culture summer camp I attended as a teenager as part alumnus, part outsider. Connecting with my subjects through a shared history afforded me the trust necessary to be able to watch events unfold without censorship. Drawing from my own self-discovery within this same space, I focused on conveying the spontaneity and supportive atmosphere that is the foundation and legacy of the camp."

Jennifer_Loeber_05.jpg

Jennifer_Loeber_02.jpg

Jennifer_Loeber_04.jpg

Jennifer_Loeber_03.jpg

Jennifer_Loeber_07.jpg

Jennifer_Loeber_06.jpg

All images © Jennifer Loeber

Rayon_Richards_Peaches_Geldof.jpg

Peaches Geldof © Rayon Richards

Work-satisfaction-wise, not much beats witnessing a young photographer develop... I met Rayon Richards several moons ago when he was assisting the one-and-only Ernie Paniccioli. Rayon has always been positive, working super-hard on his career and turning out some great editorial, commercial and personal portraits. He has just launched a new website - a healthy improvement on the last (no offense, but those Livebooks sites sure can be soul-crushingly treacly.) Partake.

Rayon_Richards_denise_toni.jpg

 

Rayon_Richards_Dani_filth.jpg
Denise and Toni; Dani Filth; Half Pint; Bat For Lashes. All images © Rayon Richards
Rayon_Richards_Half_Pint.jpg
Rayon_Richards_Bat_Lashes.jpg

Recent Entries

Categories

Links