Natalie Nazee Abbassi

This project is a series of self portraits exploring who I am, both as an American and as an Iranian, through photographs. It has always been a struggle for me to explain myself, who I truly am, and how I should or shouldn’t act in given situations. I feel that maybe these photographs will answer some questions. Questions people might have, or even questions I have for myself as a person who has lived with two cultures her whole life. Sometimes I feel confused, proud, and sometimes even awkward about how to simply deal with the differences of the two parts that make me.

In each image I’ve incorporated myself twice, once as the Iranian and once as the American. In some of my images I see conflict and in some I see peace and calm with my two selves. This exploration is a growing one and much more work will follow this blog post.

Andy McMillan: PTL (Praise The Lord)

McMillan, a Charlotte, NC based photographer, spent time in 2006 photographing the former evangelists, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker's Christian theme park, that closed in 1989.

In the early 1980s, the Bakkers had built Heritage USA in Fort Mill, South Carolina, (south of Charlotte), then the third most successful theme park in the US, and a satellite system to distribute their network 24 hours a day across the country. Contributions requested from viewers were estimated to exceed $1 million a week, with proceeds to go to expanding the theme park and mission of PTL. In justifying his use of the mass media, Bakker responded to inquiries by likening his use of television to Jesus's use of the amphitheater of the time. "I believe that if Jesus were alive today he would be on TV", Bakker said. Well, we all know what happened next...

George and Patricia Beacher

George Beacher, b. 1930, Achnasheen, Scottish Highlands, and Patricia Beacher, née Dixon-Foster, b. 1930, Shrewsbury, England; active as artists on the South Coast of England, 1968– ?1975. After meeting at Nottingham University in 1965 (married 1966), the Beachers began to develop their body arrangements as a series of tableaux performed annually at various locations in the South of England. Documented in photographs, these works were bound into a number of albums, each taking its title from the town where the actions took place.

Viviane Sassen

I saw this work several months ago and forgot to bookmark the website. I went crazy trying to google phrases that would summon the work of Viviane Sassen. Finally, I ran across the images from what I think is her strongest series, Ultra Violet.

Nikita Pirogov

For me photography is an exploration of tangible things, which I take from their place in nature and make into images with their own associations, just as functional speech lies adjacent to lyrical music in the palette of sound. This process is a manifestation of all the factors of practical experience that affect our perception: climate, race, temperament, education, and many others. This process is aided by structure and composition, as well as by formal elements rooted in our biological experience.

 The world exists in harmony. It is structured and therefore logical. I try to examine the causal principles of my own view of the world and all the information pouring out of it. I try to peer into it, and listen carefully to everything I do, be it in photography or video, or in the other things I have been doing since childhood - drama, music, painting. I am interested in looking for parallels in separate elements of various art forms. In effect, by doing this I am trying to feel my way towards some kind of visual 'poetry'. I select details (metaphors) from the immense volume of information in the outside world, that might be able to create a cohesive narrative and explore some concept , where every image is self-sufficient and harmonious in itself. For me a visual sequence is a finished poetic expression.

The L.A.F. Project

Commissioned by The LAF project for the Tsbili photo festival in Georgia to recreate the Russian invasion of Georgia through photography. These striking images tell the story of the Russian occupation and the destruction of war from primary sources gathered throughout the conflict. The LAF project tells the story of Internally Displaced People, and works to bring justice to those individuals effected by such tragic circumstances.

http://www.vimeo.com/23184112

Edited by Vic Reznik

We Are the Youth by Laurel Golio and Diana Scholl

I came across this project via LPV magazine, a good introduction to the work: http://lpvmagazine.com/2011/01/we-are-the-youth-by-laurel-golio-and-diana-scholl/

 We Are the Youth is a photographic journalism project chronicling the individual stories of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth in the United States. Through photographic portraits and written interviews highlighting the participants’ voices, We Are the Youth captures the incredible diversity and uniqueness among the LGBT youth population.

Little Brown Mushroom Books

Yesterday, two books arrived at my doorstep from Alec Soth's book company, Little Brown Mushroom.
The first book/magazine Lonely Boy Mag, Alec Soth's Midwestern Exotica, was much more engaging than I expected, especially the series of photos from a dating website called Goth Scene. The second book,  Conductors of the Moving World by Brad Zellar, include 60 c-prints, each book a bit different from the next. This book has an edition of only 500 with all proceeds going to Tsunami relief in Japan. If you haven't checked out the LBM website, now is the time.

Tim Hetherington's Video Diary

Photojournalist Tim Hetherington died today in Libya while covering the fighting between rebels and troops loyal to Colonel Muammar Qaddafi, the has confirmed. Hetherington died after being hit by rocket fire in the city of Misrata. 
This is his video piece "Diary" from 2010: 'Diary' is a highly personal and experimental film that expresses the subjective experience of my work, and was made as an attempt to locate myself after ten years of reporting. It's a kaleidoscope of images that link our western reality to the seemingly distant worlds we see in the media.
http://vimeo.com/18497543
Also, more of his photographs can be seen here: http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/news/Tim-Hetherington-Kil-2485.shtml

This goes out to all you photo book/zine dorks!

We would love to create a comprehensive map of all the best places to buy photobooks and zines around the world and so are asking for your help! Let us know where the best place to buy photography books and zines are near you. We will add them to the map with your comments and a thanks.