© Sean Litchfield

Boston-based editorial and fine-art photographer Sean Litchfield captures the eerie quietness and solemnity of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, for his series “Off-Season.” Native to the vacation hot spot, Litchfield highlights the city during its off season. Instead of capturing the tourist-filled beaches and shops, Litchfield travels off the beaten path photographing the landscapes and communities left behind when the summer season ends. “I took the back roads when I could and discovered all sorts of beautiful places I might have otherwise overlooked,” Litchfield says. “I just drove, keeping as close to the coast as possible. Not having anywhere to be, allowed me to experience the landscape how it really is. I could stop just about anywhere on the Cape and experience a totally different landscape from another.” Litchfield is part of the 2012 Review Santa Fe 100.

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© Peter Liu

Peter Liu wears many hats. He spent years working in the tech-driven world of Silicon Valley, California, and is now a tech and social media consultant in Hawaii. But he also has a passion for photography, so after becoming a certified scuba diver in the 1990s, he started diving with a digital camera in order to capture underwater creatures. The image above was taken while diving at Carlos Beach in Monterey, California. “This particular shot was a fluke that occurred on the way back from a dive,” Liu says. “One of my strobe arms got wrapped around a strand of kelp and I was untangling it when I turned around and noticed these curious sea lions following me back. I took the opportunity and pressed the shutter, even though the camera was still tangled and I didn’t have time to really frame the shot or get the settings right. It was terribly underexposed. It took some doing to coax the shot out later in Photoshop, but it was well worth it. The accidental composition is priceless.”

© Alexander Semenov

As head of the scientific diver’s team at the White Sea Biological Station in northwestern Russia, marine biologist Alexander Semenov has been studying—and photographing—the life cycle of Cyanea capillata, aka the lion’s mane jellyfish. The creatures only live for about six months, usually from May to September, but grow to a diameter of two to three meters with tentacles as long as 36 meters. “I’m trying to study marine life through the lenses, and from year-to-year I get more and more knowledge about the underwater world of cold waters of the north,” Semenov says.

“100 Prime Mountain Acres, Whitetop, Virginia, 2011.” © Justin James Reed

Portland, Oregon-native Justin James Reed set out to study the relationship between the allure of the natural world and the constant urge a person faces to alter his or her surroundings. Focusing on parcels of land advertised by real estate agents and developers, Reed captures the natural landscapes before they are demolished by builders. Named after the term Lewis and Clark used in their personal journals as they left to explore the new western United States territory, “The Real Unknown” looks at how the American landscape has gone from uncharted wilderness to a divided and carefully thought out development in only a few generations. “For some, these spaces represent pure commodity, another opportunity to profit from the unceasing development of America,” Reed says. “However, spending time in these places has given me a different perspective. I see a world with sublime and contemplative qualities. One that holds mystery, still offers the potential for discovery, and challenges our understanding of exactly what it is and should become.” Reed is part of the 2012 Review Santa Fe 100.

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© Zanele Muholi, courtesy Yancey Richardson Gallery.  Sunday Francis Mdlankomo, Vosloorus, Johannesburg, 2011

Eleven artists come together for tête-à-tête, an exhibit exploring conceptions of the black body from African American perspectives, both male and female. Featured photographers include Derrick Adams , LaToya Ruby Frazier , Jayson Keeling , Deana Lawson , Zanele Muholi , Clifford Owens, Mahlot Sansosa, Malick Sidibe, Xaviera Simmons, Mickalene Thomas , and Hank Willis Thomas. The exhibit will be on display at the Yancey Richardson Gallery through August 24, 2012.

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