Goats waiting in their pen for evening milking.  All Images © Christopher LaMarca.

Photographer and first-time filmmaker Christopher LaMarca and filmmaker Katrina Taylor spent the past two years filming an experiential film called “Boone.”   The film documents the journey of three young farmers in Southern Oregon. There are no interviews with farmers or agricultural experts. The goal is the experience; dealing with the realities of a season of farming and the physical and emotional demands. LaMarca and Taylor are currently in post-production. (more…)

All images © Steven Laxton

Steven Laxton’s portrait series, “Circo El Salvador,” documents nomadic circus families of El Salvador who perform in rural and impoverished areas of Central America. This form of entertainment is an important escape for those who live in remote areas of the country where they face not only poverty, but also the highest homicide rate in the world. This photographic series placed in the “personal” category of the 2012 PDN Photo Annual  and was the winner of the $15,000 Arnold Newman Prize for New Directions in Photographic Portraiture.

The 2013 PDN Photo Annual is now open for entries through January 29. With your entry you can opt to have your portraiture considered for the 2013 Arnold Newman Prize. For more information and to enter the contest, visit: http://pdnphotoannual.com

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© João Canziani. Easter Sunday at the Beach 1. Lima, Perú.

We all have that special ability to conjure up memories reserved for the space we call home, that place that immediately invokes nostalgic thoughts of our childhood. For photographer João Canziani, that place is Lima, Perú. Because he left Lima at 15 with his family and moved to Vancouver, Canada, and then subsequently Los Angeles, and finally New York City (where he now resides), his memories of Lima began to fade over the years, seeming more like dreams than reality. He returned to the city to photograph in 2009 and 2010. It is no surprise that his resulting images portray an ephemeral quality and an almost outsider’s view on the city and the people he once knew as home.

To see more images from the series, visit: http://ciudadnatal.com

– Lindsay Comstock

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© Nick Hannes

For a work-in-progress called ‘Projet Méditerranée,’ Belgian photographer Nick Hannes has been traveling through the  20 nations that border the Mediterranean Sea. “The idea is to document the vast area that once was the Roman Empire,” he explains. “Within this historical framework I focus on different contemporary issues, such as migration and cultural exchange between the three continents (Europe, Africa, Asia), the impact of mass tourism on the natural landscapes, urbanization, conflicts and territorial disputes.”

While photographing petrol stations in Greece that have been abandoned in the wake of the European financial crisis, Hannes came upon a Shell station that had been set up for the owner’s wedding party. The owner invited him to return that evening to take photos. Hannes intended to spend half an hour. “But you know how good parties evolve,” he says. “It was 3 am when I left.”

He recounts, “A family member said to me, ‘This is how we respond to a crisis. Please show these pictures to [German chancellor Angela] Merkel. A Greek keeps on laughing and celebrating, even when his money is being taken away.’ ” www.nickhannes.be

Waterskiers, Cypress Gardens, Florida, displayed August 5-26, 1968. Photo by Hank Mayer © Eastman Kodak Co. Courtesy George Eastman House.

From 1950 until 1990, Kodak’s gigantic Colorama photographs dominated the east wall of Grand Central’s Main Concourse. Using what was then innovative technology to print oversize photos that measured 60 feet in length and nearly 20 feet high, these images portrayed an idealized view of American life. They promoted photography as essential for documenting leisure activities as well as capturing special family moments with beautiful, richly-colored photos. The prints will be on display at the New York Transit Museum Gallery Annex at Grand Central Terminal until November 1st. They are part of the international traveling exhibition created by George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film, which holds the entire Colorama archive. On October 10, following a screening of Debergerac Productions’ documentary, “Colorama: The Stories Behind the Pictures,” former Kodak photographers Steve Kelly and Sam Campanaro will discuss their roles in documenting American “lifestyle.” On October 11, join them on a  lunchtime gallery tour.

—Courtesy Transit Museum

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