All photos © Jesse Rieser.

“Beyond the glowing green and red lights, past the shimmering silvery tinsel, around the fragrant pine boughs, another Christmas lingers, a Christmas of contradictions. This Christmas is complex and at times, uncomfortable. It’s awkward and sometimes bleak. But it is also sincere and celebratory, colorful and creative.

This is the Christmas I capture in this first chapter of a photographic exploration of the biggest event on the American calendar. I grew up in a secular home and at times felt like a Christmas outsider, never connected to the holiday’s religious importance, or its more extreme cultural trappings. But in these photos, I become a Christmas insider, working to discover and reveal what holiday magic, or mania, compels so many to devote thousands of hours to hanging lights, to carving and painting figurines, to building miniature villages, to converting their homes, yards, garages and cars into monuments to merriness.

Initially inspired by the absurdity of a five story inflatable Santa who appeared to be guarding a tree lot, I have launched this survey of uniquely American Christmas traditions. “Christmas in America” is an unvarnished examination of the ways people mark the holiday’s meaning.”  – Jesse Rieser.

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All photos © Mark Fisher. Above: Grand-Targhee, Grand-Teton Backcountry Skiing.

Today marks the 2011 winter solstice. For me the beginning of winter conjures up images of the grandeur and excitement of being in snow covered mountains, in particular while skiing. Mark Fisher’s graphic black and white ski images capture the magnificence and intensity of the backcountry, and the courage and ability of elite skiers in uncharted terrain, carving through waves of deep powder or flying down vertical drops.
When asked about  some of the challenges he faces while shooting, Fisher explained, “Shooting skiing can be one of the most challenging, as well as rewarding photographic pursuits.  There are the obvious hazards such as avalanches, skiing difficult and exposed terrain with a heavy camera pack, and going great distances in the mountains to get the right shot. To capture these images, one needs to be physically strong, technically skilled in the mountains, [and] skilled with the camera.  From an artistic standpoint it’s tough because you only get one chance, and there are a million variables.  The stakes are high, and often you’ve been sitting out the weather for weeks and have spent a lot of money on the shoot for the rewards of one, or maybe a few images.  There are no retakes for most of the ski work I do.  But there is nothing like shooting skiing.  Being in a snowy, beautiful, mountain environment is incredible.  The sun is lower in the winter and the light bounces off the snow like a giant reflector.  Snow, and winter, are by far my favorite mediums to work with because the light is so incredible. In winter I’m able to capture truly unique and powerful images.  More than anything, it’s the blend of my passions as a skier and an artist that come together in ski photography, and I find it wholly satisfying.”

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All photos © Mary Parisi. Above: “Flash in the Pan”

Mary Parisi‘s artistic interpretation of food reveal moody and even sensual qualities. Tension arises between our notions of delicious food and Parisi’s close inspection of the details, challenging what appeals to our senses of sight, taste, and smell. Inspired and haunted by graphic food memories from her childhood Parisi explains, “My father made soup every Monday and when he began putting multiple pairs of bright yellow chicken feet into the broth, chicken soup was never again a simple comfort.”

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© Henry Jacobson. Musicians gather at an impromptu jam around a bonfire at Storyhill Music Festival in northern Minnesota.

Photographers and filmmakers Sara Terry (director) and Henry Jacobson (cinematographer) are currently at work on a feature length documentary, FOLK, that follows several singer-songwriters as they travel the United States, sharing their music with fans and fellow musicians. The film, which is currently in post-production, is “part music documentary and part road trip movie,” Terry writes in a description of the film. “FOLK lets our characters’ lives and their songs do what singer-songwriters have always done: amplify the themes that resonate across our cultural landscape—whether it’s re-defining success in the face of failure, trying to find wholeness in an increasingly fragmented world, or struggling to make sense of the trials and triumphs that make us all so human.”

This is the second documentary from Terry and Jacobson. Their award-winning first film, Fambul Tok, told the story of a grassroots organization promoting healing and reconciliation in post-conflict Sierra Leone.

Related: To Forgive, Not Forget: Sara Terry’s New Film Fambul Tok

All photos © Rob Tringali

Rob Tringali is a freelance photographer who has specialized in sports for over 20 years. He photographed the last 22 Super Bowls, 14 World Series and numerous Olympic games as well as major golf and tennis championships, and World Cup soccer. Tringali’s clients often hire him to not only get the winning shot, but also capture the spirit of the moment through a unique perspective.

Tringali says, “I love shooting sports for a variety of reasons: I appreciate the competition and what an athlete or team has to endure to become the best, how they push themselves to limits most people couldn’t grasp. Capturing the essence of sport from such a close proximity never gets old. I’ve escaped near misses on NFL sidelines, have had hockey pucks and baseballs whiz by my head at ridiculous speeds, climbed with bulky, heavy lenses up snowy mountains—all experiences I would never trade.”

Above: Cameron Maybin #24 of the San Diego Padres poses during their photo day at the Padres Spring Training Complex on February 23, 2011 in Peoria, Arizona.

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