© Thilde Jensen. Above: Mom in morning, Tennessee 2011.

Photographer Thilde Jensen‘s series “Naked Spring“ features images she made while recovering from environmental illness, a debilitating disease in which everyday chemicals bring on a range of symptoms, including headaches, fatigue, fever and muscle aches. After being diagnosed, Jensen left the urban world for seven years, moving from her apartment in New York City to tents and trailers throughout rural areas of the Northeast and Southwest United States to avoid the various triggers that bring on the symptoms of her disease. Once she was able to get her illness under control, Jensen photographed the changing environment from winter to spring to illustrate, not only the new world brought about by the warmer weather, but the new life journey she would embark being disease-free. Throughout the series, each image creates unrest and uncertainties, by using ominous lighting and dull colors, leaving the viewer wondering what’s next.

Thilde Jensen is part of the 2012 Review Santa Fe 100. In addition, Jensen’s project Canaries received Honorable Mention in Center’s Project Competition.

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© Michael Wong/Beauty & Photo, Artist Agency.

Photographer and director Michael Wong traveled to Birmingham, Alabama  to photograph and video the U.S.Wheelchair Rugby Team on June 14th and 15th at their training center.  Team USA are the defending world
Paralympic champions from the 2008 Bejing Paralympics in Wheelchair rugby and are Ranked #1 going into the London Paralympics Games, which take place from August 29-September 9, 2012. At the training center in Birmingham, Team USA defeated Sweden in an exhibition tournament.

Captions by  James Gumbert, Team USA head Rugby coach. Above: Nick Springer – Man, Myth, Athlete.

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© Jean-Marc Caimi/Redux Pictures

In April, photographer Jean- Marc Caimi  traveled to Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. The nation plays a key role in supplying energy to much of Europe, and Caimi was interested in the lives of locals facing forced evictions with little compensation as Azerbaijan attempts to beautify the capital. Through his series, The Two Faces of Baku, Caimi documents those living on “Winter Boulevard,” a new section on the outskirts of Baku where many of those forced from their homes have been relocated.

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Maryland based photographer  Steve Buchannan, known for his food and architecture work, received First Place in last year’s inaugural photo contest Objects of Desire with this image from his food portfolio.  The 2012 Objects of Desire contest features three categories, Food and Still Life, Objects and Interiors and Beloved. The deadline to apply has been extended until today, July 26.

© Karen Knorr

This image from Karen Knorr‘s India Song series was  selected as the signature promotional image for the Chobi Mela VI festival last year.  The multi-faceted international festival which gets under way January 25, 2013 in Dhaka, Bangladesh features work of established and emerging photographers. The theme for this year’s Chobi Mela VII festival is “Fragility,” and the deadline for submissions is July 31, 2012. Information and submission guidelines are available at www.chobimela.org.

Since its inception in 2000 Chobi Mela has explored contemporary photography with exhibitions that challenge traditional perceptions, as well as through workshops, discussions, seminars and lectures. Themes of past festivals included Differences, Exclusion, Resistance, Boundaries, Freedom, and Dreams. The festival is open to fine art photographers, conceptual artists, and photojournalists.