“Jay Z & Sean Combs, New York City, NY,” 2001 © Mark Seliger

“Ten,” presented by award-winning entertainment ad agency, bpg, shows a collection of 17 signed prints of contemporary entertainment and pop culture figures such as Jay-Z and Neil Patrick Harris.  Curated by bpg President Steph Sebbag and Producer Karla Braun, “Ten” features the work of 10 famous photographers from Art Streiber to Stefanie Schneider who have contributed to the advertising and fine art industries. The ongoing exhibit and silent auction are running for three days, from June 18-20, in downtown Los Angeles at the 2013 PromaxBDA Conference, which is held at the JW Marriott at LA. Live hotel.

 ”Betty Draper,” 2010 © Frank Ockenfels 3

“Preserve #2″ © Mike McGregor

Photographers of all levels submitted their best image series that captured the essence of “community.” Winners will see their work on the 1000ft long photographic installation displayed in Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York City and, new this year, in a special curated version of THE FENCE displayed along the Rose Kennedy Greenway in Boston. THE FENCE is an annual summer-long outdoor photo exhibition thanks to United Photo Industries, Photo District News (PDN), Brooklyn Bridge Park and Flash Forward Festival.

The unveiling of THE FENCE 2013 happens tonight, Tuesday, June 18, at 6pm. The event is free and open to the public.

“Broken Rules” © Arantxa Cedillo

“Rodeo Girls: Riley” © Illona Szwarc

“Celda #1″ © Alma Leiva

“Birds of a Feather: Blue Hyacinth Macaw” © Claire Rosen

Glass-Scape, c-print 34″ x 34″, 2013

All images © Virginia Inés Vergara

Virginia Inés Vergara creates images that emphasize their flatness through complex layering. Her intention is to make photographs that are perceived as more akin to a flat plane—specifically, a plane of glass. The multi-layered form of her photographs are mirrored in the form of her camera. The layered form of the camera—one camera made by combining three different cameras—makes reference to the subject matter, namely, the planes of glass through which we view the panoramas in natural history museums.

Vergara’s process is unusual: she sets up a large-format camera in front of a glassed-in nature diorama with a painted background. She then holds a Hasselblad camera in front of the viewfinder of the first camera so that she can see what “it” is seeing. The Hasselblad camera is now positioned to take a picture of what the large-format one is seeing. At this stage, with the Hasselblad at one remove from the scene, the scene looks more two-dimensional and the crosshairs of the target feature of the Hasselblad viewfinder become part of the photograph. She then adds a third camera that “looks into” the Hasselblad’s viewfinder (located on top of the camera) and this camera captures the crosshairs.

Virginia Inés Vergara’s work will be exhibited at Kunsthalle Galapagos in the Fall of 2013.

Glass-Scape, c-print 34″ x 34″, 2013

Glass-Scape, c-print 6″ x 8″, 2013

© Marcus Smith

Chicago-based photographer Marcus Smith was in New York City this week for three days of intense portfolio reviews. As a lover of basketball, Smith made sure to find some time to check out famous courts in Harlem and snapped this photo (not with an iPhone). Sometimes these things just happen.

Fun facts about Smith…he owns 48 pairs of gym shoes, all in their original boxes, loves basketball and, though they lost in the second round of the playoffs this year, the Bulls. Check out his documentary project on the Simeon High School boys team in Chicago’s South Side here.

Battersea Power Station, London.  All Images © Irene Kung

In the book “The Invisible City” (Contrasto Publishing) urban spaces and buildings are revisited by Irene Kung, and become, through her camera, a different, silent and motionless space. Rome, New York, London, Madrid, Boston, Milan, Beijing…they are reimagined, becoming magical places, fascinating, full of enigmatic presence, invisible cities. Kung was born in Switzerland and studied visual arts, beginning her career as a painter. In recent years she has worked more with photography, exhibiting in solo and group shows including Photographica Fine Art Gallery in Lugano, Fondazione Forma per la Fotografia in Milan, Museo di arte contemporanea Pescheria of Pesaro, Goedhuis Contemporary in London and New York, Galleria Bonomo of Bari and Rome.

Kung was also a winner in the PDN’s 2013 Photo Annual Contest in the Photo Books category. For more on Kung as well as all of the 2013 winners, click here.

New Museum, New York

House of Parliament, London

Temple of Heaven, Beijing

Chrysler Building, New York

 Walt Schneebeli, age 87. All Images © Vance Jacobs

This series by photographer Vance Jacobs celebrates the “Old Goats” as they call themselves, who despite advancing age (or maybe because of it), swim in the frigid waters of the San Francisco Bay almost daily. The “Goats” are all members of the Dolphin Club in San Francisco and range in age from 65 to upwards of 90.

Jacobs is a triathlete who has swum in the bay before, but he can’t imagine swimming in 50-55 degree water without a wetsuit, let alone in the dead of winter or at that age. Jacobs says, “Having done a lot of athletics in my life and having been around a lot of elite athletes in different fields, I’m more impressed by longevity than being able to produce amazing numbers when you’re a teenager or in your early 20′s.” Let’s give them a round of applause.

 James Vanya, age 85

King Sip, age 70

John Davis, age 76

Yann Arthus-Bertrand is an award-winning photographer and author of more than forty books, best known for his aerial photography. Brian Skerry is a photojournalist who specializes in marine wildlife and underwater images. Their unique points of view come together in the new book, “Man and Sea” (May 2013, Abrams). The large format photo book, with many full page images, explores the relationship between mankind and the ocean, from above and below.

Pollack (Pollachius virens) swimming among sea pens (Ptilosarcus gurneyi) in the shallow waters of Long Sound, Fiordland National Park, New Zealand.

Diver and southern right whale (Eubalaena australis), Auckland Islands, New Zealand.

 Hutt Laggon: salt lake and algae farming, Gregory, Western Australia

Clown goby (Gobiodon citrinus) at the window of its shelter (a rusty soda can), Izu Peninsula, Honshu, Japan

Untitled, 2010. All Images © Joshua Zucker-Pluda

The series “Liminal” by Joshua Zucker-Pluda is an investigation into absence. He is interested in the idea of memory as phantom: an ineffable presence that haunts us. By studying the presence left behind in certain spaces, Zucker-Pluda captures loss and expresses the notion that something can only be truly felt when it is gone.
Joshua Zucker-Pluda is an artist, filmmaker, and musician based in New York City. His work has been shown in New York, Paris, Tokyo, and Berlin. Joshua divides his time between directing editorial and commercial projects, and playing bass in a hardcore punk band.

Untitled, 2010

Untitled, 2010

© Joachim Ladefoged

Today, most Copenhageners belong to the middle class. Statistics show that the middle social stratum of society is growing and the barriers to other classes are blurred. “Middle Class” is an up-to-the-minute photo exhibition on the middle class of Copenhagen. The photographers, who normally make up the photo agency SUMO, have collaborated with Københavns Museum, and include Joachim Ladefoged, Nicky Bonne, Niclas Jessen, Mikkel Bache, Søren Rønholt and Rasmus Weng Karlsen. “Middle Class” opens today, Friday, June 7 and runs through August 31 at the Københavns Museum in Copenhagen, Denmark as part of the Copenhagen Photo Festival 2013. – Courtesy of the Copenhagen Photo Festival.

© Joachim Ladefoged

© Mikkel Bache

© Niclas Jessen

© Rasmus Weng Karlsen

Blizz writing lyrics. Roanoke, Virginia. 2011.  All Images © Jared Soares

Photographer Jared Soares moved to Roanoke, Virginia in 2006 for a summer internship at the local newspaper. That turned into a full time gig that lasted a few years. During that time Soares got to know the community and surrounding areas very well. While working at the paper he wanted to work on a personal project about local hip hop artists. Even though Soares was a legit hip hop fan, it took a while for the local artists to open up to him. He took it slow, spending about four years on the project now called Small Town Hip Hop. “I think Small Town Hip Hop is at a good resting point,” Soares says, “but I still keep in touch with a lot of the guys that I photographed.” One of the main artists Soares worked with was Poe Mack. Check him out here.

Small Town Hip Hop will be exhibited as a part of “New Works #16: En Foco’s Photography Fellowship Award.” “New Works #16 also includes work by Mercedes Dorame, Yijun (Pixy) Liao, Daniel Ballesteros and Rodrigo Valenzuela. The exhibition opens this evening, June 6, at the opening reception from 5-9pm at Longwood Art Gallery @ Hostos Community College in the Bronx. The exhibition runs through August 30.

Juneteenth performance. Roanoke, Virginia, 2009

Sports bar concert. Roanoke, Virginia, 2011

Poe Mack checks his phone messages before working on a song in his converted garage recording studio. Northwest Roanoke, Virginia.

Teen dance night. Roanoke, Virginia, 2008

Hotel rest in College Park. Georgia, 2011

WMR, Ingrid House, La Boca, Matanzas, Chile © Sergio Pirrone

Wood Architecture Now! Vol.2 is a new hardcover book by Philip Jodidio (Taschen) available mid-June. As soon as humans bravely moved out of their protective caves, they surely built protective structures out of wood. The ultimate renewable resource for architecture is thus the oldest, but also the most modern of materials. Thanks to computer-driven design and manufacturing techniques, wood can be cut and carved in the most astonishing new ways. – Courtesy Taschen

Go Hasegawa, House in Komazawa, Tokyo, Japan © Iwaan Baan

Omer Arbel, 23.2 House, White Rock, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada © Omer Arbel Office

De Vylder Vinck Taillieu, Bernheim Beuk House, Ghent, Belgium © Filip Dujardin

Jürgen Mayer H., Metropol Parasol, Seville, Spain © Fernando Alda

WMR, Surazo Hotel, Matanzas, Chile © Sergio Pirrone

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.

Fresh blood in the spring grass from a baby goat who needed to be ‘put down’.

Mookie winding down after helping some of his goats give birth throughout the night. (film still from “Boone”)

Dana feeding goats alfalfa after evening milking.

Farmers prepping the soil for spring planting.

Christopher LaMarca was a PDN’s 30 in 2006. Click here to visit the gallery.

© Stephen Mallon

“Drawn to Water: A Floating Photographic Exhibition” is a new photo exhibition series aboard New York’s East River Ferries. It’s a collaborative project between the East River Ferry and United Photo Industries (UPI). UPI is also a part of Photoville, a summer pop-up photo destination in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

“Drawn to Water” will run for 4 months with a new set of exhibitions every month. The first edition is currently on view through June 28 featuring three different artists work. “Underwater Creatures” is a series of shots of aquatic animals in their natural environs by David Doubilet, Stephen Mallon’s “Next Stop: Atlantic” and Joni Sternbach’s “SurfLand.”

Be sure to tell all of your out-of-town visitors to check it out.

© Stephen Mallon

© Joni Sternbach

© Joni Sternbach

© David Doubilet

© David Doubilet

“Bebe and I, Brookline,” 2013 © Courtesy Nicholas Nixon / Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco

An exhibition of new work by Nicholas Nixon is currently on view at the Fraenkel Gallery in San Francisco. It is Nixon’s fourteenth solo exhibition at the gallery. Comprised of approximately thirty works dating solely from 2012 and 2013, this is Nixon’s first exhibition to interweave photographs made both in black-and-white and color.

Known for penetrating portraits of couples, the ill and elderly, and an ongoing annual portrait (begun in 1975) of his wife and her three sisters, Nixon is a master of rich, telling detail. His new work is comprised of intimate self-portraits with his wife, Bebe, and landscape views made in France and his neighborhood in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This exhibit runs through July 27, 2013. – courtesy Fraenkel Gallery.

“Longwood Mall, Brookline,” 2009 © Courtesy Nicholas Nixon / Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco

“Bebe and I, Brookline,” 2011 © Courtesy Nicholas Nixon / Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco

“Muddy River, Boston,” 2012 © Courtesy Nicholas Nixon / Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco

 ”Fallen Party Angel,” 2012 © Ellen von Unwerth / Courtesy Staley-Wise Gallery New York

“Playdate” opens at the Staley Wise Gallery in New York City tomorrow, Friday, May 31. In this exhibition of photographs, Ellen von Unwerth dazzles with a parade of girls run the gamut from innocent to naughty. Sex is in the forefront: fetishistic, humorous, romantic, decadent, and erotic. Fashion and fantasy are combined in von Unwerth’s vision of girls having fun: with us, with each other and with the unseen viewer who they tease, taunt and provoke. “Playdate” runs through July 12, 2013. – Courtesy Staley Wise Gallery.

© Ellen von Unwerth / Courtesy Staley-Wise Gallery New York

“Butterfly,” 2012 © Ellen von Unwerth / Courtesy Staley-Wise Gallery New York

 ”Hide,” 2012 © Ellen von Unwerth / Courtesy Staley-Wise Gallery New York

“Rihanna, Berlin”, 2009 © Ellen von Unwerth / Courtesy Staley-Wise Gallery New York

from the series Lakes and Reservoirs, Silver Lake, WA 3, 2010 © Matthew Brandt, Courtesy Yossi Milo Gallery, New York

Von Lintel Gallery in New York City opens a new exhibition called “UNIQUE,” a group show of non-editioned photography, often made without negatives or a camera. “UNIQUE” features work from Matthew Brandt, John Chiara, Pierre Cordier, Agnes Eperjesi, Curtis Mann, Klea McKenna, Amanda Means, Floris Neusüss, Pierre Cordier and Gundi Falk.

The exhibit opens May 30 and runs through July 12, 2013. The opening reception is Thursday, May 30 from 6-8pm.

“Rain Study #21,” 2013 © Klea McKenna, courtesy of the artist and Von Lintel Gallery, New York

“Simmons: Fort Barry: Bunker Road,” 2012 © John Chiara, courtesy of the artist and Von Lintel Gallery, New York

“Sun Flare,” 2011 © Curtis Mann, courtesy of the artist and Von Lintel Gallery, New York

“Grid Abstraction #40,” 2005 © Amanda Means, courtesy of the artist and Von Lintel Gallery, New York

“Stü Puck 2,” 1991 © Floris Neusüss, courtesy of the artist and Von Lintel Gallery, New York

from “So blue, so blue” © Ad Van Denderen, courtesy ImageSingulières

Though ImageSingulières, the month-long photography festival in Sète, France, is now over, the images live on. ImageSingulières celebrated its fifth anniversary this year and featured work from Cédric Gerbehaye, Roger Ballen, Martin Bogren, Claire Martin, Ad van Denderen, Eugenia Maximova, Adam Panczuk, Pierre-Yves Vandeweerd, Hugues de Wurstemberger, Marie-Laure de Decker and more.

from “In the Rythm of the Land, Karcz” © Adam Panczuk, courtesy ImageSingulières

from “Les Déclassés Occuli” © Claire Martin, courtesy ImageSingulières

from”Perfect” © Gianni Cipriano, courtesy ImageSingulières

from “Daybreakers” © Martin Bogren, courtesy ImageSingulières

“Fruit,” 2008 © Krista van der Niet, courtesy Foam

Still/Life – Contemporary Dutch Photography opens at the Multimedia Art Museum in Moscow today, May 24, and runs through July 14, 2013. The exhibition is presented by Foam_Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam, with the support of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“A,” 2009  © Uta Eisenreich, courtesy Foam

“Balancing Orange, Pink and Yellow,” 2008 © Qiu Yang, courtesy Foam

“Peuk & Wijn, from the series Procrastinators,” 2011 © Lernert & Sander, courtesy Nederlands Instituut voor Mediakunst and Foam

“Trampling, from the series Elektrotechnique,” 2011 © Lernert & Sander, courtesy Nederlands Instituut voor Mediakunst and Foam

“Potato,” 2003 © Anuschka Blommers en Neils Schumm, courtesy Foam

“Winkel #3,” 2007 © Johannes Schwartz, courtesy Foam

]]> http://pdnphotooftheday.com/2013/05/20544/feed 0 http://pdnphotooftheday.com/2013/05/20478 http://pdnphotooftheday.com/2013/05/20478#comments Thu, 23 May 2013 16:00:15 +0000 Amy Wolff http://pdnphotooftheday.com/?p=20478 “Untitled,” 1971.  All images © Takuma Nakahira, Courtesy Yossi Milo Gallery, New York

“Circulation: Date, Place, Events” was first exhibited in 1971 as part of the Seventh Paris Biennale. Each day, for seven consecutive days Takuma Nakahira photographed, developed and exhibited approximately one hundred photographs. The photographs are random glimpses from Nakahira’s daily activities in Paris, including strangers’ faces, produce stands, subway platforms, street posters and even his breakfast setting. Developing the photographs each night, Nakahira exhibited them the following day. Once the walls of the exhibition space were crowded with photographs, the artist spread them onto the floor. The resulting project presented a limited reality dictated by guidelines of “date,” “place” and “events.”

This is Japanese photographer Takuma Nakahira’s first exhibition outside of Japan since 1971 and first in America. The exhibition opens today and will be on view through Friday, July 12, 2013 at the Yossi Milo Gallery in New York City. An opening reception and book launch will be held this evening, Thursday, May 23, from 6:00 – 8:00PM.

“Untitled,” 1971

“Untitled,” 1971

“Untitled,” 1971

“Untitled,” 1971

By shooting stark, black-and-white images that are purposely blurry and grainy, Nakahira broke with Japan’s photographic history of social realism and allowed elements of uncertainty and expression into his work, along with Shomei Tomatsu, Daido Moriyama and Koji Taki. For more on Tomatsu, click here.

“A pesar de las ausencias entreveo siempre luces veders (Glimpses of green lights flicker amidst the absence)”, 2011.  © Pablo Soria

Florida-based photographer Pablo Soria uses created his series, “Nocturnal” through long exposures of the night sky in his homeland, San Miguel de Tucumán in Argentina. He uses the darkened night sky as a means to “draw out” his compositions. Through the manipulation of light, he renders the familiar unfamiliar and presents the viewer with images referencing his memory of place.

“Nocturnal” is currently on view a the Schneider Gallery in Chicago through June 29. Also on view is “Fathom and Fray” by Caleb Charland.

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