More work from Santa Fe

I have been meaning to post more good work from Santa Fe but my daughters have been struck down by chest infections this past week. My wife and I had been trying to keep them happy while surviving on three hours sleep. Blogging was the last thing on my mind.

So to make it up, here are three photographers. I saw their work online prior to Santa Fe and was determined to see the work in print. Unfortunately, review Santa Fe being so hectic, I only managed to see one of the projects, but I did meet two of the artists.

Their images may appear straight forward at first, but they are strong, stimulating and layered projects that carry strong social statements and demand the viewers to ask more questions. From American food culture to globalisation of food, from the state of the economy to the effects of war and migration.

Mark Menjivar - You are what you eat

you are what you eat is a series of portraits made by examining the interiors of refrigerators in homes across the untied states.

© Mark Menjivar

© Mark Menjivar

© Mark Menjivar

Jonathan Blaustein - The Value of a dollar

images of one dollar's worth of food from around the globe

©Jonathan Blaustein

©Jonathan Blaustein

©Jonathan Blaustein

So you can see there's a food theme going on here. The last project is by

Ari Soloman - 18 Rue Dugommier

Not a food project but I have chosen the food images form his project here. It a very intimate project of the photographer's great Aunt, - 'the images hint at both what was missing in her life and what filled it through layered compulsions of classification and arrangement.'

©Ari Soloman

©Ari Soloman

©Ari Soloman

Susan Worsham - More good work from Review Santa Fe

I also had the pleasure of meeting and hanging out with Susan Worsham at review Santa Fe last week. I have seen her images around the internet for a while now and always thought they have a really nice aesthetics but being able to see the whole series 'Some Fox Trails in Virgina' and having her explained them to me, I realised what an amazing project she got going on. Her images are full of nostalgia, taken of new friends and reoccurring objects within the walls of her childhood. Check out the whole series on her website.

    'This series of photographs is taken in and around Virginia, the place in which I grew up. The title comes from a book written by my father's ancestor, to show the lineage of the Fox family in Virginia. For my own purpose, it acts as a metaphorical map, of the rediscovered paths of my childhood home.'

©Susan Worsham

©Susan Worsham

©Susan Worsham

©Susan Worsham

©Susan Worsham

Jeffrey Aaronson

I had the real privilege of meeting and dinning with Jeffrey Aaronson at Santa Fe last week. Even if you are not familiar with his work, chances are you have seen his pictures. Having done many assignments for the likes of National Geographic, Newsweek, Time and Life, he has literally been all over the world photographing. He no longer takes editorial assignments, instead he has been concentrating on long term personal projects. Do check them out at his website, they are amazing. But the nicest part, was how modest and funny he is,it was a real pleasure hanging out with him.

The images below are taken form his latest project, Borderland:-

'In this work, I pursued the vernacular, the original, creating visual folktales that mirror a collective longing for a home and cultural identity. My intent was to photograph the manifestations of those within and those without.'

©Jeffrey Aaronson

©Jeffrey Aaronson

©Jeffrey Aaronson

©Jeffrey Aaronson

©Jeffrey Aaronson

Roadtrip USA

I remember reading Alec Soth's blog a few years ago when he posted an entry about advice he would give any emerging photographer. The 3 suggestions he had were 

1. Jen Bekman and her Hey, Hot Shot competition.

2. Mary Virginia Swanson

3. Review Santa Fe

This last week, I did all three.

I received some great news on thursday that I have been chosen as one of the 2009 First Edition Hey, Hot Shot! Having been following their blog for the last couple of months and seeing the amazing work they feature, it was a great honor to have been chosen. It means I will be showing in New York for the first time, be included in 20X200 and best of all, get the chance to work with Jen Bekman and her team. 

I have also just finished review Santa Fe, as always, there were people who loved the work and people who didn't. But I was so glad to have met Mary Virginia Swanson. It was the first time at a portfolio review that the reviewer had done research on me before the meeting and she had a list of suggestions waiting for me on my presentation and marketing. We barely got time to look at the work but it was almost irrelevant. What a nice person she was too. I shall be taking her advice and hopefully you will see the my new improved website in the next few months.

Lastly, I met so many great people and great photographers in the last few days. Which was by far the best part of Review Santa Fe. I will hopefully be able to post the stuff I really like in the next few weeks. 

Until then, I will leave you with a few pictures I have taken in the last week. Having almost exclusively photographed with a large format camera in the last couple of years, I have had a great time using my new camera, which also comes with a phone.

My homage to Simon Norfolk