Spring '06 Hot Shot, Andrea Chu, Jeff Liao, and former Hot Shot Honorable Mention Erica Shires in The Daily News

The Daily News recently wrote an article about three Pratt alumni, all graduated within the past five years, who have been named by Photo District News as among the Top 30 Photographers to Watch this year. Spring 2006 Hot Shot, Andrea Chu is among the three named in the article and said she looked up to the emerging 30 when she was in school. She felt extremely humbled to be selected.

PDN has an amazing selection is a great source of inspiration and motivation for young photographers! Surely, it has to be bookmarked!

The showcase for the Summer edition of Hey, Hot Shot is coming up soon. Mark your dates for Wednesday, September 6, 2006 for the opening reception!

Empty Kmart on 27th Street by Kate Bingaman

The time has come to announce the finalists for this Summer edition's Hey, Hot Shot! competition!

The Summer Edition Showcase will open with a reception for the artists on the evening of Wednesday September 6, 2006, from 6-8pm. The showcase will be on view Thursday, September 7th and will remain on view through Sunday, September 10th, 2006.

Without further ado, we present to you the Summer 2006 Hot Shots:
Kate Bingaman
Ernie Button
Kara Canal
Sam Gezari
Brandon Herman
Matthew Kime
Sara Macel
Matthew Nighswander
James Rajotte
Nadia Sablin

We've compiled a Flickr set of all the images submitted by our Hot Shot Winners!

Special thanks go to our awesome, fabulous and excellent panelists for their insight humor and hard work, as well as our special guest panelists Jay DeFoore and Amit Gupta. Finally, thanks to all the other people who helped make it happen: Amani Olu and Jeff Kirsch for their research and technical prowess, Jesse Chan-Norris for hosting our panel meetings, Lauren Cerand for PR support, and also just for being her amazing self and last but not least the fabulous intern, Jane Tam for doing double duty being editor for both the Hey, Hot Shot! blog and Jen Bekman blog.

It's always tough to narrow it down to the final ten, so we're also happy to include a list of great photographers in our honorable mentions category:

Barbara Salinas, Shannon Taggart, Erika Larsen, Marc McAndrews, Juliana Beasley, Don Simon, Orrie King, Nayan Sthankiya, Katie Watson, Michelle Vitiello, Jessica Roberts, Mathew Spolin, Jonathan Feinstein, Brett Bell, Aaron Hraba, Michael Bahler-Rose, Tania Camille Nasser, Travis Huggett, Danelle Manthey, Jay Parkinson, Jason Lazarus, Duane Dugas, Joan Cuenco, Derek Powazek, Beth Fladung, Svetlana Bahchevanova, Sesthasak Boonchai, Maureen Drennan, Jane Noel, Travis Ruse, Liz Danahey, Mikael Kennedy, and Sarah Madsen.

Thank you to all that participated in this competition!

Wedding Dresses, Columbus, Mississippi by Kate Bingaman

Kate Bingaman

Currently residing in: Starkville, MS

Website: http://www.obsessiveconsumption.com

Work Statement:
I take photos of consumption. I started by taking photographs of my trash and other people's trash and then moved to taking photographs of everything that I bought (for 28 months). I take pictures in thrift stores, empty stores, full stores and people in stores. I don't think I will stop.

The photos I am submitting were taken in an empty K-Mart in Lincoln, Nebraska, a shopping cart factory in Plattsmouth, Nebraska and a thrift store in Columbus, Mississippi.

Bio:
I was born in Wisconsin, grew up in Missouri, worked as a graphic designer in Omaha, received my MFA at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln in 2004 and am now an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at Mississippi State University.

I started taking pictures when my mom gave me a camera when I was eight. I mostly took pictures of Saturday morning cartoons.

Grape Nuts Dune #7 by Ernie Button

Ernie Button

Currently residing in: Phoenix, AZ

Website: http://www.erniebutton.com/

Work Statement:
Photography has undeniably changed the way I see the world; how I look at individuals, places, or objects. When looking through the camera, it allows me to view the world in a completely different way, focusing on form and detail that I wouldn't normally see. Although my subject matter varies, my images focus on the individual nature of objects and the unique qualities that each possesses. My images often examine objects in isolation providing a voice to the quiet, the ignored and the often overlooked.

Regarding this body of work: When I was a child, cereal was a luxury item. A brand name cereal was a rarity as they were consistently more expensive. Something like King Vitamin (a popular 70s cereal) or Cap'n Crunch made for pure breakfast heaven. Looking at the cereal aisle today, it's clear that breakfast cereal has changed. The cereal aisle has become a cornucopia of colors with marshmallows that resemble people and objects and characters from movies. It's apparent that cereal is not just for breakfast anymore; it's playtime. In keeping with the playtime theme, I began to construct landscapes that would utilize the natural earth tones of certain cereals. I placed enlarged photographs of actual Arizona skies (e.g. sunsets or monsoon clouds) in the background of the cereal landscapes giving the final image an odd sense of reality. Other cereals that were more vibrantly colored or made to resemble people and objects were calling out to be the center of attention.

Bio:
I am based in Phoenix, Arizona. Except for a few community college classes in photography, I am self-taught. Highlights of my photography career have included:
HCP Fellowship Grant, honorary mention 2006 (Houston Center for Photography)
Artist Project Grant (Arizona Commission on the Arts)
Artists Career Development Grant (Phoenix Commission on the Arts).

Recent exhibits have included work shown at:
Bentley Projects (Phoenix, Arizona)
George Billis Gallery ( Los Angeles, California)
Houston Center for Photography (Houston, Texas)
SF Camerawork, (San Francisco, California)
Anchorage Museum of History and Art (Anchorage Alaska)

living room, reykjavik, 2006 by Kara Canal

Kara Canal

Currently residing in: Brooklyn, NY

Work Statement:
While vacationing in Iceland this past summer we stayed in the apartment of a friend of a friend named Asta Julia. We were given keys and free reign of the space Asta shared with her two children. It was a week before we met the generous apartment owner. We were left to make up stories of Asta and her children, based on their home—how it was arranged, how it was decorated, and what was left behind in their absence. These images are taken from a larger body of work about being a stranger in a foreign country, and a visitor in someone else's home. The desire to snoop around was irresistible, and narratives of this other stranger frequently preoccupied me as I sat in her kitchen, sipped tea from her mugs, and gazed out her windows.

Bio:
Kara Canal was born in New Jersey, and didn't realize how much she loved photography until she was 21. Kara, now ten years older, has gone on to earn her MFA in Photography, and is busy teaching art to children and working on a collaborative photo project with her puppy during their morning walks.

Untitled (Suzie Hedge), 2006 by Brandon Herman

Brandon Herman

Currently residing in: New York, NY

Website: brandonhermanland.com

Work Statement:
By far, the most powerful characteristic of photography for me is its unbreakable bond with reality. Painting can feign reality without seeing it, explains Roland Barthes, but in Photography I can never deny that the thing has been there. I take photographs to make my fantasies come true. A painter can conjure images from his imagination and place them straight upon his canvas, but in order for a photographer to depict his fantasies, as Barthes points out, he must have them in front of his lens. I used to draw and paint my imaginings, and found no satisfaction in a process that only seemed to confirm the impossibility of their actual realization.

Swimming, climbing trees, playing outside, making out, running, being naked, having sex, jumping, being with friends, bonfires, eating yummy food until I'm so full I'm going to explode, getting drunk, getting out of control, acting like an animal, ejaculating, peeing, lack of inhibitions, no consequences, no rules, being young, being silly, having fun. These are the things I love; the elements of my fantasy world. And when I take pictures they become my reality and the photographs become important mementos, proof that for a few hours at a time I got together with my friends and made my fantasies come true.

Bio:
I was born and raised in a small suburb of San Francisco. I studied photography at the Rhode Island School of Design. It is my firm belief that true happiness lies in the realization that reality and the imagination can coexist, and in the pursuit of a seamless blend of the two.

King's House Hotel, Scotland by Matthew Kime

Matthew Kime

Currently residing in: Brooklyn, NY

Website: www.mwkphotography.com

Work Statement:
I didn't really pick up a camera until college. With a hectic student schedule, I took pictures to relax and incorporated my camera into relaxing activities. After a long day of lectures, reading, writing, and sitting in a small dorm room, this meant doing something active. I started to go on night walks on a regular basis. It became a method for me to gain control in a new city.

The breakthrough in my work came when I switched to 4x5 and started walking longer distances. Large format freed me from the need to finish all 36 frames on a roll of film - frequently an impossibility. The price of a 4x5 negative convinced me that it was okay to go out with my camera and not shoot if nothing moved me. My NYC work became an exploration of the perimeter of Manhattan, an alternative to the grid of the city.

The three images I'm submitting are from my most recent project, Walking Britain. I walked 550 miles though Wales, Northern England, and Scotland, over 6 weeks with a 4x5 field camera on my back. This took the walking element of my work and pushed it to the boundaries of physical endurance. It was also a cultural experience. Walking tied together many small, out of the way places that foreigners rarely visit. However, the most compelling part of the experience was walking such distances as a form of travel. It lies directly in contrast to the American relationship with cars and how we've built our cities around them.

Bio:
I was born and raised in Appleton, WI and studied photography at New York University. While my interest in the visual arts had grown through high school, I didn't become interested in photography until I took a class freshman year. It was satisfying to make something and a welcome relief from writing papers.

I applied to the photography department with the work from that one semester and was accepted. The application process reassured me - it was a sudden choice but I was also accepted.

I spent the next two years floundering among much more experienced photographers. While I was enjoying the process, I wasn't getting much result. I left many critiques frustrated that not a word had been said about my images.

My work took a dramatic turn just before my senior thesis class. A semester of confusion with large format cameras finally produced a comfort with the awkward device. I started walking further with my camera and taking fewer pictures.

I graduated and received a grant for my New York nightscapes. I spent six months living in London before returning to Wisconsin (where I was shooting), Philadelphia (where I was moving to), and New York (where I had darkroom space).

Since graduating I've kept busy with a series of large photography projects when I'm not working to make a living.

Oak Alley Plantation, Vacherie LA. by Sara Macel

Sara Macel

Currently residing in Brooklyn, NY

Website: http://www.saramacel.com

Work Statement:
I was born and raised in the suburbs of Houston, Texas, surrounded by a community that believed in Jesus, high school football, and the annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Within this community I was somewhat of an outsider, though I would put my level of rebellion on par with that of any typical teenager. The only real thing that set me apart from the others was my camera. And once I picked it up, there was really no turning back. My photography stems from my personal life, and therefore the South has always been a favorite subject of mine. In March 2006, I traveled to New Orleans to photograph the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina approximately six months after the storm. As a child of the Gulf Coast region, I felt a sense of duty to bear witness to the ongoing struggle to rebuild and to help in some way. Beyond seeking out photographs of the destruction, I was also able to capture images from the city's the Saint Patrick's Day parade and remnants from Louisiana's plantation era. Living and photographing in the South, I have witnessed the region's familiarity with defeat. From the Civil War to the constant threats of nature and the overwhelming heat, Southerners have an ingrained ability to bear hardship. This stubborn insistence on surviving was never more palpable to me than on this trip.

Bio:
Sara Macel moved from Texas to New York at the age of eighteen. She received a BFA in Photography and Imaging from New York University in 2003, where she received the Tobias Award for her project titled Kiss + Tell. After graduating, she spent two years as the assistant and studio manager to Magnum photographer Bruce Davidson and currently works as a production assistant and freelance photographer. Her work has been included in several group shows in New York, including the Unframed/First Look exhibition for emerging photographers at Sean Kelly Gallery in 2004 and currently at the New Century Artists Gallery. In early 2007, her Kiss + Tell series will be shown at the Center for Photography at Woodstock in a show by the same name.

Chandelier, Chicago by Matthew Nighswander

Matthew Nighswander

Currently residing in Chicago, IL

Website: www.mattnighswander.com

Work Statement:
Project Statement: Chicagoland

When I first moved to Chicago, I was slightly confused by the term "Chicagoland." I heard it used in TV and radio ads when I wasn't quite paying attention and I wondered initially if it might be an amusement park or an enormous mall. I've chosen Chicagoland for the working title of my project not because I am interested in documenting the wide expanse of the Chicago metro region (in fact, the vast majority of these pictures were all shot within Chicago's city limits) but because of the psychological space the word implies to me. The pictures were taken in Chicago, but the best ones seem only loosely tethered to the reality from which they spring. If they are about sprawl and the forlorn spaces of generic architecture it is at least partly because these spaces are where the transformative powers of photography can have the greatest effect; where the photographic image can create a sense of drama and psychological tension that may not have been present in the original scene.

Bio:
I grew up in a large, creaky colonial house in a small town in New Hampshire. Though I was not a photo major, I began shooting seriously in college, inspired primarily by the great "street" photographers: Robert Frank, Garry Winogrand, Helen Levitt, etc. After college I lived in New York, where I played in a band you've never heard of for many years and worked at The Associated Press as a photo editor. My photos were mostly kept to myself until I was accepted into an MFA program at Columbia College Chicago. I've just finished the program and though I will be leaving Chicago with some regret, my wife and I are returning to New York where I will begin working as the archivist for VII photos later this summer. I'm 36.

Auditorium by James Rajotte

James Rajotte

Currently residing in: Rochester, NY

Website: http://jamesrajotte.net

Work Statement: Photography, I feel, offers the opportunity to greater explore and express an individual's interest in the visual world. I find that my interest is piqued when I am exploring new places, or meditating on familiar ones.

I began working as a photojournalist during my undergraduate education with internships at newspapers, but found myself constantly trying to appease a demographic that wanted to see their own communities as problem-free. During my graduate studies, I have had the chance to re-evaluate my own ideas about the role of images in society.

My current work contends that our day-to-day visual environments can be deceptively oppressive and subconsciously discouraging. I feel that still photographs offer viewers the unique opportunity to realize that this contention is true.

The photographs from the project School address the oppressive environment of American public education. The images in the series are meant to symbolically convey a sense of hopelessness, rigidity, banality and intimidation.

Bio:
James Rajotte (b. 1980) is a photographer currently living in Rochester, NY. After growing up in rural Pennsylvania, James studied Earth Sciences at Penn State University. He then worked as a photojournalist for several publications during and after his undergraduate education. Currently James is an MFA student at the Visual Studies Workshop.

Man With Bear by Nadia Sablin

Nadia Sablin

Currently residing in: Brooklyn, NY

Website: www.nadiasablin.com

Work Statement:
I was born in Leningrad, Soviet Union, a city and country that no longer exist. The names changed after I left, the substance too. After growing up and getting a photo degree in the US, I went back. Not to St. Petersburg, and not to Russia—the legality of that was complicated. I found myself in Ukraine, in a small town where the Old World still existed. There is a sculpture garden where cows and goats pasture. People get water from wells. Traveling circus and zoo is a high form of entertainment. I took pictures for two years. The faces, the expressions of the people I encountered made me feel like I was in a fairy tale, a place Other Than. I tried to capture them as they were: old, dignified, magical.

Bio:
When I was twelve, my family moved from the center of baroque Leningrad to a cheap apartment in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio. There, I found a way back to beauty through art and photography. I attended the Cleveland Institute of Art and subsequently Rochester Institute of Technology, from which I graduated in 2002 with a degree in Photography. I traveled extensively through the United States, falling in love with America and its landscape. It wasn't until my moving to Ukraine for two years, that I began to photograph people. Currently I'm exploring portraiture in Brooklyn, NY. I am 26, and feel there is no better age to be.

Untitled by Joseph Holmes

Another great way to promote emerging artists is through JPG Magazine. It's true, I was even in their very first issue! The sixth issue called Oops features our own Fall '05 Hot Shot, Joseph Holmes.

There's magic in mistakes. There's something special in the spontaneous. Because it's in those moments when photography becomes more than just a document. It becomes something real.

This issue of JPG is about your best "Oops!" photos. Whether it was faulty settings, old film, the random photo on the last frame of film, or the last photo a camera ever took, this issue features some of the finest slip-ups, freak-outs, and happy accidents ever captured on film or pixels.

All their past and current issues are on sale now, so support emerging artists and see some great work! You can view Joseph's Museum of Natural History series here on Flickr.

The winners of the Summer edition of Hey, Hot Shot! will be announced soon so be sure to check back!

Rebecca by Rebecca Soboti

Dennis by Rebecca Soboti

Oh my! You only have less than 6 hours left to submit! Deadline is 6PM EST TODAY!

Rebecca Soboti's images are inspired by family, traditions, and nostalgia. She's interested in what she calls "archiving change" by continually shooting her family through years and years.

Over the years, my photographs have evolved from focusing exclusively on my family to including inanimate objects and scenery to unify larger themes. My latest project, Monmouth, examines my family throughout a period of three years as my sisters and I endure our parents' painful divorce. The photographs I am submitting illustrate pieces from the project Monmouth, which can be viewed in its entirety at www.rebeccasoboti.com

Get those submissions in now!

Apple Sweat 1 by Derek Powazek

Apple Sweat 2 by Derek Powazek

For all you on the East Coast, remember when it was scorching hot on the first week of August? It was so hot that certain parts of the city's power went out, people died, and people just wanted to stay indoors with the air conditioner on. Derek Powazek was visiting the city with his wife during that week and captured the hardcore heat people endured in the streets. He used the non-intrusive Lomo LC-A camera to capture New Yorkers since his Holga was melting and the digital SLR was too in-your-face for fellow natives.

My camera found New York in a rare moment. A city of incredible diversity, united in sweat. From Chinatown to the Village to Coney Island, New Yorkers were out in the world, doing their jobs, making the best of it. By the time the rain started to fall and the heat began to fade, we felt a new bond with the people who call NYC home.

You better get your submissions in before 6PM EST tomorrow!!!!

Abandoned Car, New Orleans LA. by Sara Macel

Saint Patrick's Day Parade, New Orleans LA. by Sara Macel

Sara Macel's photography stems from her personal life, particularly her relationship with the South. These images are taken from her trip to New Orleans six months after Hurricane Katrina.

Beyond seeking out photographs of the destruction, I was also able to capture images from the city's Saint Patrick's Day parade and remnants from Louisiana's plantation era. Living and photographing in the South, I have witnessed the regions familiarity with defeat. From the Civil War to the constant threats of nature and the overwhelming heat, Southerners have an ingrained ability to bear hardship.

Tuesday, the 15th is the deadline so get them in now!!!

The Commute, AM, Plane by David Franck

The Commute, PM, V by David Franck

David Franck's goal is to gel painting with photography to create images that meld together through colors, lines, and ambiance. The photographs he created are one of the most seamless multiple exposures that I've seen. (Maybe thanks to the lovely smog in California.) From his statement:

The landscape of California has been my subject for going on 15 years. The light and colors combined with the smog is an endless facination for me. Although I enjoy historical and documentry style of photography, I find my path to be one of collage, collection and manufacture to be more interesting than roaming around the city waiting to capture whichever images fall my way.

Remember, the deadline is this TUESDAY, AUG. 15 at 6PM EST!

To Sir, With Love by Katie Watson

Untitled by Katie Watson

These images by Katie Watson have a nostalgic feeling, from the fading colors to the subject matter. Katie likes to leave images to tell the viewer what it means, with no BS about conceptualizing the idea. From her statement:

I love surreal images, bold colors, as well as stark images lacking color. It interests me to see images juxtaposed, too. In my photos, I use the figure a lot, and I love seeing other artists' unique take on the conventional subject. On the whole, I feel that art needn't always adhere to long-winded explanations, which are usually difficult to grasp. I don't like to focus on conceptualizing, and looking for symbols where they don't exist. Somtimes meaning behind art is necessary, but I like things simple, with a bit of mystery.

Ok, kids. The deadline is creeping up so get your submissions in before Tuesday, Aug. 15 at 6PM EST!

Auditorium by James Rajotte

School Yard by James Rajotte

James Rajotte's photographs investigate the "oppressive environment of American public education." His deadpan style emphasizes the institution of each environment. A blurb from his statement:

Photography, I feel, offers the opportunity to greater explore and express an individual's interest in the visual world. I find that my interest is piqued when I am exploring new places, or meditating on familiar ones.

The images in the series are meant to symbolically convey a sense of hopelessness, rigidity, banality and intimidation.

We're inching closer and closer to the panelist judging so remember to send your best in! We're waiting for them! Deadline is Tuesday, August 15 at 6PM EST!

John Trainer #1 by Juliana Beasley

Frieda 2 by Juliana Beasley

We have received a wide range of submissions and Juliana Beasley's photographs demonstrate another variety in the way images can be taken. In these images, she got to know certain people that are overlooked on some basis by the mainstream: the poor, the elderly, the mentally ill, alcoholics, or drug addicts. A blurb from her statement:

For me, this project confronts various levels of marginalization. There is, first of all, a geographic marginalization insofar as all of this takes place on a peninsula at the far-flung edge of the city where the fog rolls over the beaches. Secondly, there is the social marginalization, the fact that the subjects are poor, physically or mentally challenged, and otherwise living far outside the mainstream, virtually invisible. Finally, and most importantly perhaps, there is the interior marginalization, a loneliness that I attempted to capture in the portraits, a sense of personal isolation that is often exacerbated by or results in alcoholism or drug addiction.

We've got less than a week until the deadline. Keep them coming!

We've got another guest panelist to add to judge the Summer Hey, Hot Shot! If you ever read popular photography magazines, you'd probably have come across Popular Photography! We've got Jay DeFoore, editor of Popphoto.com, to help pick out the best 10 photographers from the submissions. Here's a little bio about Mr. DeFoore:

After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin, Jay DeFoore relinquished his Texas citizenship and moved to New York in 2000 hoping to become the next Lester Bangs. He scored his first job as a web producer for Billboard.com, which got him freelance gigs writing reviews of CDs and live shows for Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter. In 2002 he realized that photographers led more exciting lives than pop stars, so he began working for Photo District News (PDN) as a reporter and news editor. He is currently the editor of PopPhoto.com, the online home of Popular Photography & Imaging and American Photo magazines, but still likes a good concert every now and again.

Photographers lead more exciting lives than pop stars? Good thing I picked the right gig!

We're looking for Fall interns at the jb. Interested? Read the internship description over on the jen bekman blog and then send your resume and fascinating, unique, original and witty cover letter to internship AT jenbekman DOT com.

Dolphin Street by Jonathan Gitelson


Congress Theatre by Jonathan Gitelson

Oh, fliers are like the prehistoric version of internet spam. A submission by Jonathan Gitelson displays the collection of fliers he received from parking near club venues in Chicago. A little blurb from his artist statement:

I began collecting the fliers from my car and from the sidewalk around my home. By January of 2005, I had collected over 1000 fliers, enough to cover my entire car. I spent three months hand-sewing the fliers together to create a car cover and have photographed the car, with car cover, parked in front of the clubs from whom I had received fliers.

The Car Project was completed in December of 2005 and consists of eight large-scale photographs. Each exhibition print is digitally printed at 40 X 50 which allows the viewer to read the individual fliers within each photograph.

Keep those submissions rolling in. Deadline is August 15 at 6pm EST!

Taranka by Nadia Sablin


Man With Bear by Nadia Sablin

This submission from Nadia Sablin brings us back to the Old World. I've never had the chance of seeing countrylife or know the excitement of the traveling circus/zoo. Nadia was born in Leningrad, Soviet Union, a city that does not exist anymore. She came to the states to grow up and study and decided to go back, not necessarily back to Russia but in a little town in Ukraine, where people still gather water from wells. She captured portraits of people that inhabited this small town, which she calls a place that reminded her of a fairy tale.

Alright, remember the deadline has been extended. New deadline is Tuesday, August 15 at 6pm EST.

Good news people!

We've extended the deadline to TUESDAY, AUGUST 15 at 6PM EST! That gives some of you procrastinators some time to get your finishing touches on your images. Submit your work!

Self Portrait Series, Gold and Fur by Aline Smithson

Self Portrait Series, Bates Motel by Aline Smithson

You've got 3 days left to submit!!

I have yet to master the art of taking self portraits since I'm the type to rather be behind the camera than in front of it. The same goes for Aline Smithson, another photographer I've chosen among the submissions. She takes her self portraits with a bit of humor and simplicity by showing the viewer a glimpse into different parts of her life- "a moment, a routine, a fear, or [her] fun." Here's a little something from her bio:

I moved to New York City to make my living as a painter, and although I continued to paint, my career moved into the fashion world. I worked for many years as the Fashion Editor for Vogue Patterns Magazine in New York City, and then continued on in Los Angeles as a freelance photo stylist. As a fashion editor, I had the privilege of working with many exceptional fashion photographers, including Horst, Mario Testino, Patrick Demarchelier, Arthur Elgort, and Bert Stern. After standing next to the camera for many years, I have discovered that it is behind the camera that I find my joy and passion.

Ed by Aaron Hraba

Jonny by Aaron Hraba

Self portrait by Aaron Hraba

4 days left to submit!

This set of images is from Aaron Hraba. One of his major influences is Nan Goldin and it really shows in his style of shooting. Aaron's snapshot aesthetic works well in developing the "real-ness" of each character in the photographs. A little blurb from his artist statement:

The images I am submitting deals with issues of masculinity; the fronts men put up and what they keep hidden. Though not half as bad as it is imposed on women, social conditioning happens to men as well in our society.

He recently got his MFA from Syracuse University (representing!) and was also appointed Assistant Professor of Photography at Rhode Island College.

We got Amit Gupta of Photojojo to hop on board to be on our panel to select the Summer edition of Hey, Hot Shot! Amit is an entrepeneur with a long list of credits to his name. From his blog:

He is founder of The Daily Jolt, an online college community on 100 campuses. He also helped create a non-profit called ChangeThis with Seth Godin and brought the technology un-conference BarCamp to NYC. He's consulted for companies such as Pearson, Apple, and Creative Good.

He's co-author of The Big Moo, a WSJ best-seller, with Seth Godin, Malcolm Gladwell, Guy Kawasaki, Tom Peters, and others.

His latest project is Photojojo. If you like photography, you will like Photojojo.

I love Photojojo. Great DIY photography tips to make great craft projects, improve photographs, and just make neat things. We've blogged about it before too!

We will be having some more special guest panelists along with interviews with them coming soon so be on the lookout!

Keep those submissions coming!

Letter, November 11th 1967 by Johnny Miller

Envelope, November 13th 1967 by Johnny Miller

This couple of images by Johnny Miller document his parent's love letters during Vietnam War. This is the kind of thing that melts your heart but also reminding you of the sentimentality of snail mail. Here's a little blurb from his artist statement.

They dated for the next four months before my father left for his tour. They wrote many letters. In June of 1968, he invited my mom's family out to Califorina to meet his. After asking my grandfather if he could propose to his daughter, he drove down to the beach in his father's car and asked my mother to be his wife. She said "yes." Four months after the engagement, my dad was sent to start his tour. Hundreds more letters were sent. They planned to marry in June 1969. I was born in 1971, my sister followed in 1974.

We only have 6 more days until the deadline (Next Wednesday, the 9th!). This entry is from Travis Huggett. This is also a fresh entry from today! I enjoy really quiet yet beautiful photos. Here's a little something from Travis's artist statement.

Being a photographer allows me a chance to take a second look at things. It forces me to slow down and observe what's around me, both beautiful and plain. It allows me to be alone, or forces me to be with people. It takes me places I wouldn't otherwise go, and gives me something to share. It helps keep things interesting. I hope that when people look at my photographs, some of these qualities will show. The viewer might find beauty in the ordinary, in the subtle, stopping a moment so as take another look, and appreciate anew, maybe seeing something that they connect with, something that lingers after they've left, something they will want to return to.

Untitled by Joseph Holmes

Fall '05 Hot Shot, Joseph Holmes has been chosen as one of 100 photographers selected for Photography Now: One Hundred Portfolios, an international survey DVD-ROM juried by curators from Europe, Japan and the United States. The project is a follow-up to Wright State University's Photography in the 1990s: fifty portfolios CD-ROM from 1995.

Joseph also has two images from his American Museum of Natural History series selected for the 2nd Annual National Juried Exhibition at the Newspace Center for Photography, Portland, OR. The show runs from July 7 through August 27 (opening reception: Friday July 7th, 7-10pm).

His AMNH series is also showing at Night and Day Restaurant on August 7th with a reception that night from 6 to 7:30pm. Night and Day is located at 230 Fifth Avenue (at President) Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY 11215.

Joseph also has a photograph in the latest issue of JPG Magazine, issue #6, "Oops." They showcase a lot of great photographers (as well as myself in the first issue!)

Finally, his short story "Keys" will be appearing in the spring/summer issue of the literary magazine Phantasmagoria as well as the fall/winter issue of The North Atlantic Review.

We are a week away from the Hey, Hot Shot competition **deadline is August 9th at 6pm**! I'll be posting a photo everyday from the Summer '06 submissions.

*sidenote: These images are chosen by me and me only. They have nothing to do with panelists. I just want to showcase some work that I like and are inspired by as well as the diversity of the submissions. You still have a week to submit, so keep them coming!!

Maple Lanes, Brooklyn, NY by Marc McAndrews

Once I saw this image, I knew it was the bowling alley located a few blocks from my house. Marc set out in his van (that he bought on eBay) and focused on capturing his perception of the American culture.