The past few weeks have been great, but, look, we need a break.

And, by "break," I mean a short pause here as we get ready, technically, to launch the first Hey, Hot Shot! edition of 2008.

So grab your portfolio, and start working on your statement and bio; I look forward to seeing them when we return.

Today's 20x200 edition is photogaphs by Luke Strosnider, who, as Ms. Bekman points out in her newsletter, is a colleague of Hey, Hot Shot! alums Kirby Pilcher and James Rajotte at the Visual Studies Workshop.

You don't get her newsletters? You're missing out. Sign up to get gossip like this and first crack at each 20x200 edition.

2006 Hey, Hot Shot! Ne Plus Ultra Kate Bingaman-Burt

Lesley Martin, Hey, Hot Shot! panelist and the publisher of Aperture's book program will speak tonight with Harper's Books art book dealer Harper Levine, and Daile Kaplan, V.P., Director of Photographs, Swann Galleries Inc., and others in an Introduction to Collecting Photography Books, a panel discussion. They will talk about what makes specific books valuable, and thoughts to consider in building a book collection. It should be a great night for photographers and collectors alike.

The details:
Introduction to Collecting Photography Books
Panel Discussion
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
6:30 p.m.

Aperture Gallery
547 West 27th Street, 4th Floor
New York, New York
(212) 505-5555

The second part of the Starn twins' 20x200 edition is now for sale. If you missed out last time, or if you want to own both parts, you should really hurry!

Ms. Bekman writes, "Structure of Thought 6a is printed on translucent vellum and is a beautiful print on its own, so if you didn't get the first one, don't hesitate to click through and grab a print. And of course, it can be layered over Structure of Thought 6b."

Ian Baguskas's Rincon Artificial Island and Pipeline, Ventura, California, 2007 40x51" C-print

Peggy Roalf reviews Sweet Water, Spring '06 Hot Shot Ian Baguskas' current show at Jen Bekman Gallery, in Design Arts Daily.

She writes:

"In the last several years, photographers around the globe have taken up the plight of the earth, further endangered today through climate change, deforestation, and drought. The landscape, with human activities accepted as a 'natural' aspect of the view for better or worse, provides the raw material, from both a visual and philosophical standpoint. One of the most beguiling exhibitions on view in New York is 'Sweet Water,' photographs by Ian Baguskas, at Jen Bekman Gallery."

Baguskas' Sweet Water is up until May 3, 2008.

A few weeks ago, Rob Haggart at A Photo Editor put out a call for work. He curated a slideshow meant to forge new relationships between photographers, photo editors, and art collectors. It's up now, on his blog, and with an embed code so that others can host the show too. It's called I Like These Photos (to the point, perfect), and it features the work of 297 (!) photographers. It's a novel way of collecting images, for sure.

He writes:

Attention art buyers and photo editors, this is a free promo that’s meant to supplement all the other ways you find photographers to hire. I created it see if there might be an easier more efficient way to quickly look at 200-300 photographers. Compared to the weekly promo pile this works pretty good. Plus, if you’re like me, you remember a picture and not necessarily who took it so you can come back to this slideshow and find the name and website of the photographer whenever you like. This project only works if you find work you like and hire the photographer. I can create more of these but it’s a complete waste of time if it doesn’t connect buyers with photographers. That’s the only reason I did this.

Are you a photographer who missed out this time? Don't worry, Haggart promises, "we’re going to do this again with different editors in a couple months."

Carlo Van de Roer's Hey, Hot Shot! winning entry.

Carlo Van de Roer, a Fall 2007 Hot Shot, is almost a sell out. And he will be, soon, surely. For the second time. His Untitled (Bondi Baths, Sydney, Australia), 2007 is today's 20x200 edition. And there are only two prints left! His previous 20x200 edition, Untitled (Astoria Park, Queens, New York), is long gone.

Carlo's work is in high demand. He won the 2006 ADC Young Gun Award, the 2007 IPN Go Indie Award, the 2007 PDN Pix Digital Imaging Award, and most recently he won 1st place for fine art at the 2007 APA Awards. So you should hurry.

Structure of Thought 6b and Structure of Thought 6a by Doug and Mike Starn.

Today's 20x200 edition, a benefit for Blind Spot by Doug and Mike Starn, sold out in seven minutes. Seven minutes! Structure of Thought 6-b proved to be as hot as in-demand concert tickets. Sign up for the 20x200 e-mail list and be the first to hear about the release of another Starn edition — Structure of Thought 6a — which will be printed on vellum paper and can be paired with Structure of Thought 6-b to make a whole new layered piece of art.

Have you done your taxes yet? Have you had your taxes done for you yet? One day to go, and yet, there's still hope. "Business of Art: Taxing Artists," a New York Foundation for the Arts article, has some great information that's relevant to photographers and other artists. For example, "...artists should also be aware of what is known as a Un-Incorporated Business Tax. If someone is a freelance artist doing a portion of their business in New York City, there is a tax form they have to complete in addition to their federal, state and city tax returns."

• The New York Times reports that MFA students at SVA show at the MoMA. In the bathroom. The show lives on, online.
• In the 40th anniversary of New York Magazine, they attempt to define a New York Canon from 1968-2008, and they also run a few Q&As with "iconic New York artists about creating their masterworks." Mark Stevens talks to Cindy Sherman about her Untitled Film Stills. She discusses process, character creation, and, to some extent, intent.


• Earlier this week, the Pulitzer Prizes were announced. Adrees Latif of Reuters won for Breaking News Photography "for his dramatic photograph of a Japanese videographer, sprawled on the pavement, fatally wounded during a street demonstration in Myanmar." Preston Gannaway of the Concord (N.H.) Monitor won the Feature Photography category "for her intimate chronicle of a family coping with a parent's terminal illness."


• Mike Stimpson uses Legos to recreate famous photos from Robert Capa's Death of a Loyalist, to Cartier-Bresson's Behind the Gare Saint Lazare. "Strobist.com taught me everything I know," he says.


• It's photo auction time. Controversy over the oldest — or just an old— photo. Even Gawker's covering the photo auctions, drawn to the nudes. Phillips de Pury canceled a sale of Diane Arbus prints because of concerns about a recent lawsuit. There was even a Fine Photobooks Auction at Christie's.


• Cathy Horyn discusses Juergen Teller's role in Marc Jacobs' ad campaigns. How great is it to see a photographer so in charge of a commercial campaign? Small thing: the NYT blog swapped out the photo they initially had (Teller's ad that featured Victoria Beckham's legs splayed out of a shopping bag) at the top of the post. Why?

Winter '07 Hot Shot Mickey Smith

Why visit one gallery, when you can visit 75+ all at once? The AIPAD Photography Show runs today through Sunday at the Park Avenue Armory. "More than 75 of the world's leading fine art photography galleries will present a wide range of museum quality work by contemporary, modern and 19th century masters at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City," says AIPAD.

"AIPAD is dedicated to creating and maintaining high standards in the business of exhibiting, buying and selling photographs as art. Acting as the collective voice of the art photography dealers that make up its membership, AIPAD maintains ethical standards, promotes communication within the photographic community, encourages public appreciation of photography as art, concerns itself with the rights of photographers and collectors, and works to enhance the confidence of the public in responsible photography. AIPAD members provide a wide range of services to the public, such as exhibitions, appraisals, expert opinions and consultations."

And while an armory full of exhibitors can feel like overload, it's also a great chance to quickly visit with some people you might not usually have the time (or the access) to see.

By Rachel Hulin, shown in the Hey, Hot Shot! Spring 2005 Showcase

Rachel Hulin at Shoot the Blog has done all of the hard work for you. She's compiled a list of opportunities -- competitive, fellowship, grant, publishing -- open right now to photographers like you. It's an exhaustive list, so, seriously, you should really thank her. And report back on your progress.

P.S. More info about our own competition, Hey, Hot Shot!, coming soon.

P.P.S. Hulin, herself, is a Hot Shot; she showed in Spring '05, our very first show.

We start this series of catching-up interviews with Spring '07 Hot Shot Mark Marchesi, who has a solo show now at Nelson Hancock Gallery.

How did you come to enter Hey, Hot Shot!?

MM: I had stopped by a couple of openings at Jen Bekman Gallery when I still lived in NYC, which was around the time she opened. Then I moved to Maine and became a father and was pretty far removed from the scene for a while. I was making work and when that work was ready to show I started compiling a list of contacts to send stuff to. I remembered about Jen Bekman Gallery, and went to the site to see if it mentioned anything about submissions. There was Hey, Hot Shot! and it said that the competition was the only way she was reviewing new photography. It happened to be just before the deadline for the Spring competition, so I entered.

What have you been up to since we last saw your work in Hey, Hot Shot?

MM: Last summer and fall I was shooting a lot of abandoned military forts in Maine and New Hampshire. I was really excited about that for a while, but I stalled out on it for several reasons when winter hit. I was also working on a pretty involved promotional mailing and a book proposal. Before the new year I was offered the opportunity to show at Nelson Hancock Gallery, and for two months all my free time was taken up by printing and framing. I build all my own frames from scratch, so as soon as Nelson and I firmed up a date I went to work cutting, gluing, and sanding. I also make all my own digital c-prints, so there was a lot of work to do on the files. Now that I am done with that, and I don't need snowshoes and a parka to go shooting anymore, I am getting back out with my camera. My main focus right now is on a new project about working waterfronts and commercial fishing communities in Maine and the Canadian Maritimes.

What kind of impact did Hey, Hot Shot! have on your career?

MM: This question is a little difficult because I don't always feel like I actually have a career in photography. I am definitely trying to start one, and Hey, Hot Shot! was a step that I am glad I took that direction. Whenever you present your work there is a thought process you must go through which is valuable no matter what the outcome. Entering these types of calls forces you to get outside of your own head, which is necessary at times for a lot of us. Hey, Hot Shot! didn't launch me into art stardom, but it was a great experience. I got to know Jen who I have a lot of respect for, along with the other winners, some of whom I am still in touch with and continue to get feedback from. I am also happy that it gave (and is still giving) me a lot of exposure on the internet. Lastly, the positive reinforcement of actually winning something is always good.

From The Town and the City, by Spring '07 Hot Shot Mark Marchesi

Spring 2007 Hot Shot Mark Marchesi has a solo show at Nelson Hancock Gallery, in DUMBO. In The Town and the City, Marchesi travels between New York City and his home in southern Maine. He compares and contrasts, but also proves some similarities that might not be noticable at first glance.

"The Town and the City" is up through April 26.

Stay tuned for more from Mark and interview updates with other Hot Shots too.

• Dith Pran, Photojournalist and Survivor of the Killing Fields, Died at 65, on Sunday. The New York Times ran one of their is-it-eerie-or-is-it-amazing pre-death video-interviews, "The Last Word." In it, Dith speaks of his mission, his role in assisting New York Times reporter Sydney Schaberg in reporting on survival under the Khmer Rouge, in the "killing fields." Together they reported on the war and the collapse of the country. "I began to realize that he was just as obsessed a reporter, just as determined and driven as I was," says Schanberg. "Coming from a whole different angle. His reason was that he was convinced that the rest of the world just didn't know what his people were going through, what they were suffering. That was his mission." Dith worked as a photographer for The New York Times from 1980 until 2007. This video was shot in March 2008.
• Apartment Therapy writes of the Perspektiva Lamp by Transparent House. Made from a vintage Leica and a tripod, the lamp is simple and sort of stunning. A unique, if obvious, light source. I'd love it in my home, but if I could afford a vintage Leica, I'd probably go for one I could shoot with first.
• Via Rachel Hulin , comes word of Light Work's Artist-in-Residence program for photographers to pursue their own projects in Syracuse, New York. Past residents have included Renee Cox, James Casebere, Cindy Sherman, Dawoud Bey, Max Becher and Andrea Robbins, Laurie Simmons, and Joel Sternfeld, to name a few.

  There is no formal deadline, but "The next review process will consider all portfolios we have received by the end of April. We are currently scheduling residencies for 2009, although one or two spots remain for 2008."

• Hello, I'm Rachel considers the following: "...does thinking that a recession is bad for art mean that you also think throwing money at an artist makes their work good? I’m not sure the two go together…but then, that’s why this work is in a gallery, asking me to think about these things days later," while viewing Jennifer Dalton's work at Smack Mellon. It's a good question and a good read, click through and consider it.

You Are Important by Spring '05 Hot Shot Stephanie Cinelli, one of this week's 20x200 editions