Photographers, hot on the heels of announcing our Second Edition 2011 Hot Shots, we're now accepting submissions for Hey, Hot Shot! First Edition 2012. Here's your shot at unparalleled recognition and support and cash prizes. Submit your photos now—the $60 fee will increase incrementally throughout the competition; the earlier you submit, the more you save. All entries must be received by March 14th, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. EDT.

WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU?
+ One grand prize winning photographer from 2012 will be awarded $10,000, a solo show at (and gallery representation from) Jen Bekman Gallery in New York City.

+ The five Hot Shots selected from the First Edition 2012 round will each win $500, will participate in a group show—the First Edition 2012 Showcase—at the gallery and will be in the running to win the grand prize.

+ Additionally, all entrants are reviewed for participation on 20x200. HHS! is the only way for photographers to submit work for the limited-edition print site that introduces new art to tens of thousands of collectors around the world.

+ All entrants are also considered for Contender posts, which are shared with our broad photography community via Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Flickr.

+ All entries are reviewed by our stellar panel of photography professionals, including Aperture Foundation publisher Lesley A. Martin and Chronicle Books chairman and CEO Nion McEvoy, as well as Assistant Director of Fraenkel Gallery (San Francisco), and co-founder of Radius Books, Darius Himes.

+ Now in its eighth year, Hey, Hot Shot! has helped launch the careers of hundreds of photographers, including 2010 Whitney Biennal artists Curtis Mann and Nina Berman.

Submit your work now for your chance at our hallmark awards and unprecedented support.

After much careful deliberation, we're thrilled to announce the five winning photographers from the last round of competition in 2011. Please join us in heartily congratulating the Second Edition 2011 Hot Shots:

Meike Nixdorf
Michael Cappabianca
Phillip Jung
Cristina De Middel
Brendan George Ko

Each of the photographers has won a $500 honorarium, participation in a Hey, Hot Shot! group show at Jen Bekman Gallery (later this year) and are now in the running to win the Grand Prize:

+ A $10,000 honorarium
+ A solo show at Jen Bekman Gallery
+ Two years of gallery representation from Jen Bekman Gallery

We'd like to also congratulate five photographers who have been selected to win $200 in credits from Blurb, the self-publishing service, to put towards creating their own photo books.The Blurb-prize winners are:

Gregg Segal
Megan Carney
Dave Wyatt
Brianna Treleven
I-Hsuen Chen

Congratulations are also in order for the Honorable Mentions for having submitted exceptional work and raising the bar, making it challenging (but oh, so worth it) to select the last round of Hot Shots for 2011.

The Honorable Mentions are:

Eran Gilat
Daan Brand
Judith Stennekken
Paccarik Orue
Gregg Segal
Megan Carney
Dave Wyatt
Brianna Treleven
I-Hsuen Chen
Zhang Kechun

Many thanks to our panel of exceptionally talented professionals who dedicated their time, energy and critical eyes in helping our curatorial team select the final Hot Shots of 2011.

The next round of competition will be opening soon! Stay tuned to find out when you can submit your entry.

Special thanks to our friends at Blurb.

El Teide, view #02, 2011 by Meike Nixdorf

El Teide, view #01, 2011 by Meike Nixdorf

El Teide, view #06, 2011 by Meike Nixdorf

El Teide, view #03, 2011 by Meike Nixdorf

El Teide, view #08, 2011 by Meike Nixdorf

Meike Nixdorf

Website: http://www.meikenixdorf.com

Bio:
Meike Nixdorf (born 1976 in Mainz, Germany) is a Berlin-based photographer and artist. She has a background in science, and she was educated in photography and video at the International Center of Photography during her three-year stay in New York (2005-2008). She is an award winning photographer whose work has been exhibited internationally. She was featured in a juried group exhibition at the Darmstadt Photography Festival, Germany, 2010; and she took part in the FotoFest Houston Reviews 2010, where her work was acquired for the Joaquim Paiva Collection, Museum of Modern Art, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In early 2011, her work was on view at the International Center of Photography, New York, in a group exhibition curated by Amy Arbus, Moment of Recognition. Her work was also shown at the Museum of Modern Art, Rio de Janeiro, as part of the exhibition Photographs — The Joaquim Paiva Collection, a selection of 69 international artists, including photograpers like Diane Arbus, Ansel Adams, Edward Ruscha, Grete Stern and Martin Chambi.

Statement:
In the Orbit of El Teide, 2010-2011, is a visual and psychological approach to the notion of the perspective. [Since] my 2009 project, The Point of View, I have been looking at various aspects of the viewing process and, consequently, decision making in photography, in terms of the perspective and, even more so, the framing. [I've also been examining] the consequences these processes have on the way we [perceive] specific places by showing them each in multiple, [but] very similar views. In the Orbit of El Teide now focuses on the question of what can be seen, or how much information can be gathered, from only one single point of view, versus the information, visual or abstract, one could gather by orbiting an object, question or focus point. In this way, two different points of views of the same subject matter could differ in their look or feel tremendously and might not even be recognized as the same subject matter anymore. Like pieces in a puzzle, every image from In the Orbit of El Teide holds different visual aspects of the same subject, in this case the mountain El Teide. But other than a piece in a puzzle, each image appears to strongly stand on its own. And it is only through looking at these images one-by-one that one realizes how much more information, visual aspects, perspectives or stories-to-be-told there are to just one single mountain—or to any subject matter, basically.

Response to Print of Green Hill, Washington, 2010 by Laura Plageman

Hi, photographers. We've been (quietly) working towards a big month, and now we're kicking off the new year with big Hey, Hot Shot! news. The Hey, Hot Shot! First Edition 2011 Showcase opens THIS Friday, January 6th, with a reception from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Come join us in celebrating the work of these very talented photographers—meet and mingle with some of the First Edition 2011 Hot Shots: Robert Grimm, Kevin Kunishi, Uygur Yilmaz, Laurie Kang and Laura Plageman.

The Hey, Hot Shot! First Edition 2011 Showcase presents a diverse selection of contemporary photography from around the globe. Robert Grimm gleans images of male strippers from live video streams, exposing a complex portrait of the young men who strip online and the yearnings of those who pay to watch them. Laurie Kang's serene still lifes and sculptural photographs reveal a world of loneliness and boredom where we least expect it. Uygur Yilmaz finds rhymes and cadence among the abandoned beach setting of a Turkish coastline during off-season. Traveling through war-torn Nicaragua, Kevin Kunishi takes an intimate look at pro- and anti-Sandinista guerrillas and the environments and objects that surround them. Laura Plageman pushes photography to its limits as she tears, bends and crumples up her luscious, green landscapes.

Our distinguished panel of arts professionals, together with the Jen Bekman Projects curatorial team, chose these five artists for their unique contributions to contemporary photography. Since its inception in 2005, Hey, Hot Shot! has awarded more than one hundred and forty photographers—including 2010 Whitney Biennial artists Nina Berman and Curtis Mann—with unparalleled opportunities for support and exposure.

Robert, Kevin, Uygur, Laurie and Laura are now under consideration for our Grand Prize—a $10,000 honorarium, solo exhibition and representation from Jen Bekman Gallery. The grand prize-winning Ultra will be announced in the coming weeks. The chosen photographer will join ranks with other JBG-represented artists, including 2010 Ultra Chikara Umihara and 2009 Ultras Mike Sinclair and Kurt Tong. We're looking forward to many collaborations with all of these photographers at the gallery and on 20x200.

The exhibition will be on view January 7th through January 22nd, 2012.
The opening reception will be Friday, January 6th, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Jen Bekman Gallery
6 Spring Street
(between Elizabeth + Bowery)
New York, NY 10012
e: info@jenbekman.com | w: www.jenbekman.com | p: +1.212.219.0166

The gallery is open Wednesday – Sunday from noon – 6:00 p.m., or by private appointment.

More Hey, Hot Shot! news to be announced. Stay tuned!

+ In just a matter of weeks, you'll find out who the Second Edition 2011 Hot Shots are, and the Second Edition 2011 showcase will be announced.

+ Hey, Hot Shot! 2012 will be opening its first round of competition soon!

+ Keep an eye out for more limited-edition photographs on 20x200 by Hey, Hot Shot! photographers.

As the year comes to an end, there are a few items of note to share with you. First, the news that you've been waiting for—just who will be the 2011 Second Edition Hot Shots!?—is coming soon*. In the meantime, we know that if you're like us, there are a couple other things you might have on your mind. It is, after all, the time of year for friends, family, merriment and gifting. We've culled a few of our favorite prints for photographers—good for giving (and for getting!). As you know, prints sales on 20x200 directly benefit your fellow photogaphers. Now that's a gift that truly gives back!

HEY, HOT SHOT! HONORARIES
One of the (many) perks in submitting an entry to Hey, Hot Shot! is that all of the work is reviewed for participation on 20x200. In fact, since the competition launched in 2005, some 45 photographers found through the competition have released limited-edition prints. From two-time winning Hot Shot Joseph O. Holmes' NYC-centric works, to 2010 Ultra Chikara Umihara's tranquil, idyllic landscape and First Edition 2011 contender Rubi Lebovitch's humorous, surreal B-sides, you can find (and support) Hot Shots on 20x200.

THE GREATS
Artists Jessica Craig-Martin, Simon Fujiwara and Mike + Doug Starn have all released photographs through 20x200, adding to their roster of stellar photographers like Roger Ballen, Tierney Gearon and former HHS! panelist Todd Hido.

THE PAPARAZZO PURISTS
Whether it's Todd McLellan's exploding (then neatly, dare-I-say obsessively, organized) antique camera, or a collector's-must-have illustration of vintage beauties—a Polaroid Land Camera 1000 with trademark rainbow stripes; the boxy Ilford Sprite 35 from the '40s; the plastic, space-age Spartus Rocket from '62, and more—these prints pay homage to the tech of yesteryear.

THE ERUDITE EYE
It's hard getting all the best photobooks on one shelf, but Jane Mount's Ideal Bookshelf 367: Photography has done it for you, listing some of our favorite photobooks from the likes of Paul Fusco, Zoe Strauss, Ed Ruscha and Hiroshi Sugimoto. Meanwhile, Winter 2007 Hot Shot Mickey Smith's photographs of bound periodicals and journals in libraries are a lament of sorts of the digitalization of the written word.

HOLIDAY SAVINGS FROM 20x200
Just in time for the holidays, from now until 12/19, there's free shipping on all orders $99+ and free giftwrapping on 8"x10" and 11"x14" prints through 12/18 (enter code FREEWRAP at checkout). If you'd like to nab a print for yourself or a gift, be sure to also check out 20x200's selection of Ready to Ship framed prints that arrive the next business day. To ensure delivery in time for the holidays, use this guide:

Standard Shipping: Order by Sunday 12/19 for 12/23 delivery
Expedited Shipping: Order by Thursday 12/22 for 12/24 delivery

Note: USPS or FedEx factors out of our control may affect actual delivery timing. Please order as early as possible for best results.

Many thanks to all the photographers who submitted their work to the last round of competition for 2011. Such an amazing and diverse array of photography was sent to us! Our discerning panel of industry pros, along with our curatorial team, will be convening next week at HHS! HQ to select the Second Edition 2011 Hot Shots. And very, very soon afterwards, we'll be announcing the Hot Shots, not to mention the Blurb credits-winning contenders, who'll have the opportunity to publish their own photography books. Be sure to keep an eye on your inbox, the site and our blog for the big announcements.

+ Speaking of self-publishing photography books, 2010 Hot Shot Amy Stevens recently published her book, Confections, using Blurb credits she won through Hey, Hot Shot! Amy's had a busy year—she recently returned from the Lishui International Photography Festival in China, where she was invited to exhibit in the curated exhibit American Life and was awarded an Excellence in Photography award. The exhibition will be traveling to museums throughout China for one year, starting in January.

+ Summer 2006 Hot Shot Ernie Button attended the Lishui Photography Festival in 2009. His photographs of that journey are now on exhibit at Modified Arts in Phoenix, Arizona. Riding through Lishui will be on view through December 10th, but join him for a reception this Friday, December 2nd, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.

+ The SFMOMA recently acquired several works from Second Edition 2009 Hot Shot Alejandro Cartagena's Suburbia Mexicana project for their photography collection. They will be on display for a major exhibition on Mexican photography, slated for March 10th, 2012 through July 8th.

+ The Aperture Foundation (of which panelist Lesley A. Martin is publisher of their book program) and the BFA Photography Department at the School of Visual Arts, along with Dear Dave, magazine (both of which are headed by panelist Stephen Frailey) are presenting a re-screening of An Evening with Diane Arbus and Marvin Israel. An original audio recording of a 1970 slide presentation by Diane Arbus, in which she eloquently discusses her work and her motivations, will be followed by a screening of Who is Marvin Israel?, the 2005 short documentary on the life and work of the enigmatic Marvin Israel, whose influence on Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon and Lee Friedlander, among others, is explored in the words of those who knew him. The screening will take place on Thursday, December 15th, at 7:30 p.m. at the SVA Theatre, 333 West 23rd Street, New York.

+ Registration is now open for the Palm Springs Photo Festival 2012, slated for April 1st thru the 6th. A week-long event for photographers, it consists of workshops, portfolio reviews, seminars, symposiums and parties.

Great news, photographers! You already know about our grand prize: $10K, a solo show and two years of gallery representation. And you already know that each and every submission is reviewed for participation with 20x200, where Hey, Hot Shot! photographers have sold nearly $1 million worth of prints.

Just ahead of our looming deadline, today we're announcing a new prize, eligible to EVERYONE who submits an entry. Jen Bekman and her curatorial team will select five photographers from the Second Edition 2011 round of competition, and each will receive a $200 Blurb credit towards publishing his/her very own photography book. To give you an example of what $200 can get you from the self publishing giant, that's about six landscape-sized, full-color books at 40 pages each. Think of all the opportunities to have your work seen—and held, and revisited. But don't get too lost in thought; you only have FOUR days left to apply. All entries must be submitted by Monday, November 21st, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Enter now!

Blurb truly is an amazing company, putting the bookmaking tools directly in the hands of artists. And they've been a great partner to Hey, Hot Shot! in past rounds, offering $1,000 credits to winning Hot Shots. They've also got a competition of their own: Their annual Photography Book Now competition awards great prizes to the very best in self-published photo books. We were, of course, thrilled to learn three of the winning photographers from 2010's round were all Contenders. In fact, the 2010 PBN grand prize, $25,000, went to Contender Judith Stenneken. With some 30 Hey, Hot Shot! photographers having created their own photo books through Blurb, it was only fitting we created a bookstore for the talented shooters. Will your own photo book be listed among them?

If you'd like more information on publishing a photo book, be sure to check out Blurb, as well as Hey, Hot Shot! panelist Darius Himes' in-depth, insider-written and helpful Publish Your Photography Book, co-written with Mary Virginia Swanson.

Untitled, from the series Party Alone, 2010 by Laurie Kang

Good news, photographers: You have one more week to finish your submissions. The Hey, Hot Shot! Second Edition 2011 competition deadline has been extended. All entries must now be submitted by Monday, November 14th, at 11:59 p.m. ET.

We know this round of competition was short, much shorter than other rounds, in fact. So we're offering you another chance to reap the opportunities and exposure available for Hot Shots and Contenders. The time is now to cull through your portfolio and find your winning entries. Apply now!

Many thanks to everyone who already entered. Our panelists are eagerly awaiting to review your entries. Best of luck!

Response to Print of Egret Rookery, Louisiana, 2010 by Laura Plageman

Time's running out, photographers! If you haven't yet started your entry, you only have today (Thursday) and tomorrow (Friday, until midnight ET) before the fee increases to $80. Lock in that $70 fee now, then submit your entry no later than Monday, November 14th at 11:59 p.m. ET for consideration to become a Second Edition 2011 Hot Shot.

At stake for one Grand Prize-winning photographer is $10,000, a solo show at Jen Bekman Gallery and two years of representation from JBG, plus (!!!) the opportunity to have your work sold as limited-edition fine art prints on 20x200. What are you waiting for? Enter now!

+ Stephen Frailey has rejoined the HHS! panel. Frailey, whose work is in the collections of the International Center for Photography (New York) and the Princeton University Art Museum, has been the chair of the photography department at the School of Visual Arts in New York since 1998. Frailey also founded the twice-yearly magazine of photography and writing DEAR DAVE, in 2007 and is its editor in chief.

+ Speaking of DEAR DAVE, if you're in Paris, you can visit them from November 10th through the 13th, either at Paris Photo in the Grand Palais, or at Offprint at the Lycee Technologique Auguste Renoir.

+ 20x200 today released a pair of limited-edition prints by Magnum photographer Inge Morath to benefit the Magnum Foundation's Legacy Program and the Inge Morath Foundation. Taken in 1955 by Morath, the photographs are a behind-the-scenes glimpse at a high-society charity ball in Paris. The benefit editions start at $100 for a pair of 10"x8" prints, and are available to purchase by clicking here.

Resting on a Bush, by Yijun (Pixy) Liao

Photographers, the end of the competition is fast approaching. Even faster: The entry fee will once again rise on Saturday, November 12th at midnight, EDT (to $80). That means you have a little over a week to start your entry. You'll have until the deadline, November 14th at 11:59 p.m. EDT to complete it, but start your entry now to lock in the $70 fee.

+ Congrats to Hot Shots Laurie Kang (First Edition 2011), Jessica Eaton (Second Edition 2009), Kurt Tong (First Edition 2009), Yijun (Pixy) Liao (Second Edition 2008) and Justin James Reed (Spring 2007), who'll be part of the Flash Forward 2011 Emerging Photographers exhibition and book launch, which kicks off Wednesday, November 9th, from 7:00 - 10:00 p.m. in Toronto's AirShip 37.

+ Lens Culture FotoFest Paris 2011 is taking place from November 7th through the 9th. Our own Sara Distin will be representing JBP and reviewing portfolios. Be sure to say hi if you're there.

+ Also in Paris: Magnum Foundation and 20x200 will be presenting their latest collaboration, a pair of limited-edition prints by renowned photographer Inge Morath, to benefit Magnum Foundation's Legacy Program. Stop by Magnum Gallery on Friday, November 11th, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. to see the prints, and/or just say hi to Jen, Sara, President of Magnum Susan Meiselas and Director of the Legacy Program John Jacob.

+ And be sure to sign up for the 20x200 newsletter to get first dibs on the special, never-before-published pair of prints by Inge Morath, which will first be revealed on November 10th to newsletter subscribers.

+ In London: American photography critic A. D. Coleman will be leading a discussion titled "Dinosaur Bones: The End (and ends) of Photo Criticism." Set for Tuesday, November 8th, at 6:30 p.m., the panel and discussion will take place at Hotshoe Gallery.

Filter Samples, by Jessica Eaton

Hey, Hot Shot! Second Edition 2011 is in full swing, and entries from talented photographers far and wide are coming in. But your chance to enter for $60 is slipping away. This Monday, October 31st, the entry fee will increase to $70, and will rise again incrementally throughout the remainder of the competition. With the deadline set at November 14th, the earlier you submit, the better. Consider this fair warning and don't delay—get your entry started today.

+ First Edition 2008 Hot Shot and 20x200 artist Colleen Plumb will be holding a book signing for her monograph, Animals Are Outside Today, this Saturday, October 29th, at Radius Books in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

+ If you're in New York, don't miss the recently-launched solo show Life Near Windows, by Jen Bekman Projects VIP Youngna Park (Summer 2005 Hot Shot, 20x200 edition-maker and HHS! 2010 fearless leader and writer). The exhibit is in Brooklyn's Saffron, and is on view through January 7th, 2012.

+ Also in NYC, Second Edition 2009 Hot Shot and fellow 20x200 artist Jessica Eaton has a new solo show, Cubes for Albers and LeWitt, beginning November 3rd at Higher Pictures gallery, on view through December 17th.

+ In 20x200 news, photographer Taj Forer will be having a book launch for his monograph, Stone by Stone, in NYC's Bubble Lounge. The party is this Friday, October 28th, from 8:00 to 11:00 p.m.

+ Speaking of parties, renowned photographer Jessica Craig-Martin has teamed up with 20x200 to release a pair of limited-edition prints. Known for her irreverent shots of the well-heeled, well-to-do crowd, Jessica's all-access pass to glittering galas and fashionable fetes provide the best vantage point from which to take her subversive candids. Get in on the revelry and snap up Let's Party and Cougar Friends before they're gone.

Photographers, polish those portfolios.

Last week we announced the five winning First Edition 2011 Hot Shots. This week, we're opening the Second Edition 2011 round of competition. It's your turn to gain unparalleled recognition and support (not to mention: cash!) for your work. Submit your photos now. All entries must be received by November 14, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. EDT.

The $60 fee will increase incrementally throughout the competition, so the earlier you submit, the more you save. All entries must be completed by the deadline: November 14, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. EDT. Apply now.

Our esteemed panel will select five Second Edition 2011 Hot Shots. They will join the five First Edition 2011 Hot Shots—Robert Grimm, Laurie Kang, Kevin Kunishi, Laura Plageman and Uygur Yilmaz—in the running to win the Grand Prize.

One winning photographer, the Ultra, will win the Grand Prize:

+ A $10,000 honorarium
+ A solo exhibition in NYC's Jen Bekman Gallery
+ Two years of gallery representation by Jen Bekman Gallery

All Hot Shots will be awarded with:

+ A $500 honorarium
+ Participation in the Hey, Hot Shot! group show in NYC's Jen Bekman Gallery (January 2012)
+ Consideration for the Grand Prize

The opportunity for exposure doesn't end there. All entrants are reviewed for even more opportunities, including:

+ Participation in 20x200
+ Daily Contender posts, which are shared with our broad photography community via Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Flickr

The time's finally come! Join us in heartily congratulating the First Edition 2011 Hot Shots:

Robert Grimm
Laurie Kang
Kevin Kunishi
Laura Plageman
Uygur Yilmaz

The winning photographers each win a $500 honorarium, participation in the Hey, Hot Shot! group show at Jen Bekman Gallery (in January 2012) and are now in the running to win the Grand Prize:

+ A $10,000 honorarium
+ A solo show at Jen Bekman Gallery
+ Two years of gallery representation from Jen Bekman Gallery

We had an amazing array of incredible submissions this round, and narrowing the list down was quite the task. Thankfully, our panel of exceptionally talented professionals, together with our curatorial team, dedicated their time, energy and critical eye in selecting our first Hot Shots of 2011.

We'd like to also congratulate all of the Contenders and Honorable Mentions for having submitted exceptional work and raising the bar, making it challenging (but oh, so worth it) to select this first round of Hot Shots.

The Honorable Mentions are:

Luis Fabini
Baldomero Fernandez
Meggan Gould
Matt Gunther
Yuji Hamada
Yojiro Imasaka
Alex Kisilevich
Rubi Lebovitch
Martina Lindqvist
Lydia Anne McCarthy
Michelle Marie Murphy
Walker Pickering
Georgina Reskala
Ralph Schulz
Julia Staples
David Welch
Philip Welding

If you want your chance at the support, exposure and cash prizes, stay tuned: The Second Edition 2011 round of competition will be opening very soon.

B Side #6, by Rubi Lebovitch

+Congratulations to photographer Rubi Lebovitch, who joins Walker Pickering and David Welch in becoming the first photographers from the Hey, Hot Shot! First Edition 2011 round of competition to release a limited-edition print with 20x200.com

+We're currently finalizing all the details and will be announcing very soon who the first five Hot Shots from 2011 are. The Hot Shots will each win $500, will be invited to participate in a group show at Jen Bekman Gallery and will have the opportunity to work with 20x200, in addition to receiving countless opportunities for exposure.

+If you missed your chance to submit your photographs to the first round of the competition, don't worry—we will soon be announcing the Second Edition 2011 round of competition! At stake is the chance to win the $10k grand prize, in addition to the hallmark awards we offer. Sign up for our low-volume newsletter to be the first to find out!

Around NYC:

+Head to the Aperture Foundation's gallery from now until September 24th to catch the thought-provoking discussion/exhibition about the media and information overload What Matters Now? Proposals for a New Front Page.

+You can also catch Aperture at the New York Art Book Fair, beginning September 30th through October 2nd, at MoMA PS1.

+Photographer Bruce Davidson will be giving a talk and signing his seminal book Subway on Monday, September 26th, at 7:00 p.m. at the Strand Bookstore.

Motel Bien Venido, 2010 by Walker Pickering

Congratulations to Walker Pickering, who is the second Contender from the First Edition 2011 round of competition to release a print with 20x200! Walker's Motel Bien Venido is available for purchase as a limited-edition print and starts at just $20 for an 8"x10".

Of special note is that Walker's submission was also the first Contender post of the season that we featured. Earlier this year, I wrote about the photographer:

Contender Walker Pickering's series Nearly West depicts the still, solitary moments that wanderlusters and Kerouacians long for, the instances of communion between the nomad and that which is encountered. Each setting hints at a narrative describing the deeply personal nature of experiencing a new point on a map, whether planned or not. The muted palette therein reflects the worn and weathered atmosphere endemic to the towns most travelers opt to overlook. These seemingly mundane destinations the Texas-based photographer comes upon are interspersed with beautiful, serene discoveries.

Keep an eye on your inbox and the blog in the coming days, as we will be making BIG announcements regarding the First Edition 2011 Hot Shots, as well as the Second Edition 2011 round of the competition. And sign up for the 20x200 newsletter to see which other Contenders release a limited-edition print!

Shopping Totem, by David Welch

Congratulations to photographer David Welch, who is the first Contender from the First Edition 2011 round of competition to be selected to participate in 20x200.com. A limited-edition print of his photograph, Shopping Totem, is now available.

We first wrote about David back in June, and his series was subsequently picked up around the blogs. Of his series Material World, which includes Shopping Totem, Welch writes:

Material World is my response to our contemporary consumer milieu. By treating artifacts of consumer culture as Duchampian-inspired Assisted Readymades, I photograph assemblages, created by my own hand, that form monuments, or totems, serving as precarious externalizations of culture and social biography... The photographs speak of accumulation and materiality and aim to encourage debate about consumption and the ways in which we feel compelled to consume.

We will continue to release limited-edition prints from the First Edition 2011 round of competition. Be sure to sign up for the 20x200 newsletter to find out which entrants are selected, as well as to discover great art. 20x200 releases at least one drawing or work on paper and one photograph each week.

The panelist review of all the submissions will be happening next week! Sometime afterward, we will be announcing the First Edition 2011 Hot Shots. Will YOU be chosen? Be sure to check out the site and keep an eye on your inbox to find out when the five photographers are chosen.

Speaking of the panelists, Todd Hido recently joined photographer Jim Goldberg to chat about Larry Sultan for a PDN piece about heroes and mentors. You can read the full interview here.

Penelope Umbrico joins the Hey, Hot Shot! panel right in time for the First Edition 2011 judging. Penelope's work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and is in the collections of the MoMA, the ICP and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A recipient of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship, Penelope is also core faculty at the School of Visual Arts MFA Photography and Related Media program in NYC. Her book Penelope Umbrico (photographs) was published by Aperture in Spring 2011. Penelope joins ranks with influential industry leaders Todd Hido, Darius Himes, Nion McEvoy, Lesley A. Martin, Kent Rogowski, Jenni Holder and Raul Gutierrez.

Gosling Lake, by Kurt Tong

After eight weeks of receiving amazing submissions, the Hey, Hot Shot! First Edition 2011 round of the competition closed on June 27th. So strong was the body of work this round that we are very eager to share it with everyone! So, beginning in July, at least one photographer that submitted will be selected each month (for at least the next three months) to fast-track a 20x200 edition. Our curatorial team is already poring over the extraordinary entries, which is no easy feat. Will you see a Contender's photography featured on 20x200? Or will your own photography be chosen first? To see which First Edition 2011 photographers make the cut, sign up for the 20x200 newsletter.

Meanwhile, we will continue to feature Contender posts until the Hot Shots are announced. For the latest on all things Hey, Hot Shot!—including announcements on the next round of the competition—be sure to check the blog frequently, keep up with us on Twitter and Facebook and sign up for our low-volume newsletter to get the latest news in your inbox.

+ Ruben Natal-San Miguel, who runs the eponymous photography consulting firm and is the blogger of ARTmostfierce, will present a fair tour entitled "How to Invest and Collect Fine Art Photography" for photoHamptons, which is taking place Thursday, July 7th to Sunday, July 10th. This is the first year ArtHamptons is featuring significant fine art photography.

+ 2009 Ne Plus Ultra Kurt Tong's series In Case it Rains in Heaven will be shown for the first time in Germany at Uno Art Space in For You, a two-person show. The exhibition premiered on July 1st and will be on view through the 28th of September, when Kurt will be attending the closing party to talk about the series.

+ Photographer and 20x200 artist Jeremy Kohm is featured on Prison Photography, which was recently named one of LIFE's top 20 photo blogs. You can also see Kohm's work in person as part of the group show Dawn Till Dusk, at Jen Bekman Gallery through July 30th.

+ Fall 2006 Hot Shot Shen Wei got glowing reviews in the New Yorker for his work from Chinese Sentiment, which was featured in the group show Moveable Feast at the Museum of the City of New York.

As you may have noticed on the site, the Hey, Hot Shot! First Edition 2011 competition deadline was extended. Photographers, you now have only three days left to submit your entries! The competition now closes Monday, June 27th, at 8:00 p.m. EDT. What's at stake for the winners? One Grand Prize winner will receive $10,000 + a solo show at, and gallery representation from, Jen Bekman Gallery.

Five Hot Shots will win $500 each and they'll be invited to participate in a group show at Jen Bekman Gallery.

Additionally, every single entry is reviewed for participation in 20x200, as well as being considered for Contender posts, which will continue to be featured on the site until the 2011 First Edition Hot Shots are announced. So many chances for exposure and support! And so little time! The countdown's on...

Untitled #6, Antietam by Sally Mann

Jen Bekman Gallery is pleased to present Dawn Till Dusk, a group exhibition featuring photographs, paintings and works on paper by 26 artists. Please join us TONIGHT, Thursday, June 16th, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at an opening reception for the artists at the Jen Bekman Gallery. The exhibition is on view through July 30th.

Also, be aware that Thursday night is L.E.S. Third Thursday, meaning that galleries in the area will be open until 9 p.m.! Live and surround yourself with art in the Lower East Side starting with the reception at JBG. For an interactive map of participating galleries, click here.

Progressing throughout the course of a day, the exhibition explores our impressions of time, and features work by: Darren Almond, John Arsenault, Rachel Barrett, Robert Bechtle, John Button, Christian Chaize, Jorge Colombo, Amy Eckert, Candace Gaudiani, Derek Henderson, Todd Hido, Peter Allen Hoffmann, Jeremy Kohm, Michael Light, Michael Lundgren, Sally Mann, Klea McKenna, Sarah McKenzie, Stas Orlovski, Youngna Park, Ed Ruscha, Bryan Schutmaat, Mike Sinclair, Alec Soth, Esther Pearl Watson and Letha Wilson.

 Read more about the exhibition here.

Untitled #6, Antietam by Sally Mann

+ DawnTill Dusk opens at Jen Bekman Gallery this Thursday, June 16th from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., and features work by Todd Hido, Sally Mann, Ed Ruscha, Alec Soth, Youngna Park (Spring 2005 Hot Shot), Mike Sinclair (2009 Ultra), Derek Henderson (First Edition 2008 Hot Shot), and 20x200 edition-makers Christian Chaize, Michael Light, Michael Lundgren and Bryan Schutmaat. On view through July 30th, the works progress throughout the course of a day to explore our impressions of time.

+ Aperture's got some stellar events lined up this week, including a panel discussion on the photo album with Verna Curtis, Duane Michals and Denise Wolff, to be held tomorrow, June 14th. On Wednesday, June 15th, Penelope Umbrico will be speaking about and signing her new book Penelope Umbrico (photographs). Don't miss the ongoing exhibition Sleeping Soldier and Diary, video installations by photojournalist Tim Hetherington, which closes Thursday, June 23rd. And for those of you in or around Arkansas, Chuck Close: A Couple of Ways of Doing Something will also be on view through June 26th in Little Rock.

+ Spring 2005 Hot Shot Matthew Tischler was among the first Hot Shots to be selected when the competition opened. Since then, his photographs have been included in exhibitions juried by Jennifer Blessing and Robert Rosenblum of the Guggenheim Museum, and his 20x200 editions have been enormously popular. Now, the latest issue of online magazine Vhcle features an interview with the talented artist.

+ The LIFE.com 2011 Photo Blog Awards were recently announced. Among the top 20 photo blogs were sites by frequent HHS! blog fodder and friends of JBP, including Andrew Hetherington's What's the Jackanory?, New York Times' LENS, Photojojo's Tumblr and Laura Brunow Miner's Pictory Blog. Congratulations to the winners!

+ HHS! 2011 Contender Andres Gonzalez was just profiled in SeeSaw, an online photography magazine.

+ If you happen to be in NYC tonight, don't miss "One Thousand Pictures," a free panel discussion at Aperture about the HBO documentary of the same name, which tells the story of Magnum photographer Paul Fusco's RFK Funeral Train series. The documentary producer, Jennifer Stoddart, will be part of the panel, as will Paul Fusco and gallerist James Danziger. Aperture publisher and HHS! panelist Lesley A. Martin previously worked with Fusco to release Paul Fusco: RFK, which features over 70 never-before-seen images from that fateful day and will be available for purchase at the event. Fusco has also teamed up with 20x200 to release a pair of prints from the series to benefit the Magnum Foundation. Make sure you're signed up for 20x200's newsletter to get first dibs on this piece of history. Prints start at $100/pair and will go quickly!

+ HHS! 2010 Contender-turned-20x200-edition-maker Thomas Prior is part of a group show at Newspace Center for Photography in Portland, Oregon. The show, titled Only Photographs, presents paired images from 14 environment-based photographers throughout the U.S. and Europe. Curated by too much chocolate's Jake Stangel, the group exhibit runs through June 26th.

+ Two-time HHS! winner Joseph O. Holmes has been increasingly busy since his wins: he has 17 editions on 20x200 and was recently named one of Critical Mass/Photolucida's Top 50. Read about what he's been up to lately in this latest interview.

+ 2009 Ne Plus Ultra Kurt Tong's In Case it Rains in Heaven series will be featured in the group show Wish you were here at London's The Little Black Gallery through June 18th.

+ Panelist Todd Hido will be giving a free lecture on his sources and influences during the inaugural Flash Forward Festival Boston, an event for emerging photographers from Canada, the U.K. and the U.S. Taking place at Boston's Fairmont Battery Wharf from Thursday, June 2nd, through Sunday, June 5th, all lectures, panel discussions and openings are free to the public.

+ Renowned photographer, publisher of Little Brown Mushroom Books and Hey, Hot Shot! 2010 Guest Curator Alec Soth will be exhibiting work at Harper's Books in East Hampton, NY from June 4th through July 6th, 2011. Lonely Boy Magazine features work from two of Soth's ongoing projects, as well as work from his magazine Lonely Boy Mag, No. A-2. Photographs by Todd Hido will also be part of the show.

+ 2008 Second Edition Hot Shot Donald Weber is no stranger to working in exclusion zones and nuclear disaster sites. In April, the intrepid photographer documented the debris and wreckage in Japan's 12-mile, quarantined exclusionary zone for Newsweek. Now, Weber is raising funds to publish his book Interrogations by offering Special Collector's Edition photographs of the inhabitants and towns in post-Chernobyl Russia and Ukraine. Interrogations will be published by Schilt Publishers in the fall of 2011.

Rainfall, by Chikara Umihara, the HHS! 2010 Ultra

It's official! The Hey, Hot Shot! First Edition 2011 round of competition is now open and accepting submissions. We are thrilled to kick off the competition because of the many opportunities it has brought—and continues to bring—to the winners. Unprecedented exposure, participation in group shows at Jen Bekman Gallery and, oh yeah, only $10,000 to the overall Grand Prize winner, dubbed a Ne Plus Ultra!

To learn more about the competition, the esteemed panelists we work with and all the prizes, head here for all the pertinent info. As always, we'll be releasing contender posts frequently, so be sure to check back daily to see what type and caliber of work is being submitted (or to see your own photography on the site).

For all the latest, be sure to sign up for our newsletter. Good luck, and show us your hot shots. The First Edition 2011 competition closes June 22, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. (EDT), but don't delay, as the entry fee will increase incrementally throughout the competition.

Untitled from the series Aggressive Girls, 2009 by Chikara Umihara

We are thrilled to announce photographer Chikara Umihara as the newest Ne Plus Ultra! Selected from 2010's five incredibly talented Hot Shots, Chikara not only earns representation from Jen Bekman Gallery and a solo exhibition, but he also wins a $10,000 honorarium to put towards a personal project. Awarding this honorarium to just one photographer was no easy feat, given the pool of diverse and exceptional submissions. Congratulations to Chikara Umihara!

Chikara now joins the other JBG-represented artists—including 2009 Ultras Mike Sinclair and Kurt Tong— and we're very excited to continue collaborating with Chikara at the gallery and on 20x200.

Of course, we'd also like to recognize all of the 2010 Hot Shots for their talent and dedication. These photographers participated in a group exhibition at Jen Bekman Gallery, and most have limited-edition prints featured on 20x200: Laura Bell, Michael Bodiam, Amy Stevens, Zhijie Sui and Chikara Umihara.

The Hot Shots were chosen from an extremely competitive group of photographers who thoroughly impressed our esteemed panel: Jen Bekman, Christine Collins, Stephen Frailey, Raul Gutierrez, Todd Hido, Darius Himes, Jenni Holder, Tod Lippy, Nion McEvoy, Lesley A. Martin, Kent Rogowski and Jeffrey Teuton. Many thanks to every member of the 2010 panel for their time and enduring commitment to Hey, Hot Shot!

Meet our newest Ultra:

Chikara Umihara was born in, and now resides in, Japan. He came to New York to pursue his interest in photography in 2006. Formerly, he was a practitioner and professional fighter of martial arts for 15 years. Recently, he was selected for the Present Tense competition exhibition at Photo Center NW in Seattle. He also attended Review Santa Fe in New Mexico in 2010. His print, Untitled from the series Aggressive Girls, is available on 20x200.com.

Hey, Hot Shot! 2011 Competition:

We will be making an announcement in the very near future regarding the next round of competitions for Hey, Hot Shot!, so be sure to check back often.

Long Meadow #2, 2010 by Joseph O. Holmes*

Posting will be low volume around here through the new year as we head home to celebrate the holidays with our family + friends. Thank you for another fantastic year of stunning images, thoughtful commentary, your support of Hey, Hot Shot! and your constant engagement, excitement and readership.

We look forward to another year of fabulous photography in 2011!

*Joe's solo exhibition, The Urban Wilderness is on view at Jen Bekman Gallery till January 23rd, 2011 so if you're in NYC, be sure to see his show!

Untitled by Luca Zanier

CENTER, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and promoting photographers, has just announced its 2011 call for entries. Photographers: take note! There are a whole bunch of amazing opportunities available through the numerous and varied CENTER Awards. From their website:

The 16th annual CENTER Awards provide contestants with a prestigious and worthwhile photographic awards program. The prize packages are designed to bring exposure to worthy photographers via exhibitions, publication, and career advancement.

Often judges will show interest in work that is not selected for the awards but that may be relevant for other purposes. To facilitate a relationship, CENTER provides contact information of all photographers who have advanced to the final rounds of judging. No work is eliminated by pre-screening. All contestants stand to benefit from the submission process by having their work seen by the judges.

Here's a run-down of some of the awards and events on offer through CENTER:

The entry deadline for all of these is January 27th, 2011. You've still got a little time, but start getting your submissions ready! More information—including entry details—is available here.

The Complete Edition by Jeff Wall

Given our particular love of photography, and of books here at JBP, we're especially excited when these two passions overlap. We could spend hours poring over photo books - and stunning examples are produced all the time.

Some really amazing publications have been released over the the past year. Just a few weeks ago, we drooled over thousands of them at The NY Art Book Fair and we keep coming back to Douglas Stockdale's fantastic blog, to follow his discoveries and exhumations in the vast and varied world of The Photo Book.

Though photography books are nothing new to the publishing world, they're increasingly recognized not just as accompaniments to, say, an photography exhibition—but as true works of art in their own right. There are an increasing number of awards given to outstanding photography publications: this year, Blurb's Photography Book Now competition honored Judith Stenneken's book of photographs taken at Berlin's Templehof Airport, titled Last Call and The And/or Book Awards' 2010 top prize went to Edward Burtynsky's stunning Oil - a compendium of photographs of "the world's largest oil fields, refineries, freeway interchanges and automobile plants" intended as "an attempt to comprehend the scale of production attending this most politicized of resources".

The most recent attention paid to the art of the photo book is by PDN; we're delighted to see that they have just released their run-down of 2010's notable photography books (they do one of these every year!).

Publications by Lee Friedlander, Dayanita Singh, Collier Schorr, Jeff Wall and Robert Polidori—among others—are featured by the magazine as exceptional books from the soon-to-be-finished year, as well as catalogs from the MoMA and The Walker Art Center.

Blumen by Collier Schorr

You can read several terrific overviews of some of 2010's very best on PDN's website. The article in its entirety is only available online to subscribers, however, so unless you get the magazine, you'll have to settle for just the second part unless you sign up.

And now we open up the forum to you? What were your favorite photography publications of the year, both from publishers big and small? Whose photographs won you over on the pages of a delicately bound book? We'd love to hear your thoughts!

As you may have seen over at 20x200, team JBP will be stationed at the Editions | Artists' Books Fair this coming weekend in NYC, and we couldn't be more excited.

If you're in or around the the city, swing by for a visit and check out work from a whole bunch of Hot Shots in person! We will be featuring photographs by Carlo Van De Roer, Derek Henderson, Dorthe Alstrup, James Deavin, Joseph O. Holmes, Kurt Tong, Matthew Tischler, Mike Sinclair, Parsley Steinweiss, Rachel Hulin, and Shawn Records for your viewing pleasure.

What's more, you will also be able to see work by Aaron Straup Cope, Alex Brown, Alex MacLean, Alexander Beeching, Amy Stein, Bert Teunissen, Bryan Schutmaat, Carol Padberg, Carrie Marill, Chad Hagen, Christian Chaize, Dylan Fareed, Greg Allen, Hollis Brown Thornton, Jane Mount, Jason Burch, Jason Polan, Jenny Odell, Jeremy Kohm, Jessica Snow, Jorge Colombo, Katie Baum, Kent Rogowski, Landon Nordeman, Lawrence Weiner, Marian Bantjes, Marion Belanger, Michelle Vaughan, Mike Monteiro, Paul Madonna, Penelope Umbrico, Roger Ballen, Ross Racine, Thomas Prior, Tierney Gearon, Trey Speegle, Tyson Anthony Roberts, Valerie Hegarty, William Lamson and William Powhida.

Admission to the fair will be free all weekend! Stop by and say hi, or peruse the fair all afternoon—definitely worth it either way.

Some added bonuses from 20x200:

+ 20x200 art--out of your computer, into frames, and onto walls. Come gather inspiration for affordable framing and creative hanging, check out a selection of 20x200 prints, and find out just how large those 40"x50" prints really are.

+ An immediate cure for your affordable art cravings: we'll be selling a special selection of $20 (8"x10") and $50 (11"x14") prints, right in the booth. No need to delay gratification!

The Details:
20x200 at the Editions | Artists' Books Fair
Friday–Sunday, November 5–7, 2010
11 a.m.–7 p.m. Friday + Saturday; 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Sunday
548 West 22nd Street, Between 10th & 11th Avenues
Booth 28

Here's a map of where to find us in Booth 28:

Look forward to seeing you this weekend!

Untitled from the series Aggressive Girls, 2009 by Chikara Umihara

After great deliberation and the careful consideration of our panelists, we're happy to announce the five photographers selected as 2010 Hot Shots:

Laura Bell
Michael Bodiam
Amy Stevens
Zhijie Sui
Chikara Umihara

These five outstanding photographers will each be awarded a $500 honorarium, participate in a group show at Jen Bekman Gallery in January 2011, receive a $1,000 credit to make a book at Blurb and have the opportunity to release an edition on 20x200. You can read more about each of the 2010 Hot Shots and see their submissions on the blog.

Laura, Michael, Amy, Zhijie and Chikara are now under consideration for our Grand Prize—a $10,000 honorarium, solo exhibition and representation from Jen Bekman Gallery—which will be announced in the spring of 2011. The chosen photographer will join ranks with other JBG-represented artists, including 2009 Ultras Mike Sinclair and Kurt Tong. We're looking forward to many collaborations with all of these photographers at the gallery and on 20x200.

Selecting just five artists from this year's pool of contenders couldn't have been done without Jen Bekman and the dedication of our brilliant panelists: Christine Collins, Stephen Frailey, Raul Gutierrez, Todd Hido, Darius Himes, Jenni Holder, Tod Lippy, Nion McEvoy, Lesley A. Martin, Kent Rogowski and Jeffrey Teuton, so we thank them for their time, energy and the ever-critical eye each of them lends to the competition.

We also want to extend enormous thanks to Blurb, who hosted a party for us last Friday at their NYC Pop-Up. Jen Bekman announced the five Hot Shots at the party and we were able to mingle and celebrate with so many of you: contenders, Hot Shots, panelists and supporters of the competition. Thanks to all who came out to say hello and for those who didn't make it, you can see photos of the party on Flickr.

Last but not least, we'd like to congratulate all of our Semi-Finalists once more. All of these photographers are creating exceptional work and we're delighted they entered Hey, Hot Shot!

The 2010 Hey, Hot Shot! Semi-Finalists
Noah L. Addis
Philip Cheung
Christopher Churchill
Sam Comen
Glen Erler
Taylor Glenn
Melissa Rene Kaseman
Mark Lyon
Nik Mirus
Erin O'Keefe
Teo Ormond-Skeaping
Mark Peckmezian
Jill Peters
Meghan Rennie
Julian Roeder
Bryan Schutmaat
Judith Stenneken
Jordan Tate
Michael ten Pas
Nathanael Turner
Eric T. White
Simon Willms
Susan Virginia Worsham
Renhui Zhao

While only the five Hot Shots will exhibit at the gallery, look for work from our Semi-Finalists and contenders on 20x200 and be sure to read about the 100+ photographers featured on our blog this year.

Keep an eye on us on Facebook, Flickr and Twitter for news about the 2010 Hot Shot exhibition and our next round of competition!

Untitled, from the series Erasure by HHS! contender Ben Alper

Hey, Hot Shot! + Blurb invite you to celebrate our five newest 2010 Hot Shots on Friday, October 29th from 6 to 9 p.m. at the first-ever Blurb Pop Up/NYC at 60 Mercer Street (between Broome and Grand).

Jen Bekman, members of the Hey, Hot Shot! Panel and the Jen Bekman Projects' team are excited to meet and mingle with you—the New York City photography community. We'll have wine and snacks, you'll be able to browse a library of Blurb books, meet fellow artists, have the chance to win 20x200 prints and be able to learn about creating your own book. At 7:00 p.m., Jen Bekman will announce the five 2010 Hot Shots.

Space is limited, so make sure you RSVP here by Thursday, October 28th.

Who: Hey, Hot Shot! Panelists, contenders, Team JBP + the NYC Photography Community
What: Meet the 2010 Hot Shots
When: Friday, October 29th, from 6 to 9 p.m.
Where: 60 Mercer Street, New York, NY

Jen will also be giving a talk, Getting Your Work Out There, earlier that afternoon from 3:00 - 4:00 p.m.

You've collected the best of your work, checked and triple-checked that each image is the absolute best it can be. But who's going to see it? Jen Bekman, founder of Jen Bekman Gallery, 20x200, and Hey, Hot Shot!, will give you the scoop on presenting yourself to potential fans and collectors online, as well as how to land a spot on a gallery wall. Jen is an art dealer, curator, writer, and entrepreneur whose inventive approach to the art world has created new models for connecting artists and collectors.

RSVP for Jen's talk here and be sure to take a look at the full schedule of events, lectures and workshops happening at the Blurb Pop Up/NYC from October 21 - 30th. See you on the 29th!

from the Environmental Conservation series by Pete McBride

It would seem that fall is the time for photography festivals, and another great one is just around the corner. The third edition of FotoWeek DC, titled Everywhere You See, which runs from November 6th to 13th in Washington, DC will present visitors with exhibitions, lectures, parties, portfolio reviews and panels galore! This year they've partnered with The Corcoran Gallery of Art and College of Art + Design, which will serve as the home base for all things FotoWeek DC. From the festival's website:

Founded in 2008, FotoWeek DC has evolved from a city-centric photography festival to a multi-season tribute -- with international appeal-- to photography in all its forms. FotoWeek DC celebrates the transformative power of photography through the exhibition of inspiring and provocative images, diverse programming, and collaboration with the local and international community. Whether through photojournalism, fine art photography, or the work of emerging artists, FotoWeek DC provides a dynamic, evocative, engaging experience for photographers, cultural institutions, galleries, curators, schools, area residents and tens of thousands of visitors to the Nation's Capital.

A current and complete run-down of the (amazing! and enormous!) roster of events can be found on the FotoWeek DC website. A few highlights include:

First visitors at National Stadium Beijing by Herzog & de Meuron architects, 2008 by Iwan Baan

October 10th, 2010 (10/10/10!) would have been the 100th birthday of Julius Shulman, the renowned architectural photographer (and recent documentary film subject), who passed away last summer, just shy of his 99th. In honor of this (awesome!) date, San Diego's Julius Shulman Institute in Woodbury College's School of Achitecture has organized an exhibition and symposium for the coming weekend, titled IMAGE.ARCHITECTURE.NOW, to celebrate Shulman's life and work.

The symposium part of the weekend consists of two panels on Saturday October 9th between 3:00 and 6:00 p.m., both of which will feature artists and architects in conversation. Panelists include photographers Iwan Baan, Livia Corona and Sze Tsung Leong, architects Frank Escher, Sharon Johnston and Linda Taalman, and curator and critic Sylvia Lavin.

The exhibition component will show ten photographers (including Shulman) whose work deals with explorations and representations of architecture and space - a concept very much in keeping with Shulman's own work. From the university's show description:

What does the building feel like? What kind of light and shadow does it embrace and cast? How are buildings etched into our memory in a visceral way? Through an individual's eye, nothing is ever quite objective. It is on some level an emotional response and reaction. All that is built or demolished shapes not only the physical landscape, but the human experience as well. Large and small, architecture seeps into a person's being in a profoundly intimate way. IMAGE.ARCHITECTURE.NOW showcases distinct artistic visions from the grand and glorious to the poignant and devastating.

If you find yourself in or around San Diego this weekend, this is an event not to be missed - for fans of photography, architecture - and Julius Shulman - alike!

The Details:
IMAGE.ARCHITECTURE.NOW
October 09, 2010, from 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
at Woodbury University
7500 Glenoaks Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91510

Symposium: 3:00-6:00 p.m.
Fletcher Jones Foundation Auditorium

Exhibition: 6:00-9:00 p.m.
Ahmanson Main Space

Thomas and Thomas Putnam Jr, Ponca City, OK by HHS! Semi-Finalist Christopher Churchill

Happy autumnal Thursday! For the last few weeks, we've been very busy behind the scenes, reviewing your submissions, continuing to feature contenders on our blog and planning a big HHS! event coming up on Friday, October 29th! A few weeks back, our distinguished panel came to JBP HQ for a day-long review, thoughtfully looking over every entry before composing this stellar list of semi-finalists. At the event on the 29th (details below), Jen Bekman will announce the five 2010 Hot Shots selected from these semi-finalists. Congratulations to the 2010 Hey, Hot Shot! Semi-Finalists!

Save The Date
Hey, Hot Shot! + Blurb invite you to celebrate our 2010 Hot Shots from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, October 29th at the first-ever Blurb Pop Up/NYC at 60 Mercer Street.

Jen Bekman, members of the Hey, Hot Shot! Panel and the Jen Bekman Projects' team are excited to meet and mingle with you—the New York City photography community. In addition to the announcement of the five 2010 Hot Shots, you'll be able to browse a library of Blurb books, meet fellow artists, learn about creating your own book and have a drink on us!

Space is limited, so make sure you RSVP here by Thursday, October 28th.

Who: Hey, Hot Shot! Panelists, contenders, Team JBP + the NYC Photography Community
What: Meet the 2010 Hot Shots
When: Friday, October 29th, from 6 to 9 p.m.
Where: 60 Mercer Street, New York, NY

Learn more about the other events at the Blurb Pop Up/NYC from October 21 - 30 + see you on the 29th!

For all you Toronto-based (or Toronto-bound) photographers and photo-enthusiasts: one new and noteworthy event on our radar is the Flash Forward Festival, which highlights emerging photographers from the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. It will run from today, October 6 through the 10th in the city's up-and-coming Liberty Village neighborhood. An extension of the Magenta Foundation's Flash Forward photography competition, 2010 marks the first edition of its biennial festival incarnation. From the Flash Forward website:

Flash Forward's mission is to showcase the future of photography, focusing on emerging talent identified by renowned jurors as having great potential. The biennial festival will provide an in-depth experience for emerging photographers through educational and networking opportunities including events with collectors/arts enthusiasts and industry professionals (academics, gallerists, media/art directors and photo editors). The festival will include five curated exhibitions -- representing the three host countries plus one guest country invited to showcase their best emerging photographers -- as well as workshops, a lecture series, nightly events, an art fair and a major closing event that will be filmed and transmitted globally.

There are a whole slew of terrific events to choose from over the next four days—almost all of which are free and open to the public! Some highlights include:

Circuit City, 2008 by Brian Ulrich

Attention photography lovers: The Aperture Foundation's Annual Benefit and Auction is fast approaching! This event will take place on November 1st, 2010 at The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers, and will include both a silent and live auction of stellar photographs, not to mention cocktails, dinner, an award ceremony, and a post-dinner benefit party organized by SNAP! - Aperture's Young Patron's program. Honorees at this year's benefit include photographer Richard Misrach, New York gallerist Julie Saul and collector/philanthropist Steven Ames.

Although bidding on both auctions doesn't open until October 18th, previews for each are just recently available online, and can be browsed (and drooled over) at your leisure. The silent auction has photographs by Shen Wei, Mickey Smith, and Eirik Johnson and the live component has pieces by Diane Arbus, Kehinde Wiley, Curtis Mann and Brian Ulrich among others.

If you're looking to expand your photography collection, want to support the excellent Aperture Foundation, or are just always up for a fun arts event (the SNAP! party will have special guest DJs, and a raffle!), we strongly suggest checking this one out. (Team JBP went last year and had a blast!)

Complete details (including ticket-purchasing information) can be found here.

For all of you photography and magazine lovers in the Bay Area, our friends at Aperture are collaborating with SF Camerawork to organize a terrific event, in conjunction with the release of the 200th (!) issue of Aperture magazine.

This Thursday, September 30th, from 6:00-8:00 p.m., you can attend their panel titled The Storehouse and the Arsenal: The Industry and Creative Environment of Magazine Publishing Today. Moderated by Aperture's Michelle Dunn Marsh, the panel will address the role of, and challenges faced by, contemporary publications. From their website:

With the recession and the Internet age weighing print businesses down, the time has come to consider the current state of the modern magazine and its success for the future. On the occasion of the publication of issue #200, Aperture has organized a bi-coastal conversation on this important subject.

Panelists will include some of the great minds behind some of our favorite publications and publishers, such as Dwell, Wired, The Believer, not to mention HHS! panelist Nion McEvoy, the CEO of Chronicle Books. They will discuss the unique opportunities and difficulties of the today's publishing industry, and what it all means for photographers. It is sure to be an enlightening event, especially for those involved or interested in the rapidly changing world of fine arts publishing.

You can take a look at the full event details and participant profiles here and if you plan to attend, make sure you RSVP to reserve a seat: attendance is free, but space is limited!

The Details:
The Storehouse and the Arsenal: The Industry and Creative Environment of Magazine Publishing Today
Thursday, September 30, 2010, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
at SF Camerawork
657 Mission Street, 2nd Floor
San Francisco, California

You might be celebrating (or mourning) the end of summer this weekend—but either way, here's something you can cheer about: it's 20x200's third birthday! We're not ones to celebrate alone so we're offering an uncommon deal to all of you out there:

Consider this a stock up sale! You'll be saving lots by picking up scores of 8"x10" and 11"x14" prints. (Usually shipping starts at $8.50.) You can put as many prints in these two sizes as you'd like and it's still just $3. One detail to keep in mind: the $3 shipping and handling fee is applied per size, so if you're mixing things up with both 8"x10" and 11"x14" prints, the absolute most you'll pay is $6—still a steal.

Be sure to peruse all the fabulous photography available on the site. Here's a taste of Hot Shots editions that bid adieu to summer and ring in the fall to whet your palate:

Midway, Neshoba County Fair, Philadelphia, Mississippi by Mike Sinclair

Golf Driving Range by James Deavin

Rincon Artificial Island and Pipeline, Ventura, California by Ian Baguskas

Norristown, Pennsylvania by Justin James Reed

Driveway, Ashland, Oregon by Jeffrey Krolick

* Rate is applied per size. Special rate can only be applied to orders within the U.S. and does not apply to international orders.

It's official: Hey, Hot Shot! now has a bookstore!

Earlier this month, we announced a partnership with forward-thinking Blurb Books, when they offered to sweeten the HHS! 2010 prize pot with $1,000 book credits for every Hot Shot selected during this competition period. Each Hot Shot will have the start-up funds to begin work on a book of their choosing, and one of the new Hot Shots will be selected from among the five chosen by Ms. Jen Bekman to work personally with a professional photo book editor Darius Himes, and TBD designer, and get a first-rate education in creating a first-rate work of book art.

Benicia/Martinez, CA by Daniel Cheek

In the interim of the past couple of weeks, we've been hard work creating a way to get the word out about some great books that are already out there from Hot Shots past and present. Whenever you're in the mood for some new visual material, or just curious to see what some of our favorite photographers are up to, take a virtual walk through our bookstore and see what strikes your fancy:

Untitled, from the book One More Night by Ben Roberts

Putting a book together can be a daunting task for many photographers, as it calls upon many skills that are not immediately apparent to someone gamely, for the first time, thinking, "Hey, maybe I"ll make a book." Being a strong self-editor (or knowing someone that you trust has this skill to advise you), having a good eye for design and page layout, having the capacity to cogently express what your book project is and be compelling with your images as well as, perhaps, the written word—these are but a smattering of the tools necessary to transform a body of work from the gallery wall to a beautiful object in readers' hands.

Facing pages from the book Seeing Things by Leah Benetti

And what's so great about a book, anyway? Why not just stick to the tried and true gallery show? Artist books are the new—old—way to disseminate your vision widely and provide access to work that others may not have due to geographical distance, cost and inclination of getting to a particular venue, or a infinite number of other reasons that make it difficult to see something in a given time frame in a given city. What's more, the act of sitting with a book is a completely different experience than that of viewing work at a gallery, and its benefits as an intimate, one-on-one between the photographer and reader should not be underestimated. One can return to a book after a first viewing, contemplate it in an undisturbed reverie and repeatedly digest it without much onus on the book collector or reader except the inclination to pick it back up. And not least of all, it's a very good exercise to put yourself through the task of translating a body of work into a different medium.

Our virtual bookstore is just a start of where we are taking this publishing train, and there are already more than 30 titles from our gallery of Hot Shots. We're looking forward to adding more in the coming months, and seeing what our artists are working on putting out next.

We're aware that a number of contenders from this entry period also have Blurb books out there in the ether...are you one of them? Provide a link to your title here in the comments. We'd love to see and share what you're doing!

Untitled (Santa Barbara) from the series California Vernacular by 2010 contender Liz Kuball

We're thrilled to announce that we've increased the HHS! Competition Grand Prize to $10,000 and are extending the deadline to Tuesday, August 31st at 8:00 p.m. (EDT).

As part of this community, you are well aware of how hard we work at creating opportunities for artists and spreading the word about the competition. The good news is—it's working! After we announced that we were teaming up with Blurb to offer each Hot Shot the chance to produce their own book a few weeks ago, a buzz of excitement percolated 'round the web, and created quite a stir.

We're happy to hear that you're excited—all the energy is bringing new photographers into our community at this eleventh hour. We want to share the love, welcome this new community around us, and give them—and you—a little more time to get your entries in, which is why we're doubling the Grand Prize to $10,000 and extending the deadline to August 31st.

Jen has always wanted the prize to be as big as it can be, and though we were happy to offer you $5,000, we're ecstatic to offer to $10,000. Over the last 5 months, we'd been wracking our brains to figure out how to bolster this amount. We considered working with other companies to increase the prize, but in the end, dug deep within JBP to offer you an amount that we think can make a real, positive change on the possibilities for an artist.

For those of you who have already applied: thank you! The panelists have begun to review your entries and we at JBP are perusing your images and lining up a few more weeks of contenders to feature on our blog. We've featured over 90 this year, and the range of work has been incredible: keep it coming!

If you have any questions make sure to check our Hey, Hot Shot! FAQ, which we've been updating with your questions as we go. If your question hasn't been answered, send us a Direct Message on Twitter to @heyhotshot or an email to hey@heyhotshot.com and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

Anne's Wedding, 2000 by Mike Sinclair

Guangzhou Zoo II, 2007 by Kurt Tong

We are pleased to announce photographers Mike Sinclair and Kurt Tong as the newest Ne Plus Ultras. Selected from 2009's ten talented Hot Shots, Sinclair and Tong have earned representation from Jen Bekman Gallery, and will be preparing for solo exhibitions and participating in art fairs over the next two years. Congratulations to Kurt, Mike and all of the 2009 Hot Shots!

We would also like to recognize each and every one of the 2009 Hot Shots for their talent and dedication. All of these photographers participated in group exhibitions at Jen Bekman Gallery—Hey, Hot Shot! 2009 First Edition and Second Edition—and many have limited-edition prints featured on 20x200. You can expect to see lots more from all of them soon.

All ten Hot Shots were chosen from an extremely competitive group of photographers who thoroughly impressed our esteemed panel: Jen Bekman, Christine Collins, Dana Faconti, Caterina Fake, Stephen Frailey, Raul Gutierrez, Darius Himes, Jenni Holder, Julia Leach, Nion McEvoy, Lesley A. Martin, Alan Rapp, Kent Rogowski, Stefan Ruiz and Jeffrey Teuton. We'd also like to extend our thanks to every member of the 2009 panel for their time and commitment to Hey, Hot Shot!

2009 First Edition Hot Shots:
Michelle Arcila
Daniel Cheek
Mike Sinclair
Parsley Steinweiss
Kurt Tong

2009 Second Edition Hot Shots:
Marisa Aragona
Leah Tepper Byrne
Alejandro Cartagena
Jessica Eaton
Justin James King

It was difficult to select just two photographers from the talented group of Hot Shots, but Kurt and Mike emerged as the best fits for the gallery's roster. We look forward to continuing to work closely with both artists across all of the Jen Bekman Projects. Please join us in congratulating them.

Meet our newest Ultras:

Kurt Tong has worked and traveled extensively across Europe, the Americas and Asia. In 1999, Kurt co-founded Prema Vasam, a charitable home for disabled and disadvantaged children in Chennai, South India before becoming a full-time photographer in 2003.

Tong received a Masters in documentary photography from London College of Communications in 2006. He has since been chosen as a winner in the first Lens Culture - Rhubarb Photo Book Award, the Blurb Photography Book Now competition and the prestigious Jerwood Photography Award.

Kurt's photographs have been widely exhibited around the world at venues including: Jen Bekman Gallery in New York, Impressions Gallery in Bradford, The Royal Academy in London, La Casa Encendida in Madrid, Abbaye de Neumunster in Luxembourg and the CPA Exhibition in Chengdu, China. This summer and fall, several of Kurt's projects will be on view in the UK and France.

Mike Sinclair is an architectural and fine art photographer living in Kansas City, Missouri. His photographs are frequently published in the architectural press and elsewhere, including The New York Times, Metropolis, Architectural Record and Interior Design. His work is in several public and private collections, including The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, also in Kansas City.

In addition to the the Hey, Hot Shot! group exhibition, Sinclair has participated in Mixtape at Jen Bekman Gallery.

Hey, Hot Shot! 2010:

The 2010 competition is currently open for entries and we look forward to seeing your submissions. Follow competition news and updates on Twitter and Facebook, and read about featured contenders daily on our blog. The deadline for submissions is August 22, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. (EDT). Apply now!

2431 by Todd Hido

A few weeks ago, we at JBP had the distinct pleasure of releasing a luscious new edition on 20x200 by photographer Todd Hido: #4124 from the series House Hunting. If you're any kind of photography aficionado, there's a very good chance you knew of Todd's work far before this edition release, which is part of the permanent collections of the Whitney Museum, Guggenheim, SF MoMA and LACMA. Todd has also published four stunning and hard-to-come-by books: House Hunting, Outskirts, Roaming and Between the Two, with a fifth book, A Road Divided, forthcoming this year from Nazraeli Press. All of this—and of course working with Todd and his images themselves—made us ineffably excited to share this photograph with all of our collectors.

As Jen wrote about Todd and his photographs:

He was one of the first people who showed me the path of "art for everyone." In part, because my first experience with his work was meeting him at a book signing. The signed copy of Roaming that I got that day was my first experience of an "art book" that had deep resonance for me. It is personal and universal and democratic all at once. But it was the interaction with him at the gallery that opened the door for me--the universality of the experience and emotion that the work depicted, combined with the democracy of having access to such an evolved body of art work because it was presented in the form of a book.

Like a lot of great artists, like, say, Raymond Carver, Todd's making something beautiful, deep and moving out of the mundane--taking our every day and creating moments that feel so nostalgic and familiar, but are uniquely his own.

#4124 from the series House Hunting by Todd Hido

So, it is with great pleasure that I announce the addition of Todd to our already-outstanding panel, lending his astute eye as both artist and educator to reviewing the work submitted by all of you contenders. Join us in welcoming him, and take some time this long weekend to send us your best work!

We are pleased to announce that the first Hey, Hot Shot! Curator's Choice Award, chosen by founding editor of Radius Books and HHS! panelist Darius Himes, goes to Phil Underdown. Phil will receive a gift bag of three exquisite books published by Radius, including Transfigurations by Michael Lundgren, The Spirit & The Flesh by Debbie Fleming Caffery and Domestic Vacations by Julie Blackmon. "Thank you to all the photographers that submitted work. There was an amazing range of talent and it was a joy going through it all," writes Darius.

Our Curator's Choice Award for May will be chosen by Chronicle Books publisher and HHS! panelist Nion McEvoy. All work submitted by the 20th of May will be personally reviewed by Nion whose pick will be featured on the site and recieve a gift bag of five books published by Chronicle.

Without further ado, we present all five images from Phil Underdown's HHS! submission accompanied by words by Darius Himes about his selection. After the break are Darius's notes on the judging process—wise words of advice for those thinking about entering the competition—and Phil's artist statement.

The Trapper's Lament 4506_1, October 2008, by Phil Underdown

Guest Curator Darius Himes on The Trapper's Lament by Phil Underdown
Using the visual language of a Shore or Struth, Underdown presents the viewer with a record of his tramping through the gentle woods of upstate New York with his view camera and film holders by his side. Dense undergrowth, meandering creeks and a carpet of browned and decaying autumn leaves are stoically pictured in exquisite detail, the trademark of a large format camera. I can almost picture him in his wellies and khaki pants, red-checked flannel shirt loosely tucked in and a spot meter draped around his lightly bearded neck. But there is murder and betrayal lurking in the bucolic settings of Mr. Underdown's photographs. All is not what it seems.

Take, for instance, the dead snapping turtle sprawled on the muddy banks in the first image, or more damning still, the bloated and floating adult beaver spied through the yet-to-bloom branches of riparian foliage. Who's to say that Mr. Underdown himself didn't hunt these innocent creatures down merely for the sake of photographing them? Perhaps they are the trophies of a very sick game of photographer and prey.

This is actually not far from the truth. Underdown moved to a piece of property abutting the Adirondack park precisely out of a deep-seated love of natural settings. But, as he states, "Here is a landscape where our mythologies of nature and the realities of our daily lives combine in an uneasy confusion." Invaded by squads of beavers who were so industrious that they threatened the home's entire septic system, he reluctantly hired a trapper to come and remove the recalcitrant beavers. (What most city-dwellers don't know is that "trapper" is synonymous with "hunter" in that the animals are killed in the process.) Underdown, burdened by the weight of his decision, began to photograph the aftermath, standing as witness to a cause and effect scenario he put in motion. "I recycle, I drive a Prius, I give money to environmental organizations ... and I kill beavers. This is the landscape of that confusion, the trapper's lament." His images, quiet and formally elegant, inject a sense of foreboding and mystery that draws you deeper into the frame.

The Trapper's Lament 4506_2, October 2008, by Phil Underdown

The Trapper's Lament 73_2, May 2009, by Phil Underdown

The Trapper's Lament 87_9, July 2009, by Phil Underdown

The Trapper's Lament 4519_3, November 2008, by Phil Underdown

If your walls are bare and uninspiring, now might be the time to pick up some prints at 20x200. The clock is ticking on 20x200's 20x2much Sale—offer expires at midnight (PST) tonight!

Enter the code 20x2much in Google checkout for 20% off your total print order of $50 or more before midnight (PST) tonight.

As mentioned in today's newsletter, there's much too much going on at JBP HQ, including an impending office move, so to make things a little more crazy, we're throwing a sale!

There's tons of great photography in the archives, including editions by Hot Shots as well as contenders, like Bryan Schutmaat. Go see for yourself. Happy collecting!

Last month, many of you applied for the opportunity to win our first month's Curator's Choice Award, a selection of books from independent Santa Fe based art publisher Radius, generously donated by founding editor Darius Himes. We'll be announcing the photographer Darius has selected in our newsletter on Monday, but today, we are extremely pleased to announce our second month's guest curator. Nion McEvoy, chairman and CEO of Chronicle Books—and also a HHS! panelist—will review all entries submitted by May 20th, 2010 and select one photographer for our 2nd Curator's Choice Award. Read on for details!

It'd be impossible not to have Chronicle on your radar—they produce a plethora of gorgeous books, gifts and paper goods available across the globe that range from art & design, food, pop culture, travel and literature. But, aside from the breadth of their publications, Chronicle is recognized for their exceptional quality and for the relationships their nurture with their artists, authors, vendors and customers. They deeply value creativity and the process of collaboration, and as evidenced by their blog, written by Chronicle employees, the company itself is rife with intelligent and original minds.

Many JBP artists have collaborated with Chronicle over the years, including Lisa Congdon, Stuart Klipper, Mark Richards and Andrew Zuckerman, producing unique works that celebrate the individual artist's mission.

Every entry submitted by May 20th, 2010 will be automatically eligible to win the following five titles from Chronicle:

Manuel Alvarez Bravo: Photopoetry

Odyssey: The Photographs of Linda Connor

Taking Aim: Unforgettable Rock n' Roll Photographs Selected by Graham Nash

Michael Jackson: Before He was King by Todd Gray

Bird by Andrew Zuckerman

All of these books were selected by Nion and the team at Chronicle especially for Hey, Hot Shot! and we're excited to offer them to you, contenders, as a prize. The photographer Nion selects will be announced in our newsletter in early June, featured here on the blog, and notified by email. So, make sure to get your submissions in by May 20th, 2010.

If you happen to be out in San Francisco next Tuesday, May 4th, we're heading out west for our Third Annual 20x200 Collectors' Confab at Chronicle Books. Jen, a few members of the JBP team, and representatives from Chronicle will all be there for meeting and mingling. We'll be serving wine and beer along with a few nibbles, and perhaps have a surprise or two for you too. Many of our Bay Area 20x200 artists will also be in attendance, so come say hello and have a drink on us!

Space is limited, so make sure you RSVP to rsvp AT 20x200 DOT com.

Who: West Coast Collectors, Artists & Team 20x200
What: Collectors Confab
When: Tuesday, May 4th, from 6-9 p.m.
Where: Chronicle Books | 680 Second Street, San Francisco, CA

Hope to see you there!

When we first decided to announce this year's Curator's Choice Awards we thought long and hard about what this would mean for all our contending photographers. What it does mean is there are yet another pair of discerning and experienced eyes reviewing your work. And, it's a chance for you to learn a bit more about a few of our affiliate organizations—and why we love them. And, it's another chance at a bit more exposure, constructive critique...and prizes!

So, we are extremely excited to announce that Darius Himes, a founding editor of Radius Books and also a HHS! panelist, will be the guest curator for the first month of competition! Radius Books is a non-profit art book publishing company based out of Santa Fe, New Mexico. But, beyond producing an exquisite collection of books, Radius also encourages an ongoing and challenging dialogue in the arts.

All submissions made before April 22nd, 2010 are automatically eligible to win a generous gift bag from Radius, including these three outstanding monographs:

Those three books were all selected by members on the Hey, Hot Shot! team ('cause they're near and dear to us) and we're thrilled that Radius is enabling us to offer them as a prize. The photographer Darius selects will be notified by email and featured here on the blog and in the newsletter in late April, so stay tuned, and make sure to get your submissions in!

Corrin by Hot Shot Derek Henderson

I'm thrilled to lead Hey, Hot Shot! into 2010 and we are now officially open for entries! As Jen mentioned last week, this year's competition offers myriad new opportunities for all of our contenders. We also have the honor of celebrating our 5th anniversary this year, so are introducing a $5,000 grand prize honorarium, 5 Curator's Choice Awards, and increased the number of images each contender can submit from three to five.

The deadline for submissions is August 22, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. (EDT), but don't delay, as the entry fee will increase incrementally throughout the competition. Our panel looks forward to seeing your submissions and we will be posting about contenders throughout the entry period right here on the blog. Read on for all the details!

A diverse panel of photography professionals--including founder Jen Bekman, Aperture Foundation publisher Lesley A. Martin, Chronicle Books chairman and CEO Nion McEvoy, a founding editor of Radius Books Darius Himes and photographer Kent Rogowski--reviews every entry.

This season, we are thrilled to welcome Tod Lippy, editor-in-chief of Esopus magazine and president of the Esopus Foundation Ltd., to our panel. Tod served as a senior editor at Print magazine from 1990 to 1997, is an award-winning filmmaker and also a frequent lecturer on topics ranging from screenwriting to graphic design.

Our panel will select five photographers as the 2010 Hot Shots. Each photographer will be awarded:

+ A $500 honorarium.
+ Participation in the 2010 Hot Shot Exhibition at Jen Bekman Gallery.
+ The opportunity to release an edition on 20x200.

Jen Bekman will select one of the five 2010 Hot Shots for the Grand Prize and announce the recipient on March 15, 2011. In addition to the honors as a Hot Shot, the grand prize recipient will be awarded:

+ A $5,000 honorarium to support a personal project.
+ A solo exhibition at Jen Bekman Gallery.
+ Representation from Jen Bekman Gallery for two years, commencing with his/her selection.

All entrants are reviewed for participation in 20x200; entering the competition is the only way for photographers to have their work considered for an edition. In addition, we will feature one contender each weekday during the competition on the Hey, Hot Shot! blog. Every contender receives ample opportunity for online exposure through our blog and on Facebook, Flickr and Twitter, where HHS! has thousands of fans and followers and serves as a leading voice in the dialogue about contemporary photography.

Ever looking to expand contenders' opportunities for recognition, each month, a guest curator will choose a photographer from those who have applied todate for a Curator's Choice Award. This contender will be featured in a Hey, Hot Shot! newsletter and awarded a prize from the curator's affiliate organization.

Stay tuned on our blog, mailing list and Twitter for upcoming details about the first Curator's Choice Award.

The guidelines are simple: submit five photographs from a single body of work, using our online upload tool, with an entry fee starting at $60.

The entry fee will increase throughout the competition, so don't delay: Apply now!

JBP's Youngna Park

Over the past five years, our incredible community of Hot Shots has been featured in countless shows, won prestigious awards, and — most importantly — continued to create really amazing work. This year we're making exciting changes to the competition to, as founder and panelist Jen Bekman put it, "expand the opportunities for artists, even as we make the competition more fierce."

We're almost ready to talk about all the details of Hey, Hot Shot! 2010, but before we begin, we want to announce that Summer 2005 Hot Shot and Associate Producer of Jen Bekman Projects, Youngna Park, will be taking the lead on this year's competition. I recently chatted with Jen about why Youngna is a great fit for Hey, Hot Shot! and here's what she had to say:

"Youngna was one of the very first Hot Shots and since then she's been embedded in the organization so Hey, Hot Shot! is in her DNA. Youngna was also a PHOTOBLOGGER and no one even remembers what those are. I mean that's the thing, we share a common love for photography and the internet; and are part of a community of like-minded folks which includes Raul, David Yee and many other people involved in the smoking hot NYC startup scene, like Eliot Shepard who's at Curbed and Jake Dobkin from Gothamist. But also, I love that photography is just one lens for YP--so to speak--she also is a writer, and a cook and an urban explorer and a country mouse too, she's a well-rounded individual that one is!"

To learn more about Youngna, you can read her 20x200 bio, browse her eponymous photoblog, and check out her photography portfolio.

In our conversation, Jen also talked a little bit about why she's so excited for Hey, Hot Shot! 2010 and gave a few hints about the details of the upcoming round, which will be announced on Monday:

"Hey, Hot Shot! keeps us connected with the photography community—we have such a good sense of what's going on in photo because we get to see so much work from all over the world. On our part, we're working on growing our community of the best and brightest photographers and it'll be that much easier to integrate the competition into all of our programs with someone who's full time at JBP taking the lead."

"I'm excited about about Hey, Hot Shot! 2010 because 5 is my favorite number (I am a spazz but I totally mean it!) and also because we get to offer greater opportunities than ever before. There's the chance at a gallery show, 20x200 editions, and being featured on the blog as contenders. This year we're also introducing new aspects, like an increased honorarium, curators' choice prizes, and a new panel format inspired by my turn as a juror for this year's American Photography, AP-25, which was chaired by Kathy Ryan. Our jurors pay close attention but this new format will allow them to participate in a group review AND also drill down and curate based upon their particular point of view."

We can't wait to unveil all the details! Make sure to get on the mailing list if you aren't already to hear the news as soon as it breaks.

This Saturday, February 6th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., join 20x200 | Jen Bekman Projects at the Brooklyn Museum for a Target First Saturday event with 1stfans. We'll be giving away 10"x8" prints by artist Valerie Hegarty to new and renewing 1stfans members and Ms. Jen Bekman herself will be speaking to an intimate group of 1stfans at a meetup. Meetups are an opportunity for 1stfans to interact exclusively with the Museum's staff, its collections, artists, and other members every month at Target First Saturdays.

Jen will be speaking about 20x200 and how all of Jen Bekman Projects, including Hey, Hot Shot!, work together to support artists.

The larger prints sizes in Valerie's edition (14"x11" and 20"x16") will be released on 20x200 the following week of Monday, February 8th. Every print in this special edition comes with a 1stfans one-year membership! To find out about the release online, make sure you're signed up for the 20x200 newsletter.

Target First Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum
Saturday, February 6th, 2010 | 6:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Jen's talk | 8:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Brooklyn Museum
200 Eastern Parkway, BK, NY

It's here, it's here! The 20% More Ridiculous Sale has arrived. Today through noon on Sunday, we're offering 20% off everything on 20x200 when you make a purchase of $40 or more. Enter code RIDONK in Google checkout to get your discount. The site-wide sale happens but twice a year; there's no better time to get your art on than right now! Ladies and gentlemen, the prints are going to fly. So RUN, don't walk to the 20x200 browse page.

What does 20% More Ridiculous mean?
$50 prints are now $40
$200 prints are now $160
$500 prints are now $400
$2,000 prints are now $1,600
$5,000 prints are now $4,000

A few small details:
- You'll need to spend a minimum of $40 to qualify for the discount. (We're ridiculous and generous, but not entirely foolish!)
- No double-dipping! RIDONK stands alone, and cannot be combined with any other offers or promotions.
- Gift certificate purchases are not eligible for the discount.
- Being the incredible opportunity that they are to begin with, the very few and rather gorgeous prints by Mike & Doug Starn are not eligible for discounts.

We also just unveiled our Valentine's Day Gift Guide that will help you find the perfect print for your bookish babe, sporty suitor, and pretty much every or any sweetheart that could possibly be in your life! We also just rolled out 20x200 edition-maker Lisa Congdon's contribution to our series of artist-designed gift guides.

P.S. To the collectors on our mailing list, who *always* receive the first word on sales and new editions, this is practically old news. What we're trying to say is that you should join the mailing list too. That's art (and so much more) in your inbox, twice a week!

Wildcat Canyon Regional Park, Berkeley, California by Daniel Cheek

For all of you waiting with bated breath today, no news is good news! We're delaying the announcement of the 2009 Second Edition Hot Shots until Friday, December 18th, 2009.

In the past month, we've relocated JBP headquarters, prepared for PULSE Miami at JBG and readied ourselves for the forthcoming 12 Days of Festivus at 20x200. With all this, we found insufficient time to carefully review this round of Hey, Hot Shot! competition's amazing entries. Instead of making a hasty declaration about 2009's newest (and last!) set of Hot Shots today, we're taking extra time to review and prepare this announcement for Friday, December 18th.

In the meantime, read more about the contenders here on the Hey, Hot Shot! blog, find us on Flickr and Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Browsing the Hot Shots' 20x200 editions is also a great way to start your holiday shopping. Until Friday, December 18th!

Good news! We're extending the deadline for Hey, Hot Shot!'s last round of competition in 2009 to next Tuesday, October 27th at 11:00 p.m. (EDT).

This week has been an exciting one for Jen Bekman Projects, as you may have heard. We've closed a first round of funding which will allow us to offer even more opportunities and exposure to the artists we work with.

This announcement has introduced Hey, Hot Shot! to an entirely new audience, and we've fielded numerous requests about the competition. We want to give everyone some extra time to enter, as this is the last chance to submit work in 2009.

So if you haven't gotten around to applying yet, now's your chance! The opportunities and exposure for Hot Shots, honorable mentions and contenders are better than ever.

The deadline for submissions is now Tuesday, October 27th at 11:00 p.m. (EDT).

Questions? Check out our informative FAQ, follow us on Twitter or find us on Facebook.

We're excited to announce that Kickstarter, the Brooklyn-based online micro-funding community launched by Perry Chen + Yancey Strickler will also be sponsoring the HHS! Confab + Print Trade next Tuesday, September 29th, 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. They'll be on-site to talk about Kickstarter, which enables artists and creative thinkers to propose projects for funding, and allows interested supporters to pledge both small and large amounts to meet their financial goals. The pledges are reciprocated by incentives offered by the the artists, like an exchange for a screen print, homemade cookies, or copy of an album (that you might be helping create!).

20x200 edition-maker Kevin Cyr has raised $820 of a goal of $2,000 thus far for his project, CAMPER KART. In order for the funds to be distributed to the project creator, the entirety of the funding goal must be met (or exceeded). Cyr has 38 days left in his goal to meet the funds of CAMPER KART, and you can help him out by going to Kickstarter and making a pledge for his project. He writes,

I'm building the CAMPER KART: a pop-up camper affixed to a shopping cart. It's a functioning sculptural piece that seeks to explore aspects of housing, mobility, and autonomy. It is also largely about self-reliance and making do with less....

Throughout the last year, I decided to build my own type of vehicles. On a trip to Beijing, I conceived and built a CAMPER BIKE: an amalgamation of a Chinese 3-wheeled flatbed bike with an American cabover style camper. Interested in building a series of mobile vehicles and inspired by Cormac McCarthy's novel, The Road, I started sketching plans for CAMPER KART: a mobile unit built into a shopping cart--an ubiquitous urban object....

With your support, I can not only finish the construction, but document the piece through drawings, paintings, and a photographic print.

A video also accompanies his project, which you can watch by clicking on the widget above. You can browse other projects on the site, including a great one titled Designing Obama proposed by Scott Thomas, Design Director of the Obama campaign, to fund a book chronicling the art and design of the campaign. Backers get copies of the book, starting with $10 earning you digital access all the way up to $150 for a special-edition copy with a gold sleeve.

At the Confab, Perry and Yancey will be around to answer all your questions about the ins and outs of Kickstarter (and hopefully give us all a demo). Look for them there!

Please join the Jen Bekman Projects community for our first Hey, Hot Shot! Confab and Print Trade on Tuesday, September 29th from 6:00 to 8:30 pm. Mingle with Hot Shots, esteemed panelists, contenders and fellow artists at White Rabbit, 145 E. Houston Street (between Eldridge + Forsythe) in New York City.

Space is limited, so please RSVP at RSVP@heyhotshot.com.

Participate in our Print Trade! Bring an 8.5" x 11" (or smaller) photographic print of your own and leave the party with another artist's work! Please email us a jpeg of the photograph (800 px across @ 72 dpi) you plan to bring to the Confab with your RSVP at RSVP@heyhotshot.com.

There will be drink specials, giveaways from our generous sponsors at Arlo/Artists and Crumpler—with a few surprises from JBP as well—and ample opportunities to meet fellow photographers and artists in the JBP community.

We'll see you there!

Happy Labor Day weekend! We're celebrating at JBP HQ because it's also 20x200's birthday *today*!

There's some fun in the sun in store but a quick note to you all first:

*** FREE SHIPPING at 20x200 on all print orders over $50 (before taxes, shipping + handling!) ***

The offer extends until Monday at midnight EST and will automatically apply to your order if your total exceeds $50 before checkout; no code is needed. The offer does not apply to orders outside of the U.S. or to gift certificate purchases.

In case you missed it earlier this week, we released two stunning editions from HHS! contender and honorable mention, Liz Kuball. Odes to California, both photos evoke endless summers. While this season may be coming to a close, we're looking forward to exciting beginnings as we enter our third year at 20x200. Cheers!

Angel Mthembo by Ian van Coller

Hot Shot Ian van Coller's series Interior Relations will be on view from September 3-27, 2009, at Portland's Blue Sky Gallery. The series pictures women wearing their favorite clothing posed inside the homes that they are employed to clean.

van Coller writes:

In this immediate post-Apartheid era, there remain few employment opportunities for many black South African women aside from domestic work. And with a fifty-percent unemployment rate, domestic service fills a critical need for women seeking to support their families. My intent is to capture some of the complexities that all South Africans face in creating and asserting post-Apartheid identities in the face of dramatic economic and cultural realities.

Ian van Coller | Interior Relations
September 3-27, 2009
Artist Reception, September 3rd, 6-9pm
Blue Sky Gallery
122 NW 8th
Portland, Oregon

Blind Spot's Summer Sale is on—if you've admired their gorgeous editions for a while and have some cash burning a hole in your pocket, now's the time to act on impulse!
Here's the deal:

20% off all purchases up to $500.
30% off all purchases up to $2,000.
40% off all purchases of $5,000 or more.

Use coupon code Summer2009 at checkout. Please note that a 20% discount will appear on your receipt, but we will apply higher discounts where applicable before processing your card.

Some of what you will find while browsing the Blind Spot editions:

Attracted to Light (film still) by Doug and Mike Starn

When we released an edition by the Starn Brothers to benefit Blind Spot on 20x200, the prints sold out in a matter of seconds. I didn't get one and have regretted it ever since! If I had the cash now, I wouldn't second guess this chance to bring some Starns home.

Untitled, 1974 by Stephen Shore

Classic! So classic! How is it possible that this is still available?!?

Untitled from the series The New Scent by Jason Evans

This RC print from Jason Evans comes in as one of the most affordable: was $500, now $400. If this were on my wall, every time I looked at it, I would inevitably think of Jason's The Daily Nice, which always makes me smile.

Moonshadow 2008 by Spencer Finch

This light proof archival black box by Spencer Finch is such a tease: it contains an exposed yet undeveloped image of a moonshadow (which is invisible to the naked eye).

I will forgive Finch though, since his brilliant and light-filled installation, The River That Flows Both Ways, is currently on view, in broad daylight, for all to see, on the High Line, much thanks to the folks at Creative Time.

Summer greetings, my photo-loving friends! It's me, Jen! I haven't been around these parts for a while, busy as I am penning 20x200 newsletters and such, but who needs me? The blog's been percolating along quite nicely, thanks to the efforts of the many wonderful, amazing people working at Jen Bekman Projects HQ. I'm dropping by today with news of another exciting addition to that already brilliant mix, Mr. Alan E. Rapp.

Alan recently joined the JBP team as the Associate Director of Hey, Hot Shot!. As our intrepid panelist Nion McEvoy can attest, we're awfully lucky to have him! Alan arrived here in NYC about a year ago, leaving behind SF and his plum role as Senior Editor of art, design & photography titles at Chronicle Books. Nion—Chronicle's Chairman and CEO —was recently telling me how hard it's been to fill Alan's shoes, giving me the opportunity to proudly announce our good fortune. (There might've been a little bit of "Nyah! Nyah!" in there, not that I'm competitive or anything.)

I'm including Alan's bio below, but once I'm done introducing him today, he'll be speaking up for himself. And he's got plenty to talk about; he's cooking up all kinds of big plans for Hey, Hot Shot! and I can't hardly wait for them to be unveiled. I've long thought that, great as it is, HHS! could be so much more. Alan's got the experience, creativity and enthusiasm to take things to the next level, so I'm really thrilled that he'll be taking the lead here.

Alan won't be a one man show, of course. HHS! has been thriving for years now and has improved exponentially as the JBP team has grown. Sara Distin is now spending most of her time on curatorial development for 20x200, and Youngna Park is plenty busy working on all of our websites, but both of these talented women will continue to be contributors to the HHS! effort. Jeffrey Teuton is overseeing the gallery itself, where our last round of winning Hot Shots will make their Jen Bekman Gallery debut on September 9th. And as always, Raul Gutierrez and our tech crew will keep the site humming. Rounding out the team are intrepid blogger Kara Canal and JBP's latest addition, our new administrative assistant — former intern and lifelong photographer — Ms. Kika Gilbert. Casey Gollan's been contributing some excellent new content here and a crop of fresh-faced interns should be arriving soon too—even with such a great team, there's still plenty to keep them busy.

Alan E. Rapp
Alan E. Rapp is former senior editor of art, design, and photography at Chronicle Books. With more than fifteen years publishing experience, he now works on independent book projects while simultaneously pursuing an advanced degree in Design Criticism. He has collaborated with dozens of artists in bringing their work to publication, including Jim Marshall, Elinor Carucci, Justin Guariglia, Misty Keasler, David Maisel, and Linda Connor. He is a writer who has contributed to Design Observer, San Francisco Magazine, Dwell, Photo District News, and Photo-eye Booklist, among other publications. He's also the editor of Critical Terrain, where "the images, objects, concepts, and disciplines that shape the designed environment are explored and interpreted."

Jen Bekman Projects is happy to announce the opening of the 2009 Second Edition Hey, Hot Shot! competition.

Entries will be accepted now through Friday, October 23rd, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. EDT.

The premier international photography competition, Hey, Hot Shot! offers photographers at all stages of their careers unrivaled opportunities for exposure and advancement.

All entrants have their work reviewed by top-shelf panelists and enjoy the potential to be promoted online (more than sixty were featured here on the Hey, Hot Shot! blog last season alone!), selected for 20x200 and exhibited in our New York gallery. Now in its fifth year, the competition has been acclaimed by curators, critics, educators and journalists alike.

A panel of seasoned photography professionals—including founder Jen Bekman, photography book evangelist and publisher Darius Himes, Aperture Foundation publisher Lesley A. Martin, former Creative Director of Colors magazine and photographer Stefan Ruiz and Chronicle Books chairman and CEO Nion McEvoy—review all the photographs that are entered.

The guidelines are simple: contenders submit three photographs from a single body of work, using an online upload tool, with an entry fee of $60. The 2009 Second Edition will add new features and more benefits for all entrants—among the many reasons why Hey, Hot Shot! remains one of the most desirable photography competitions around. Stay tuned for details!

So what are you waiting for? Get your work out there: Apply Now!
We only accept submissions online.

The deadline for entries is Friday, October 23, 2009 @ 8pm EDT.

Hot Shots will be announced on Monday, November 30, 2009.

There is a $60 handling fee for your entry.
Submissions are open to everyone, from anywhere in the world!
The competition is now open.

Questions?

Check out our informative and frequently updated FAQ, follow us on Twitter or find us on Facebook.

If you're situated somewhere in the Pacific Northwest, this is your reminder to swing through Seattle this evening and check out Jen's talk on collecting contemporary photography at the Seattle Art Museum, Plestcheeff Auditorium, 1300 First Avenue, at 7:00 p.m. ($6 or $4 for PCNW & SAM members & students).

The awards reception for Photo-Op, curated by Ms. Bekman, will follow the talk at the Photographic Center Northwest. Youngna gave the run-down on the show last week but it's shaping up to be a great one with lots of work from photographers around the world, including Kevin Miyazaki, featured above.

If you're nowhere near the Northwest, you'll have plenty of time to submit your entries to SLIDELUCK POTSHOW XIII. The deadline has been extended to Tuesday, July 21st.

We'll be re-opening our own HHS! competition for submissions soon, very soon, so stay tuned and ready your portfolios!

Have a great weekend!

If you're a photographer and you want a book, and what photographer doesn't want a book (?), Blurb's Photography.Book.Now competition is for you. The grand prize is worth $25,000. The competition kicked off last year and was won by Jen Bekman Gallery's very own Beth Dow*.

Photography.Book.Now juror (and HHS! panelist), Darius Himes, helpfully outlined the ins and outs of the competition's new categories on his blog. This year's contest is all about showcasing a really brilliant book concept, so pay attention to these hints!

You can read more from Darius in this Q&A over on the Dodge & Burn blog.

And as Darius notes at the end of his post, to learn even more about photography + art book publishing, pick up The Photobook: A History, Volumes 1 & 2 by Martin Parr and Gerry Badger (Phaidon) or a copy of the newly released WordsWithoutPictures.org, conceived and edited by Charlotte Cotton at LACMA, to which he contributed an essay, about, you guessed it, photo books. Darius, a perennial fountain of knowledge for photographers has also managed to co-author a book with Mary Virginia Swanson, to be published in 2010.

The Photography.Book.Now. deadline is July 16th @ 12 p.m. PDT so you've got some time to read and review all of this essential info, get your photos together and enter!

* Beth Dow's photograph featured here is from her series, In the Garden, and can be found at 20x200.

Over the last few days, you might have noticed a new blogger on these very fine pages, our amazing intern Kika Gilbert is now contributing regular posts. With her help, we'll be able to provide more frequent updates on Hot Shots, more info on other opportunities for photographers and noteworthy exhibitions. We're very excited to have her here and hope that you are too!

Kika's proven herself to be invaluable to the JBP team, in our NYC office + at the JB gallery, also popping up to help out at the 20x200 Collector's Confab we hosted in San Francisco. Who does that? Kika! She's super smart, funny and has been incredibly dedicated and reliable. We're very grateful to have an excellent team of interns. Thank you!

Not to miss in NYC tonight: Lyle Rexer's talk and book signing for The Edge of Vision: The Rise of Abstraction in Photography at Aperture, 547 W 27th Street, 4th Floor, at 6:30 p.m . If you caught his panel at NYPH'09, you know he's enthusiastic about his subject and ridiculously thorough.

Since getting a sneak peek of the book back in February, we've been super excited about Aperture's summer schedule of events in celebration of the tome and corresponding exhibition. And we were happy to pair up with Aperture to launch a benefit edition with Penelope Umbrico. Umbrico created two new works exclusively for 20x200, 87 Suns From Flickr - 29 Visible (above) and 79 Moons From Flickr - 51 Visible. Proceeds from the sale of Moons directly benefit Aperture.

If you hurry home after the event, you'll still have time to collect a couple of Penelope's works at 20% off with the discount code RIDONK. The 20x200 20% more ridiculous sale ends tonight at midnight. It's an easy way to support Aperture and the excellent programming they have lined up all summer long!

Hello, hello and happy Friday! If you're whiling away the hours, waiting for the weekend, I have good news for you — head on over to 20x200 to browse some art and you'll see that we are offering 20% off every print, now through Saturday at 11:59 p.m.! Enter the code RIDONK at checkout.

$20 prints are now $16
$50 prints are now $40
$200 prints are now $160
$500 prints are now $400
$2,000 prints are now $1,600

As we mentioned here last week, there's a lot of really great photography from Hot Shots available. But some of those editions, won't be around for long.

There are just 17 of Justin James Reed's Idaho Springs, Colorado $20 $16 prints remaining, and only 17 and 14, respectively remaining, from Joseph O. Holmes's amnh #10 and amnh #62. Brad Moore, Birthe Piontek, Colleen Plumb and Youngna Park all have editions that are about to disappear as well!

There's never been a better time to start collecting the work of some of today's most promising photographers. All of these Hot Shots have work available on the site, and it's all 20% off through tomorrow at midnight: Dorthe Alstrup, Ian Baguskas, Nina Berman, Kate Bingaman-Burt, Colin Blakely, Dan Boardman, Jessica Bruah, James Deavin, Scott Eiden, Juliane Eirich, Todd R. Forsgren, Alison Grippo, Shuli Hallak, Brandon Herman, Joseph O. Holmes, Karolina Karlic, Robert Knight, Jeffrey Krolick, Gregory Krum, Pixy Liao, Brad Moore, Chad Muthard, Bob O'Connor, Hosang Park, Youngna Park, Kirby Pilcher, Birthe Piontek, Colleen Plumb, James Rajotte, Justin James Reed, Kelly Shimoda, Mickey Smith, Rachel Sussman, Matthew Tischler, Carlo Van de Roer, Donald Weber and Shen Wei.

Want to be among the first to hear about future 20x200 events and editions? Sign up for the 20x200 Mailing List and get Jen's twice-weekly edition announcements. She'll have new editions from the latest crop of Hot Shots very soon!

Colleen Plumb is a 2008 HHS! Ne Plus Ultra. Selected from all of 2008's Hot Shots, she's one of the newest photographers to be added to Jen Bekman Gallery's roster of represented artists.

Colleen was awarded her first solo-exhibition at City Gallery soon after participating in Hey, Hot Shot!. She is currently showing work from her series Animals Are Outside Today at van Straaten Gallery in Denver. Her photography is featured in the upcoming issue of Hotshoe and on The Rumpus. Hey, Hot Shot!'s founder, Jen Bekman notes, "I've seen many a series exploring our relations with the animal kingdom, but few have resonated for me in the way that Colleen's project does."

Plumb's prints are available on 20x200:
Field Museum Sue
Tiger Rug, Cabrini Green
Amish Horses

Congratulations Colleen!

Hosang Park is a 2008 HHS! Ne Plus Ultra, selected from all of 2008's Hot Shots he's one of the newest photographers to join Jen Bekman Gallery's roster of represented artists.

Hosang has earned international recognition for his series of aerial photographs of urban spaces in Korea. Since becoming a Hot Shot, his work has been shown at NEXT Art Fair, PULSE NY and was published in Landscape Architecture Magazine. Of Park's parks, Nicola Twilley wrote for BLDGBLOG:

[The] cornucopia of amenities - climbing frames, fountains, seesaws and swing sets, pagodas, grass, ornamental rocks, meandering paths, trees and flower beds, benches, ponds, basketball courts... even public art - are crammed together as visual shorthand for endless leisure. They are landscape as signage, a placeholder for the possibilities of a park.

Park's prints are available on 20x200:
Howon-dong
Uman-dong

Congratulations Hosang!

Hosang Park + Colleen Plumb are 2008's HHS! Ne Plus Ultras!

Selected from 2008's ten talented Hot Shots, Hosang Park and Colleen Plumb will be represented by Jen Bekman Gallery and slated for solo exhibitions, presented for book publishing projects and exhibited at art fairs in the coming year. Previous Hot Shot group exhibitions and solo shows have garnered attention from the New York Times, The New Yorker, Art in America, PDN, STEP Magazine, and The Village Voice.

Congratulations to Colleen + Hosang + all of 2008's Hot Shots!

It was nearly impossible to choose this year's Ultras, but after careful consideration, Colleen and Hosang emerged as the best fits for the gallery's roster. They were selected from an extremely competitive group of photographers — everyone thoroughly impressed our esteemed panel which includes: Jen Bekman, Christine Collins, Dana Faconti, Caterina Fake, Stephen Frailey, Raul Gutierrez, Darius Himes, Jenni Holder, Julia Leach, Nion McEvoy, Lesley A. Martin, Kent Rogowski and Stefan Ruiz. We owe much gratitude to every member of the panel for their time and commitment to Hey, Hot Shot!

We would also like to recognize every one of the 2008 Hot Shots for their talent and dedication. All of the year's Hot Shots participated in group exhibitions, Hey, Hot Shot! Volume IV Edition I and Edition II, at Jen Bekman Gallery and many have print editions featured on 20x200. You can expect to see lots more from all of them soon!

2008 First Edition Hot Shots:
Juliane Eirich
Kate Orne
Derek Henderson
Colleen Plumb
Roc Herms Pont

2008 Second Edition Hot Shots:
Yijun Liao
Hosang Park
John Mann
Donald Weber
Cara Phillips

We will announce the 2009 First Edition Hot Shots next Thursday, June 4th, 2009, instead of today. After extending the competition deadline (twice!), we found ourselves too short on time to carefully review each and every entry. We've said it before and will say it again — we're looking at an incredible amount of amazing work. We are sorry but promise the upcoming announcement will be worth the wait!

There's more exciting news coming even sooner next week. On Monday, June 1st, 2009, we will announce the 2008 Hey, Hot Shot! Ne Plus Ultras. Selected from all ten of the talented photographers who were Hot Shots in 2008 — Juliane Eirich, Derek Henderson, Roc Herms Pont, Kate Orne, Colleen Plumb, Yijun Liao, Hosang Park, Cara Phillips, John Mann and Donald Weber — the two Ultras will receive representation from Jen Bekman Gallery and be slated for solo exhibitions. Previous Ne Plus Ultra solo exhibitions at the gallery have been reviewed by The New York Times, The New Yorker, Le Monde, and Der Spiegel. Represented artists gain even more exposure and recognition via group exhibitions, participation in art fairs and opportunities to publish books and/or monographs. We're sure there will be lots of good things in store for the two newest Ultras.

In the meantime, see more contenders here, find us on Flickr and Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.

Dear readers, our sincere apologies go out to you!

We haven't kept our promise to post about contenders every day since the panel but we'll make it up to you! We are overwhelmed by all the great work we've seen and want to be sure we're able to recognize it here before we announce the Hot Shots one week from Thursday, on May 28th.

In addition to more contenders posts, we'll have a wrap up of NYPH'09 (which kept us super busy!) and the recently announced new American Photography 25. All this, starting tomorrow! Till then!

The New York Photo Festival '09 kicks off this evening and gets into full swing tomorrow. Exhibitions, satellite shows, panels + talks, and award ceremonies continue through Sunday, May 17th for four seriously jam-packed days in DUMBO. It's a lot of ground to cover, so here's a rundown on the comings and goings of some JBP-related peeps:

Exhibitions:
HHS! panelist + 20x200 artist, photographer Stefan Ruiz is included in Chris Boot's main exhibition, Gay Men Play. He'll be showing portraits of gay men taken during party weekends in Berlin and San Francisco.

Portfolio Reviews:
Jeffrey Teuton, Associate Director of Jen Bekman Gallery and myself, Sara Distin, Associate Director of Jen Bekman Projects, Inc. | 20x200 + Hey, Hot Shot! will be reviewing portfolios in the review pavilion.
I'll be there Saturday + Sunday afternoon from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Jeffrey will be there Friday morning from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and Sunday afternoon from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Sign-ups for morning sessions begin at 8:00 a.m. and at 1:00 p.m. for afternoon sessions. You can opt for a slew of reviews or for just one.

Panels:
On Friday, May 15th, two talks that are definitely going to be worth listening to include: at 10:00 a.m. "Blogging in the Photography Community," a panel lead by Joerg Colberg with Cara Phillips, Laurel Ptak, Andrew Hetherington, and Brian Ulrich and at 5:00 p.m. "The Edge of Vision, Abstraction in Contemporary Photography" presented by Aperture with Lyle Rexer, Jack Sal, Silvio Wolf and Penelope Umbrico. *

Books + Magazines:
NYPH'09's Book Soup is Thursday, May 14th from 8:00 - 9:00 p.m. The event includes a talk, "The Death of the Photo Book," lead by powerHouse Books CEO Daniel Power and followed by book signings. 20x200 artist Rachel Papo and HHS! panelist + 20x200 artist Kent Rogowski have both published books with powerHouse.
HHS! panelist Stephen Frailey serves as Editor in Chief of DEAR DAVE, magazine. Visit the Media Lounge of St. Ann's Warehouse to be the lucky recipient of a limited number of Issue #4 that will be handed out for free!

Photo Awards:
Many congratulations are due to Bob O'Connor, Kevin Miyazaki, Daniel Traub, Juliane Eirich,** Brad Moore, Yijun Liao and Shen Wei.*** Among hundreds of nominees, these seven are up for New York Photo Awards this year. Come out to cheer them on when the Winners and Honorable Mentions are announced (and their work presented) at the Gala Ceremony for the New York Photo Awards 2009 on Friday, May 15th at 8pm in the St. Ann's Warehouse Auditorium.

Hope to see you down under the bridge this weekend!

Bummed you won't be in Brooklyn? We have some 20x200 photo greatness to lift your spirits:

* TOMORROW! 20x200 presents a special edition by Penelope Umbrico to benefit Aperture. Be sure to get your hands on a print by signing up for the mailing list.
** See new work from Juliane Eirich at 2:00 p.m. today on 20x200.
*** Sign up for Jen's newsletter to be among the first to see Shen Wei's 20x200 editions this summer.

We've been all a buzz lately about 2008 First Edition Hot Shot Colleen Plumb. Jen just caught up with her at the NEXT Art Fair in Chicago where Colleen teaches at Columbia College and reviewed some of her new work from Animals are Outside Today. This last weekend, Jen + I were still lingering over the photos as she paired one of Plumb's pics with a poem and I drafted a post for Flavorwire. Jen + Colleen's conversation about Animals must have really stuck with Jen because it was still swirling in her head as she wrote today's 20x200 newsletter.

If you happen to be in Denver and would like to see some more of Colleen's work up close and in-person, swing by van Straaten Gallery (formerly Sandy Carson Gallery) at 760 Santa Fe Drive this Thursday night, May 14th, from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. The show will be on view through June 20th.

Tonight's the night our fabulous panel will gather in NYC to review the hundreds of entries we've received at Hey, Hot Shot! since we opened the flood gates on March 5th. Arriving from all parts of the country, panelists will hunker down in a cozy office space in Chelsea to consider each and every photograph submitted. It's a grueling task but one that we look forward to!

Among this meeting of the minds?
Jen Bekman, Founder of Jen Bekman Projects, including HHS!, 20x200, and Jen Bekman Gallery
Christine Collins, JBG artist and photographer, professor at the Art Institute Boston
Caterina Fake, Co-founder of Flickr and up-coming Hunch.com
Dana Faconti, Editor and Publisher of Blind Spot
Stephen Frailey, Chair of the Photo Dept at SVA, Editor in Chief of Dear Dave
Raul Gutierrez, photographer, Spring 2006 Hot Shot and critical player on team 20x200
Darius Himes, Founding Editor of photo-Eye Booklist and Founding Member of Radius Books
Jenni Holder, Former Director of Edwynn Houk Gallery
Julia Leach, Founder of Chance Studio and former EVP/Creative Director for kate spade
Nion McEvoy, Chairman and CEO of Chronicle Books and the McEvoy Group
Lesley A. Martin, Publisher at Aperture's book program
Kent Rogowski, photographer and visiting critic at RISD, Founder of Scaffold
Stefan Ruiz, photographer and former Creative Director of Colors Magazine

Quite a crew, no? A couple individuals will be sadly missed this evening but they'll be considering all the entries from afar via our handy online review tool. Everyone's contributions are essential in this marathon process. Slow and steady we go — agonizing deliberations continue until the Hot Shots are announced on May 28th!

We'll try and tweet a few peeks into the process this evening — stay tuned.

We've been nice and extended the deadline twice but this time it's final:

Hey, Hot Shot! competition closes *this* evening, Friday, May 8th @ 11:00 p.m. EST

We look forward to seeing your work!

If you didn't enter this time around but would like to know about future competitions, sign up for our low-volume mailing list.

You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

If you're in NYC and a reality-TV addict, don't miss tonight's panel on the next wave of 15 minutes of fame and whether or not it'd be a good thing for art and artists.

Moderated by Artlog and comprised of Sara Friedlander, Specialist in the Post-War and Contemporary Art Department at Christie's, Dawn Chan, Writer/Critic Art Forum, Victor Samra, Technology & Marketing MoMA, and our very own Ms. Jen Bekman, the panel will address:

How is technology and the American media impacting artists and their ability to gain recognition? What role do the museums have in using technology and programming to promote up and coming artists to the mass audience? How is the economy impacting opportunities for emerging artists? Is the general American public interested in star artists? How do collectors find these Next Top Artists before they hit it big? Are institutions actively trying to establish so called star artists?

The panel is part of the Affordable Art Fair and will take place TONIGHT, Friday, May 8th, from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. @ 7 West 34th Street, New York, New York, 10001.

PSSST! Hey, Hot Shot! competition ends tonight! at 11:00 p.m. EST so be sure to get your entry in right after you get home from the panel!

psst! psst! Hot Shot Chad Muthard's photo above is available on 20x200.

Don't dilly dally — time is running out! We've extended it twice and now the deadline's finally arrived:
all entries for the first round of 2009 Hey, Hot Shot! competition are due

TONIGHT, Friday, May 8th at 11:00 p.m. EST.

Upload your photos, find out more, see who will be seeing your work, and keep an eye on the contenders.

This round's Hot Shots will be announced on Thursday, May 28th.

The deadline for Hey, Hot Shot!'s first round of competition in 2009 has been extended through this weekend! Entries must now be completed by Tuesday, May 5th at 11:00 p.m. EST.

Don't miss this chance to get your work out there. The opportunities and exposure available for Hot Shots, honorable mentions and *all* contenders are better than ever. Apply now!

As you might already know, Jen Bekman and Jeffrey Teuton, Associate Director of the JB Gallery, are representing a slew of Hot Shots at NEXT Art Fair in Chicago this weekend.

And, this last week we featured photography editions from two Hot Shots on 20x200: see Forest. Exclusion Zone, Chernobyl and Dinner. Village of Zorin, Exclusion Zone, Chernobyl by Second Edition 2008 Hot Shot Donald Weber. Spring 2005 Hot Shot Matthew Tischler released his second double edition, offering Untitled #17 and Untitled #9 as follow-ups to his popular Untitled #4 and Untitled #15, all from Screen Series. Matthew's photographs have been snatched up by collectors since they were previewed in Domino magazine (RIP!).

IMPORTANT: all photography submitted to Hey, Hot Shot! is considered for 20x200. Hey, Hot Shot! is the only way we review photography for 20x200 so rest assured that even if we can't post about your entry here (as per usual, there are just too many amazing entries to get them all on the blog!) your work will still be reviewed for 20x200. In the meantime, we'll do our best and continue posting about contenders until the Hot Shots are announced on Thursday, May 28th.

So what are you waiting for? Get your work out there: Apply Now!

The deadline for submissions is now Tuesday, May 5th, 2009 @ 11pm EST.

Hot Shots will be announced on Thursday, May 28th, 2009.

There is a $60 handling fee for your entry.

Submissions are open to everyone, from anywhere in the world!

Ms. Jen Bekman and Associate Director of the JB Gallery, Jeffrey Teuton are in Chicago at NEXT Art Fair. They've brought lots of great work from the gallery's inventory with them -- and guess who's included in the mix? A handful of Hot Shots! Ian Baguskas, Joseph Holmes, Brad Moore, Gregory Krum, Hosang Park, and Carlo Van de Roer are all represented along with HHS panelist Kent Rogowski.

NEXT is a showcase of the best of the art world, right now, offering contemporary work from both commercial and non-commercial arts organizations — galleries, project spaces, art publications and key private contemporary collections from around the world.

If you happen to be in Chicago, visit Jen + Jeffrey:
Thursday, April 30 - Monday, May 4, 2009
The Merchandise Mart
Booth 7-8033

Don't have passes? Drop us an email at info at jenbekman dot com and we'll give you some!

NEXT is just *one* example of the opportunities out there for Hot Shots! Make sure you catch Donald Weber's work today on 20x200 and another Hot Shot in tomorrow's special double edition. We'll have more contenders posts right here asap. Promise! AND, if you have not completed your entry to HHS, time is running out! The deadline is this Friday (two days away! yikes!), May 1st at 8 p.m. EST.

On your marks, get set! The countdown is on! This round of Hey, Hot Shot! competition will close on Friday, May 1st at 8:00 p.m. EST. That's just two weeks and two weekends away, not much time to complete your entry. Jump in and get your work out there today, or tomorrow, but soon! (Psst! The sooner you upload your photos the better chance you have of seeing them on the blog. We'll continue to post about as many contenders as we can until competition closes.)

As a reminder: competition is open to anyone, anywhere in the world. If you are a photographer seeking NYC gallery representation, you are eligible. That's it, that's all. Hey, Hot Shot! strives to provide photographers at all stages of their careers the support, recognition, and exposure they deserve.

Need a refresher on the details? Visit the HHS homepage. Ready to apply? Upload your images.

Have a great weekend!

Things are awfully green, gorgeous, and sunny around here but, no, we're not in Anaheim, we're in San Francisco! The whole 20x200 team, which means the whole Hey, Hot Shot! team is in the Bay Area for the weekend and we're throwing a party on Monday. Join us!

What: 20x200 Collector's Confab
When: Monday, April 6th, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Where: Chronicle Books | 680 Second Street (between Brannan + Townsend)
Why: art + you + us = a very good time

Please let us know you'll be there via email: rsvp at 20x200 dot com or on Facebook.

The party is a follow-up to our NYC Collectors Confab which brought photographers, artists and collectors together for an evening of cocktails and conversation. For our San Francisco sequel, we owe a big thanks to Chronicle Books and their (and our) friends at 7x7 Magazine for helping us pull the party together.

In case you can't join us (if you can, you should!) Chronicle is offering a lovely consolation prize: 30% off + free shipping when you enter the code 20x200 at www.chroniclebooks.com (Even if you come to the party, you can book browse and buy when you get home, the code is valid through the end of the month!)

Hope to see you soon!

Nymphoto: Conversations Volume I will open at Sasha Wolf Gallery on May 6th, 2009, from 6-8:00 p.m. and be on view until May 20th.

The show features work by Michele Abeles, Juliana Beasley (Fall 2006 Hot Shot), Rona Chang, Michal Chelbin, Nina Buesing Corvallo, Candace Gottschalk, Jessica M. Kaufman, Klea McKenna, Talia Greene, Maria Passarotti, Susana Raab, Emily Shur, Tema Stauffer (one of Jen Bekman Gallery's first exhibiting artists), Jane Tam (former HHS blogger and JB intern), Garie Waltzer & Jennifer Williams. The show accompanies the release of Nymphotos' first publication by the same name Nymphoto: Conversations Volume I.

COMING SOONER! Nymphoto's very first Call for Entries Deadline: April 3rd. From the entries, Nymphoto will cull and curate Nymphoto Presents @ Sasha Wolf Gallery, opening two weeks after Conversations. Upload 2-5 images to have your work considered for this exhibition. One note: as Nymphoto is a collection of women photographers, you must be female to participate. Sorry guys!

I am looking forward to seeing this exhibition, Brought to Light: Photography and the Invisible, 1840-1900, at SFMOMA, in a few short weeks. Hopefully it will satiate my desire for salt, albumen, cyanotype, and silver gelatin prints until I can totally indulge/immerse myself in Richard Benson's The Printed Picture, which is hopefully enroute to my mailbox. Aside from offering some gorgeous examples of traditional printing methods, the show at SFMOMA, according to this interview with SFMOMA associate curator of photography Corey Keller, promises to agitate the old adage, "seeing is believing." Also agitating, in a good way, I think: SMOMA's interests in vernacular photography, and in particular, photography that isn't from the 20th century. Read the interview!

If you're in SF or also happen to be headed that way, hopefully you'll be around on Monday, April 6th. Ms. Jen Bekman and members from team 20x200 (myself included) will be hosting 20x200 collectors, some Cali-based 20x200 artists (maybe even a Hot Shot or two), and you, with our friends at Chronicle Books.

We hope it'll be as fun as the Collector's Confab we last hosted in NYC.

So see you, Monday, April 6th, from 6-8 p.m. at Chronicle Books, 680 Second Street, San Francisco. More details soon!

All week, Zoom-In online has been releasing new Viewfinders Challenge Photojournalism episodes. The short videos provide insightful interviews with photojournalists who covered the 2008 Presidential campaign trail, including Gerald Holubowicz, Jennifer Altman, Katie Orlinsky, Yana Paskova, and Keith Bedford.

While it's informative and interesting to hear and see what these professionals think and how they work, Zoom-In online also wants to hear from you. Starting next week, they'll publish one viewer submitted photo per day, relating to this month's theme — photojournalism.

Zoom-In is now accepting submissions that show how the current political and economic climate are affecting you and your community.

Jen Bekman Projects, Inc. is now accepting entries for Hey, Hot Shot! 2009.

What is Hey, Hot Shot!?
Hey, Hot Shot! offers unrivaled opportunities for emerging photographers to have their work promoted online, reviewed by top-notch panelists and exhibited in our New York gallery. Now entering its fifth year, the international competition has been lauded by curators, critics, educators and journalists.

We are also pleased to announce that photographer and former Creative Director of Colors magazine, Stefan Ruiz, has joined ranks with our seasoned panelists, Jen Bekman, Christine Collins, Dana Faconti, Caterina Fake, Stephen Frailey, Raul Gutierrez, Darius Himes, Jenni Holder, Julia Leach, Nion McEvoy, Lesley A. Martin and Kent Rogowski.

Stefan is just one of many exceptional additions + surprises we have in store. As Hey, Hot Shot! is becoming, increasingly, well, competitive, we're working hard to ensure that it continues to bring photographers — at all stages of their careers — the exposure, recognition, and support they deserve. Stay tuned for more details!

five hot shots x NYC exhibition + (20x200) = incomparable exposure
Our panel will select five Hot Shots to exhibit their work in a two-week show @ Jen Bekman Gallery. In conjunction with the exhibition, 20x200 editions of each photographer's work are released online.

cold hard cash
Each winning photographer will be awarded a $500 honorarium.

ultras go solo
One photographer of the five Hot Shots will be selected selected as an Ultra. Each Ultra is represented by Jen Bekman Gallery and slated for a solo exhibition.

in it to win it
As always, we'll select contenders to feature daily on the Hey, Hot Shot! blog throughout the entry period. Contenders and honorable mentions will also be considered for 20x200, Jen Bekman Projects' online endeavor which offers limited edition prints at affordable prices.

So what are you waiting for? Get your work out there: Apply Now!

Not quite ready to apply? Join our mailing list to keep up to date.

We only accept submissions online, via this website.

The deadline for entries is Friday, May 1st, 2009 @ 8pm (EDT).

Hot Shots will be announced on Thursday, May 28th, 2009.

There is a $60 handling fee for your entry.
Submissions are open to everyone, from anywhere in the world!
The competition is open.

Questions?

Check out our informative and frequently updated FAQ, follow us on Twitter, or find us on Facebook.

Interested in seeing work from previous winners?

Check out the Hot Shot Index for all our previous winners, visit the Hey, Hot Shot! blog or look at the photo sets on Flickr.

Ready to go? Apply Now!

A friendly reminder from Jen Bekman Projects HQ that you can hear about the latest new editions from 20x200, all about Hey, Hot Shot! (and what past and current Hot Shots are up to), and about new exhibits & ongoings at Jen Bekman Gallery by following us on twitter.

Where to find us on twitter:
Hey, Hot Shot!
20x200
Jen Bekman Gallery

We always love hearing from you, whether it is here, at the 20x200 blog, Jen Bekman Gallery blog, on facebook, or via our twitter accounts!

Jen and Jeffrey will be manning the Jen Bekman Gallery booth at the PULSE New York Art Fair today, March 5th, through this Sunday, March 8th, 2009. Photographer Beth Dow's series Fieldwork will be featured alongside work by Ian Baguskas, Mara Bodis-Wollner, Christian Chaize, Gregory Krum, Holly Lynton, Carrie Marill, Brad Moore, Hosang Park, Jason Polan, Kent Rogowski, and Carlo Van de Roer. Stop by Booth I-12; we hope you'll say hello!

Booth I - 12
PULSE New York
Pier 40
353 West Street @ West Houston

Sad but true: I won't be attending the Palm Springs Photo Festival, what wise and witty Mary Virginia Swanson describes as, "our 'Arles' -- Arles, California style!"
Will you?
If you're doomed to remain snowbound, you at least have the opportunity to send your photographs to sunny Cali; the deadline for the Palm Springs Photo Festival Slideshow has been extended to Monday, March 9th. There is no entry fee, this is a free (!) opportunity to get your work in front of dozens of influential photography professionals, including HHS panelist Darius Himes from Radius Books (present pretty much everywhere these days) and Michelle Dunn Marsh from Chronicle Books, and artists Debbie Fleming Caffery, Todd Hido, Larry Fink, and Greg Gorman.
MVS says:

One of my favorite parts of the PSPF is the wonderful "evening slide shows" that show work from four finalists on the big screen at the Palm Springs Art Museum Theater prior to the evening's presentations. Last year, the bodies of work we were introduced to each evening was outstanding, and highly anticipated - no one is late for the start of the slide show, writing down website and looking on line later to see the work again and again.

Art Fair! opens at Michael Mazzeo Gallery tomorrow, March 4th, with a reception for the artists from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. The gallery is at 526 West 26th Street.

Featured artists include:
Juliana Beasley
Alison Carey
F&D Cartier
Caleb Charland
John Chervinsky
Rachael Dunville
Lucas Foglia
Jefferson Hayman
Yong Hee Kim
Sebastian Lemm
Chris McCaw
Leah Oates
Cara Phillips
Josh Quigley
Christopher Rauschenberg
Robin Schwartz
Will Steacy
Lacey Terrell
Terry Towery

Join lovely and talented Hot Shots, Juliana Beasley, Rachael Dunville, and Cara Phillips and the rest of their cohorts for a celebration of contemporary photography from "a spectrum of accomplished, mid-career artists and rising young talent."

Summer 2007 Hot Shot Shuli Hallak will be showing her stunning series, Cargo, at Franklin Art Works in Minneapolis. The work was shown last spring at Moti Hasson Gallery in New York.

Hallak spent several years photographing at the New York Container Terminal on Staten Island and sailed aboard the M.V. Charles Island on a two-week voyage from New York City to Ecuador, traversing through the Panama Canal. The resulting photographs from this voyage - several of which are featured in the exhibition - reveal an industry that operates largely out of the public eye.

Miss Hallak will be in MN for for the opening, tonight, Friday, February 27, 2009 from 6 to 8pm. The exhibition will be on view until April 11, 2009. Minneagraphers, don't miss out!

The series Cargo can be seen on Shuli's website.
Work from her more recent series, Farms, is available at 20x200.com: Hay Harvest, New Jersey and Cotton Field, Mississippi

It's a little overdue but I'm excited to introduce you all to Youngna Park. Youngna began posting here, quite conspicuously, last week but she's not new to Hey, Hot Shot! Youngna earned her bragging rights way back in the spring of 2005 in the second round of competition, becoming one of the first twenty Hot Shots.

She's familiar with Jen Bekman Projects, having participated in each and every one of them at some point along the way. After being a Hot Shot, she gained Ne Plus Ultra status and representation from Jen Bekman Gallery. When 20x200 came into being, she was one of the first artists featured there as well. She likes food and photography and also maintains her own blog. We're happy she's here and hope you will be too!

Spring 2006 Hot Shot Ian Baguskas will be showing work from his series, Sansaram, (Mountain People) at the Camera Club of New York as part of the exhibition In Search of the Miraculous. Ian was a runner-up for the Aperture Foundation Portfolio Prize in 2007 for this body of work. The series

depict[s] the intersection of recreation and spiritual communion with nature... [and] combines landscape views with documentary portraits of native visitors to the Sobaek mountains, encountered on hiking trails. The popularity of this activity can be attributed to the indigenous religion, which is centered on the worship of nature and mountain spirits, and has come to be fused with Buddhism.

The opening is tomorrow, Saturday, February 21st, from 5-8 p.m. at the Camera Club of New York.

Ian's NYC solo debut was the exhibition Sweetwater, at Jen Bekman Gallery, in March of 2008.
You can also find his work, Kamping Kabins, on 20x200.

I hope all's well out there but if your day is resembling this photo by 20x200 artist Rebecca Loyche, you should certainly join us for happy hour at White Rabbit tonight.

20x200 Collectors Confab @ White Rabbit
Tuesday, February 10th | 6pm - 9pm
145 East Houston Street
(between Forsyth + Eldridge Streets)

Happy Friday y'all. If your weekend is reserved for working to get your work out there and applying for grants - I bet at least part of it is, (hopefully Darius' encouraging words were/are a good motivator) - I have good news! Kara's filled you in on the Emerging Photographer Fund (thank you Kara!) and I have two more upcoming opportunities:

1) LMCC's Workspace Residency Program's Open Call for Applications

Workspace is a studio residency program for emerging visual artists and writers focused on the creative process. Residents receive free studio space in Lower Manhattan for nine months, a modest one-time stipend (depending on funding), access to a community of peers, professional development in the form of weekly group and individual meetings with arts and literary professionals called Salon Evenings, and exposure to new audiences through presence on LMCC's website and public programs like the final Open Studio Weekend.

Workspace is open to emerging professional visual artists and writers working in a range of disciplines and genres.

Applications due April 9, 2009. Apply here.

2) Rhizome Commissions 2010

Rhizome awards grants to emerging artists for creation of new media art. By new media art, we mean projects that creatively engage new and networked technologies to works that reflect on the impact of these tools and media in a variety of forms. Commissioned works can take the final form of online works, performance, video, installation or sound art. Projects can be made for the context of the gallery, the public, the web or networked devices. Rhizome Commissions awards generally range from $1,000 to $5,000.

Applications due April 2, 2009. Apply here.

In the next couple days we'll also be making an announcement about the opportunities we offer photographers right here ...

More people, more parties! We just wrapped up the Hey, Hot Shot! opening at the gallery on Friday. Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate!
And now, we're gearing up for another get-together. Hope that you'll join us + Ms. Bekman a week from today at White Rabbit. See details below and see you soon!

Who: NYC Collectors & Team 20x200
What: Collectors Confab
When: Tuesday, February 10, 2009, from 6-9 p.m.
Where: White Rabbit @ 145 E. Houston (between Chrystie and Allen)
Why: We love you as much as we love art! Join us for a drink and meet other collectors in NYC.

Please rsvp by emailing rsvp@20x200.com or find us on Facebook.
*Cash bar. Stay tuned for more details on drink specials.*

(We love White Rabbit!)

Join the Brooklyn Museum during the month of February for Wikipedia Loves Art!

Who: Brooklyn Museum + cultural institutions across the country (find the one nearest you!)

What: A scavenger hunt and free content photography contest

When: The entire month of February 2009

Where: New York, Pittsburgh, Houston, Indianapolis, Honolulu, Chattanooga, Los Angeles, Cincinnati & London

Why: Create content to illustrate Wikipedia articles! Win *prizes*!

Click on a link below for rules, details, and prizes for your location:

Brooklyn Museum
Carnegie Museum of Art
The Film Society of Lincoln Center
Honolulu Academy of Arts
Houston Museum of Natural Science
The Hunter Museum of American Art
Indianapolis Museum of Art
The Jewish Museum
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Museum of Modern Art
New-York Historical Society
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Taft Museum of Art
V&A

Events will be coordinated at each location throughout the month. You can register as a team, or fly solo; sign up here. After registration, point, shoot (no tripods!), identify and upload!

Hi there and happy Monday! It you're already looking forward to the weekend, I have just the right thing to kick it all off:

Hey, Hot Shot! (volume iv, edition ii) Showcase Opening
Friday, January 30th, from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at Jen Bekman Gallery
6 Spring Street (between Elizabeth and the Bowery), NYC

Thirteen works from our newest Hot Shots will be on view until Saturday, February 14th:
Yijun (Pixy) Liao
John Mann
Cara Phillips
Hosang Park
Donald Weber

Regular gallery hours are Wednesday - Saturday, from noon to 6:00 p.m. or by private appointment.

See you there!

Earlier this week, Kara gave you the run-down on AI-AP's American Photography 25 contest. A month ago, she gave you ample warning about Center's upcoming deadline. And yes, I realize, you may have been stressed and fretting because all calls had the very. same. deadline. tomorrow. January 23rd. And stress makes you procrastinate, of course... Never fear, I have news for you.

The good:
AI-AP's deadline has been extended to January 30th.

The bad (and/or possibly ugly, if you're like me and still editing your portfolio):
Center's deadline is fast and firm. TOMORROW. JANUARY 23rd.

If you haven't yet, get your work together for three incredible opportunities: The Singular Image Competition, The Project Competition, and Review Santa Fe. As if the fame, glory, and cash already associated with winning the Singular Image Prize or the Project Competition, and/or participating in the Review wasn't enough, this year, selected participants will also have the opportunity to be featured on 20x200. 20x200 is a sponsor for this year's competitions and as a result of this partnership, Jen Bekman will select one image from the Project Competition winner's portfolio and one image from the entire pool of winners to create an edition for 20x200. The clock is ticking on these opportunities (TICK, TICK, TICK) apply now!

Wondering what you're up against? Smart, talented and motivated young artists tend to get themselves out there, and I mean, out there, all over the place, kind of like our friend Jen Bekman. See what Jen's been jurying (not mention who she's jurying with) and scope out your competitors (aka the tba winners) here: Center for Photography's Photography Now, here: PDNEdu's Student Photo Contest 2009, and your last and final reminder (maybe), make sure you're in the running here: American Photography 25.

A handful of Hot Shots will have work in X Marks the Art, an exhibition of 20x200 limited-edition prints and originals by 20x200 artists opening at Jen Bekman Gallery, tomorrow, Saturday, December 20th, 2008 from 6-8:00 p.m.

Praised among New York Magazine's Best of New York, 20x200 is curated by Jen Bekman and offers limited edition prints (and sometimes original works), from emerging and established artists, exclusively online. Enormously popular among collectors emerging and established, curators, critics, and artists alike, many 20x200 editions sell out within minutes of their release. For the first, and possibly the last time ever, 20x200 prints will be at the gallery, on view and for sale, alongside original drawings and paintings by a selection of our diverse artists.

Featured Hot Shots include: Scott Eiden, Gregory Krum, and Kelly Shimoda. Hot Shot panelist Kent Rogowski will also have work from his, um, lovely series, Love=Love. Kent's editions from Love=Love were among the fastest selling on 20x200. Untitled #9 is completely sold out and Untitled #5 is nearly disappeared as well.

The show rounds out with the following 20x200 artists:
Ky Anderson
William Crump
Kevin Cyr
Beth Dow
Don Hamerman
William Lamson
Carrie Marill
Christina Muraczewski
Amy Park
Jennifer Sanchez
Aili Schmeltz
Luke Stephenson
Todd St. John
Bert Teunissen

X Marks the Art will be on view Saturday, December 20 through Saturday, January 24, 2009 at Jen Bekman Gallery, located at 6 Spring Street, New York, NY.

Hours: Wednesday-Saturday, noon - 6 p.m. or by private appointment
For additional information and images, email press@jenbekman.com or phone 212.219.0166

We are thrilled to announce the five photographers selected for Hey, Hot Shot! (volume iv, edition ii). Each of these photographers will be awarded a $500 honorarium and will exhibit work as part of the Hey, Hot Shot! (volume iv, edition ii) Showcase:

Yijun Liao
John Mann
Cara Phillips
Hosang Park
Donald Weber

Please join us for the opening reception of the Hey, Hot Shot! (volume iv, edition ii) Showcase on Friday, January 30th, 2009, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Jen Bekman Gallery @ 6 Spring Street, NYC. Work will be on view until Saturday, February 14th, 2009.

We owe a huge thanks to our hard-working, superstar panelists -- Jen Bekman, Christine Collins, Dana Faconti, Caterina Fake, Stephen Frailey, Raul Gutierrez, Darius Himes, Jenni Holder. Julia Leach, Nion McEvoy, Lesley A. Martin, and Kent Rogowski -- and, of course, to all of the Hey, Hot Shot! entrants. It was a pleasure to see so much great work!

Because so many of you are making outstanding work, it was incredibly difficult to select just five photographers from the contenders. We'd like to recognize several artists with well-deserved Honorable Mentions:

Jowhara AlSaud
Meredith Andrews
Luke Cassady-Dorion
Brent Clark
Davin Ellicson
Terri L Fullerton
Christopher Handran
Monika Holzner
Colin Kopp
Chris Mottalini
Dalia Nassimi
James Rajotte
James W Reiman
Tomoyuki Sakaguchi
Zack Seckler
Rebecca Sittler
Lex Thompson
Jens M Windolf

This season's Hot Shots will join the first round of 2008's Hot Shots, Juliane Eirich, Derek Henderson, Kate Orne, Roc Herms Pont, and Colleen Plumb in contention to be one of two Ne Plus Ultras. The Ultras are represented by Jen Bekman Gallery, and will work with Jen and Jeffrey Teuton, the gallery's associate director, to plan solo exhibitions.

Stay tuned to the Hey, Hot Shot! blog and sign up for our mailing list to stay up to date on all the Hot Shots, contenders, exhibitions, and future competitions.

Very soon! I promise. We're running a little behind schedule, as all of you who have been waiting since 1:00 p.m. EST know, but we have some Hot Shots and we're going to tell you about them really, really soon! Just hold on, I'll keep you posted!

Hey, Hot Shot! contenders, I couldn't wait two more hours to remind you (again) that you only have 24 hours to start and/or complete your entry. So now you get a head's up and 26 hours instead of 24 to enter. I'm good to you, huh.

What are you waiting for? Apply.

The deadline is TOMORROW, Tuesday, November 11th at 8:00 p.m. EST.

Are you planning to head to SXSW? Are you not going but simply super interested in all the awesome talk that will go on there? Then vote, now, for Jen Bekman's SXSW panel proposal:

Curating the Crowd-Sourced World Level: Beginner Type: Panel Category: Content Presenter: Jen Bekman, 20x200 | Jen Bekman Projects, Inc. Description: With all the stuff we weed through online, good filters are crucial. Who's best-suited to determine what's best - curators or the crowd? People have their religion about one or the other, however this panel will focus on the overlap, the grey areas and how curating and crowd-sourcing enrich each other.

With the curatorially-mediated online phenom of 20x200, Jen's a pretty good fit to head up this panel which is sure to be filled with other talents -- who can speak as both curators and "crowd" -- that she'll announce in the coming weeks.

Opening Tomorrow: Hey, Hot Shot! (volume IV, edition I)

Friday, August 8, 2008

Hey, Hot Shot! (volume IV, edition I) | five photographers to watch

Our first Hey, Hot Shot! showcase for 2008 opens tomorrow (Friday) at Jen Bekman Gallery on Friday August 8th.

The exhibition features photographs from:

Juliane Eirich | Derek Henderson | Kate Orne | Roc Herms Pont | Colleen Plumb

Please join us for the opening reception.

Opening Reception: Friday August 8th | 6pm-8pm
On view through Saturday, August 23rd.

Jen Bekman Gallery
6 Spring Street
(between Elizabeth + Bowery)
New York City 10012

We are excited to announce the five photographers selected for the first edition of Hey, Hot Shot! 2008:

Juliane Eirich
Derek Henderson
Roc Herms Pont
Kate Orne
Colleen Plumb

Please join us for the opening reception for their exhibition on Friday, August 8. The show will be on view at Jen Bekman Gallery (6 Spring Street) through August 23.

We are enormously grateful to our fabulous and hard-working panelists -- Michael Bierut, Jen Bekman, Christine Collins, Dana Faconti, Caterina Fake, Stephen Frailey, Raul Gutierrez, Darius Himes, Jenni Holder, Julia Leach, Nion McEvoy, Lesley A. Martin, and Kent Rogowski -- and to all of the Hey, Hot Shot! entrants.

With so many of you making standout work, it was hard to narrow down the selection to just five talented photographers. The competition was tough, so we'd like to recognize several artists with well-deserved Honorable Mentions:

Ben Alper, Zack Bent, Kotama Bouabane, Aurelien Chhauvaud, Richard Colburn, Ingvar Kenne, Virgílio Ferreira, Pao Her, Martina Geccelli, Erik Hagen, Nicole Hatanaka, Myriam Lutz, Alia Malley, Stefanie Pluta, Travis Roozee, Andy Sewell, Yisook Sohn, Debora Mittelstaedt, Corinne Vionnet, Sarah Wilmer, and Geordie Wood .

Keep reading the Hey, Hot Shot! blog for more info about the competition, the winners, the panelists, and tips for future entries.

Colleen Plumb
Currently residing in Chicago, Illinois

Website: www.colleenplumb.com

Work statement
My photographs examine the increasing disconnection that exists between humans and the natural world. My work explores simulation, consumption, destruction, and reconstruction. It addresses the essence of our connection, as well as our fragmentation from the natural. The series looks at points of intersection with wild in the human-made world -- our coexistence -- and explores notions of endurance and the reality of loss.

For over ten years my work has examined how and where the natural world -- in real or artificial form -- appears in an urban environment. Growing up in Chicago gave me an urban childhood: running through gangways and exploring alleys with my friends. Something more and more kids today don't experience. Early on, seeds for my interest in nature were planted through lots of outside play, camping trips, and odd pets (our duck named Sir Francis Drake, for example). I am sure these beginnings influence and inspire my work.

I began this project looking at 'fake nature', wondering what substitutions for nature can satisfy in people. Looking deeper I began photographing live/real animals and how they can be a link for us to a world far from the reality and pace of contemporary life, as well as provide an intangible link to a deeper world of instinct and rawness. With this series I hope to incite contemplation about the lives of animals and and generate a dialog about resource usage.

Bio
Born in 1970, Colleen Plumb grew up on the north side of Chicago and went to school at the University of Illinois in Urbana; graduating in 1992 with a BFA from Northern Illinois University in Visual Communication. In 1999 Plumb received an MFA in photography from Columbia College Chicago where she is currently an adjunct faculty member. Before earning her MFA, Plumb had a job at a design firm and one day, while driving home, she saw some amazing light on the side of a brick building in Chicago and decided to follow her heart and start making pictures. Plumb lives in Chicago with her husband and two daughters and, of course, Jack the dog, and exhibits her photographs nationally.

Porsche by HHS! winner Juliane Eirich

Juliane Eirich
Currently residing in Munich, Germany and Seoul, South Korea

Website: www.julianeeirich.com

Work Statement
When I was 14 my father gave me his old video camera. I made dozens of films with friends, mostly shooting at an abandoned airport in my hometown. It was a great time and I think that's where my love for places evolves from. It might sound trivial, but when this camera broke I switched to photography.

The main subjects of my work are physical places. I am interested in the relation between man-made environment and nature. This relation can be of very different types within the topics I choose: harmonic, complex, funny, surprising, or shy.

Most of my work is photographed at night. Night photography is slow and calm, but at the same time the very precise process that suits me and my way of working. I like the way I can focus at night, since there is less distraction -- both visually and acoustically -- than during the day. The artificial, rendering-like aesthetic, the light and color atmosphere that can be found during night, appeals to me and matches my understanding of beauty.

The series "Snow Night" is a personal project that emerged from the half happy, half sentimental feeling of being home after a long stay abroad. While away I missed my homeland. I was looking forward to re-exploring it, since before I left I never realized how much I actually appreciated it.

Through photography I feel I have the "license to be curious." There is always a reason to wander around and look for new places and topics. This curiosity is what inspires me and makes me enthusiastic about photography.

Bio
I was born in Munich, Germany in 1979. After finishing high school in 1999 I got an offer to do an internship at a fashion photographer in Miami. At the end of the internship I knew I didn't want to be a fashion photographer but I was sure I wanted to become a photographer. I successfully applied at the Academy of Photographic Design in Munich and graduated in 2003.

Like many young photographers I went to New York City right after graduation to work and pursue my own projects. Also, like many young photographers, I did not have an easy time there and after about one year I decided to leave New York, since I felt I was not moving forward.

I started working at a vacation rental in Hawaii. I was working during the day and taking photographs at night. Later on, I received a scholarship to show my work at the reviews of Fotofest 2006 in Houston.

Since then, my work has been exhibited in the USA, Canada, Syria, Italy, Switzerland, and Germany, and was featured in publications such as The New York Times Magazine, Stern Magazine, and European Photography. My work has been awarded in several competitions like the Flash Forward 2007 & 2008 and the Voiglaender New Talent Award 2007.

In 2007, I received a scholarship of the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) to live and work in Seoul, South Korea for one year. This is where I am now, working on a project about a German village in South Korea.

Le Hermitage Painting by HHS! winner Roc Herms Pont

Roc Herms Pont
Currently residing in Barcelona, Spain

Work Statement
Close to photojournalism, with a strong graphic design background, I started using photography to capture and remember what I found interesting though my eyes. People, places, details ... I use photography to share my view of the world, to express myself.

Bio
Roc Herms Pont sounds German, but it is Catalan. 3 monosyllables and three vowels is all he need for presentation.

Born of the hands of the Spanish constitution (1978), he later discover the world of photography, when this became, thanks to digital cameras, the most mainstream form of artistic expression. He left his job as an art director at an advertising agency and embarked on advertising photography, personal projects, and something close to photojournalism.

He currently works as a freelancer within the world of design, advertising photography, and photojournalism.

Reids Farm by HHS! winner Derek Henderson

Derek Henderson
Currently residing in Auckland, New Zealand

Website: www.derekhenderson.net

Work Statement
My photography is about what people don't see even when it's right in front of them. Making the mundane sublime. Having empathy with others and the environment. I am fascinated by thepursuit of happiness and how people live their lives. I believe happiness in life is about balance, moderation, and living in harmony with the environment.

Bio
I was born in a rural town called Napier, in New Zealand. Where I'm from you couldn't really study photography at the time. So I became an assistant for an advertising photographer in Auckland, New Zealand. I then worked in London for magazines like ID, Arena Homme Plus, The Observer Magazine, Exit, and a few more. I wanted to work on more personal projects so I moved back to New Zealand and I'm currently working on my second book which will be published by www.michaellett.comm in November.

Sex Worker Entwined With Client by HHS! winner Kate Orne

Kate Orne
Currently residing in New York, New York

Website: www.kateorne.com

Work Statement
Since '00 I have worked among the neediest people in Afghanistan and Pakistan and using photography as a tool to fight against indentured slavery and for the wellbeing of women, children, and animals. My commitment to social causes has become the defining part of my life as an artist. I have worked on several essays in South East Asia where the poor are sentenced to lives of disease and want. Throughout, I have been documenting their struggles in photos -- using art as a connection to wider awareness in the outside world.

Since '05 I have worked among the sex-workers and their families in Pakistan -- being the first photographer to document this shunned community. This body of work examines the uneasy peace between Islamic fundamentalism and profanity in the brothels. Repressive fundamentalist Muslim laws not only shun these women's existence but in some areas make their actions punishable by death. However, in their brothels the women are the breadwinners. This underlying dualism surfaces in portraits of the women sitting proudly on the same beds where they not only service their customers but share with their husbands and children.

I use this project to raise awareness about this little known community, and to raise funds for the two little schools, the first ones ever to offer education to the children of the sex-workers with the mission to break the cycle of children being born into prostitution, sex abuse, drug addiction and crime. There are currently 80 students enrolled.

Bio
Born in Stockholm, Sweden. Based in New York City.

'99 - present
Artist focused largely on women and children issues in developing countries.

'94 - present
Commercial photographer focused on portraiture and fashion.

'02 - Present Established myfarawayfamily.com, an organization providing Afghan refugee children with education and their widowed mothers with micro loans and guidance to start their own businesses. Provided food distributions in Kabul and Peshawar among refugees.

'92 -'94 Editor at Interview magazine.

'88-'91 Producer of still shoots for art and commercial photography.

Publications
The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Esquire, Interview, Artnet.com, Arena, Vibe, Spin, Marie Claire, Dansk, Harpers Bazaar, Glamour, Tokion, +81, Dune among others.

Exhibitions / Selected Awards
2008
Show&Sell Chelsea Art Museum NYC
Sideluck Potshow.
Selected participant, Review Santa Fe.
American Photography 24 Best Photography of 2007

2007
Act of Faith Nordlicht Photofestival, Netherlands 2007. Curated by Wim Melis
Up& Now! Photographic Center Northwest Judged by Charlotte Cotton, curator of LACM
Spectra '07 Silvermine Guild Arts Center Curated by Peter McGill, Pace/McGill Gallery NY

Brandon Herman's cover photograph for Kaiserin Magazine

Summer '06 Hey Hot Shot winner Brandon Herman has two photographs in the current issue of Kaiserin (including the cover!), a bi-annual art magazine that features emerging artists. Herman also has an edition available on 20x200.

Carrie Marill, A Dream World Glimmers In The Background Of The Soul (Detail)

Fall '07 Hot Shot Todd Forsgren has six photographs in the latest Jen Bekman show, Ornithology. The group show, which features a stellar array of artists working in various media, opens tonight, from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at the gallery, at 6 Spring Street.

Ornithology features bird-themed works by Echo Eggebrecht, Todd Forsgren, Laura Levine, Carrie Marill, Christina Muraczewski, Victoria Neel, Lamar Peterson, Jason Polan, Alec Soth, Amy Stein, Keith Taylor, Bert Teunissen, and Luke Stephenson. Many of these artists will debut exclusive editions on 20x200 during the course of the exhibition.

In the spirit of summer, Ornithology takes its cues from the great outdoors. With their brightly colored plumage, sweet songs, and uncanny ability to fly, birds have captivated humans for centuries, making ornithologists out of even the most casual of observers. From Aristotle to Audubon, Darwin to the binocular-clad of Central Park, our feathered friends have proven to be a source of abundant inspiration.

Of his work, Todd writes:

Ornithologists now use mist nets instead of shotguns. These nearly invisible nets are set up like fences and function as huge spider webs, catching unsuspecting birds. The researcher carefully extracts the bird from the net. Each bird is measured, aged, sexed, and banded with an individually numbered anklet. Then the bird is released.

I photographed these birds while they are caught in mist nets, moments before the ornithologist extracts them. Here, the birds inhabit a fascinating space between our framework of the bush and the hand. It is a fragile and embarrassing moment before they disappear back into the woods, and into data.

9717 by HHS entrant Liz Danahey-Fish

Hey, Hot Shot! contender Liz Danahey-Fish makes photographs of items she's purchased at thrift stores around Los Angeles. She writes, "This is a catalog of last chances — someone saved this stuff when they donated it, someone saved it when they priced it, and I saved it yet again when I bought it."

What she neglects to mention is that she really saves the stuff when she photographs it. She's documenting detritus. She's saving stuff in a way that's a lot more permanent than simply purchasing it for pennies and putting it on a tchotchke shelf.

Her approach is direct and interesting. I'd rather look at her shots than through the Goodwill bins, for sure.

*REMINDER* Go get your entry ready! Submit it! There is still time. Not much, though! All entries for the current round of Hey, Hot Shot! are due tomorrow, Tuesday, June 17, at 8:00 p.m.*

Okay, so you like what you see here, and you've done some further investigating at the 20x200 and Jen Bekman sites. Hopefully you've visited the gallery and other galleries too. Now it is time to start shopping.

Join Jen Bekman, Michelle Dunn Marsh, and Amy Stein, and moderator Michael Foley for In Focus: Collecting Photography, a panel discussion, tonight, Thursday, June 12, at 7:00 p.m. at The Affordable Art Fair (135 W 18th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues).

The Affordable Art Fair is, "the place for new and established collectors to discover and buy paintings, drawings, sculptures, video, photography and limited edition prints from distinguished galleries, all priced from $100 - $10,000. This year the Fair will host more than 70 galleries from the US, Europe, Asia, Canada, and South America."

Time is almost up.

Have you entered this round of Hey, Hot Shot!? If not, then you need to do it soon. Do it now. Send us your photos and your completed application at once, for the chance to be selected and honored in the Hey, Hot Shot! competition.

Unlike previous years, we WILL NOT be extending the deadline. Not even by a day or an hour or a minute! All submissions are due TUESDAY, JUNE 17, at 8:00 P.M.

Tonight, the Griffin Museum of Photography will present Jen Bekman with its Rising Star Award at its 3rd Annual Focus Awards its annual Focus Awards. The Griffin Museum of Photography recognizes the work of people who are not photographers, but who have been instrumental in increasing awareness of the photographic arts among the general public.

Awards are presented in three categories: Lifetime Achievement, given to an individual whose ongoing commitment to photography has far-reaching impact; Rising Star, awarded to an emerging force the photographic community is watching with interest; New England Beacon, recognizing an individual whose work brings prominence to the local photographic scene; and the Spotlight Award, given to an entity that consistently shines a light on photography and enhances the art form. Ms. Bekman is this year's Rising Star.

The museum says,

"An innovative gallery owner, Bekman has used her knowledge of the Web to change gallery culture. After years of managing Web development teams at Netscape and Disney, she used her Internet skills and interest in photography to create a vehicle for connecting emerging photographers with potential buyers on the Web. She writes a blog, Personism, and is founder of the international photo competition, Hey, Hot Shot! Her latest endeavor is 20 x 200, a place to buy editioned prints and photos at affordable prices. She has been featured in many publications and was named Innovator of the Year by American Photo."

We're so proud of Ms. Bekman. Visit the museum for more info.

It's time! We are now accepting entries for 2008's first edition of Hey, Hot Shot! We're all super excited about the great changes in store for applicants and winners. And, remember, all applicants are also potential contenders for features on this very blog.

Hey, Hot Shot! offers unrivaled opportunities for emerging photographers to have their work promoted online, reviewed by top-notch panelists and exhibited in our New York gallery. Now entering its fourth year, the international competition has been lauded by curators, critics, educators and journalists. This year we'll sharpen our focus on fewer hot shots, giving them even more exposure. Read on for the details.

Fewer hot shots + longer exhibitions = more exposure
The competition will now be bi-annual. In each competition 5 photographers will be selected to be part of a two-week showcase at Jen Bekman Gallery.

Cold hard cash
All winning photographers will be awarded a $500 honorarium.

Ultras go solo
At year's end 2 Ultras will be selected from 2008's 10 Hot Shots. The Ultras will be represented by Jen Bekman and slated for solo exhibitions at the gallery.

In it to win it
As always, we'll be selecting contenders to feature daily on the Hey, Hot Shot! blog throughout the entry period. Contenders will also be considered for 20x200, Jen Bekman's newest online endeavor which offers limited edition prints at affordable prices.

So what are you waiting for? Get your work out there: apply now!

We are only accepting submissions online, via this web site.
The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, June 17th @ 8pm(EDT).
Winners will be announced on Wednesday, July 9th @ 1pm (EDT).
There is a $60 handling fee for your entry.
Submissions are open to everyone (from anywhere in the world!).
The competition is open: APPLY NOW!

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.

Sold out 20x200 edition Untitled (Astoria Park, Queens, New York), by Carlo Van de Roer

"It's a gateway drug for art."

Today's Houston Chronicle writes on all things Jen Bekman — specifically 20x200, Hey, Hot Shot! and the gallery — in "On the Internet, it's real art for $20."

Sold out 20x200 edition Untitled (Astoria Park, Queens, New York), by Carlo Van de Roer

"It's a gateway drug for art."

Today's Houston Chronicle writes on all things Jen Bekman — specifically 20x200, Hey, Hot Shot! and the gallery — in "On the Internet, it's real art for $20."

Untitled #17, from "Stories," by Winter Edition '06 Hot Shot Jessica Bruah, which I wrote about in The Village Voice, back when they paid me to think about art shows in neat little 75-word blurbs.

Hi. I’m Jen Snow. I’ll be blogging here at Hey, Hot Shot! I used to write about art and shoot gallery openings for some newspapers and magazines. My photos and writing have also appeared in/on places such as The New York Times, Artforum's "Scene and Herd," McSweeney's, Rolling Stone, and Gawker's "Team Party Crash." I have a couple of jobs and a few websites and I’m excited to join Jen Bekman just as Hey, Hot Shot! is preparing some great big changes and a fancy new redesign. More on those soon. Please be in touch with comments and tips.

Please join me in congratulating the 2007 Hey, Hot Shot! Ultras:

Nina Berman
Karolina Karlic
Brad Moore
Birthe Piontek

Browse the links below and you'll get an idea of how hard it is to choose just four people from the forty talented photographers who have exhibited in this year's editions of Hey, Hot Shot!:

Fall 2007
Jennifer Boomer * Scott Eiden * Todd Forsgren * Shauna Frischkorn * Georg Parthen * Birthe Piontek * Marie Sauvaitre * Ross Sawyers * Ian van Coller * Carlo Van de Roer

Summer 2007
Dan Boardman * Afshin Dehkordi * Rachael Dunville * Jonathan Gitelson * Shuli Hallak * Beth Herzhaft * Gregory Krum * Kalpesh Lathigra * Ari Salomon * Willamain Somma

Spring 2007
Clint Baclawski * Nina Berman * Michael Julius * Karolina Karlic * Mark Marchesi * Casey Orr * Justin James Reed * Pavel Romaniko * Kelly Shimoda * Daniel Traub

Winter 2007
Holly Andres * Colin Blakely * Jeffrey Krolick * Juho Kuva * Molly Landreth * Brad Moore * Kirby Pilcher * Ben Roberts * Mickey Smith * Ka-Man Tse

Nina, Karolina, Brad and Birthe are now represented by Jen Bekman Gallery and will all participate in the upcoming exhibition Ne Plus Ultra, the Hey, Hot Shot! Annual, which opens on Friday February 8th, 2008.

2007 was a great year for Hey, Hot Shot! We had an amazing array of international talent exhibiting at the gallery, and getting involved in all kinds of other gallery related programs: art fairs, jen@joe and 20x200 among them.

2008 is shaping up to be extra super great. We're making big changes to the competition as it enters it's fourth year: there's a site redesign in the works, there will be some significant (and awesome!) changes to the competition's format and we're cooking up an amazing array of opportunities for Hot Shots past, present and future.

We'll start accepting entries for the Spring edition in a few short weeks, and will be sharing all the juicy details with you then.

For now, be on the lookout for 20x200 editions from the Ultras, and from many of the other talented Hey, Hot Shot! alumni.

Ne Plus Ultra, the Hey, Hot Shot! Annual, opens @ Jen Bekman Gallery on Friday February 8th and will remain on view through Saturday March 15th, 2008.

Image Credit: Ahern Rentals, Westminster, California (2006) by Brad Moore

From the series Sub Rosa by Birthe Piontek

At last! This Fall's Hot Shots have arrived. Someone just got back from Paris Photo mere hours ago and was appropriately exhausted - hence the delay of a few hours before posting the winners. Sometimes you just gotta roll with the punches. Or should I say roll wiz ze panshez. We learned that in Paris.

Without further adieu ado:

Jennifer Boomer
Scott Eiden
Todd Forsgren
Shauna Frischkorn
Georg Parthen
Birthe Piontek
Marie Sauvaitre
Ross Sawyers
Ian van Coller
Carlo Van de Roer

Congratulations! Pencil in the opening for the Fall HHS Showcase on Wednesday, December 12th from 6-8. The showcase will be up until Sunday the 16th - you have four days to check it out!

Extra special thanks to our shining panel stars: Joerg Colberg, Stephen Frailey, Darius Himes, Youngna Park, Kate Bingaman-Burt, Ian Baguskas, Christine Collins, and Joseph Holmes.
It wasn't easy to decide between all you talented hot shots, but here's a list of some very honorable mentions: David Balhuizen, Jason DeMarte, William Hannigan, May Heek, Mickey Kerr, Adam Krause, Mollie Murphy, Nandor Ordog, Toni Pepe, Corine Smith, Damian VanCamp and Jon Wasserman

A big merci to everyone who participated, and congrats again to the winners.

Zanele Ndlovu by Ian van Coller

Ian van Coller
Currently residing in Bozeman, Montana

Website
www.ianvancoller.com

Work Statement

This project focuses on the intersection of post-apartheid black and white identities via photographic portraiture and oral recording of black domestic workers.
There are more than 1.5 million black South Africans, primarily women, who still serve as maids and nannies in white households. Although these domestics and their employers remain separated by an enormous gulf in race, culture, education and poverty that characterizes much of South Africa today, they are often wedded by an intensely intimate, personal, and awkward interdependence. In this project, my intent is to capture some of the complexities that all South Africans face in creating and asserting post-Apartheid identities in the face of dramatic economic and cultural realities.
The women in this portrait series were photographed in the homes where they are employed. They were asked to choose their own dress and posture as a means to express their identity within that environment, and became active participants in the construction of these images.

Bio

Ian van Coller is an artist and photographer who grew up in apartheid era South Africa. After receiving a National Diploma in Photography in 1991 from Technikon Natal in Durban, van Coller moved to Arizona in the southwest of the United States. He spent nine years in Tempe where he completed his BFA degree in Photography (from Arizona State University) and worked for 5 years as a photogravure collaborative printer and partner at Segura Publishing, a small fine art printing company in Tempe (www.segura.com). In 2000 Van Coller moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico where he received his MFA in photography from the University of New Mexico. He currently lives in Bozeman, Montana where he is an Assistant Professor of Photography at Montana State University. Van Coller returns to South Africa every year to work on art and photography projects. His work has been widely exhibited in the United States and South Africa where his work is included in many museum collections including The Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Fogg Museum, The Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art and The South African National Gallery (IZIKO).

Untitled (One) by Ross Sawyers

Ross Sawyers
Currently residing in Seattle, Washington

Website
www.rossawyers.com

Work Statement

The spaces in my photographs are influenced by living in increasingly smaller spaces in closer proximity to others in increasingly dense neighborhoods and housing developments of a city like Seattle. I construct the situations I photograph as a way to challenge my understanding of the buildings and neighborhoods I am referencing. Building, then photographing models allows me to exaggerate and over-state what I observe in my surroundings rather than simply replicating it. The environments depicted in my photographs are close to the actual, but deliberately are not accurate copies of reality.

Recently my intentions have shifted from representing specific received ideas to the exploration of why I am so attracted to these types of environments. As the spaces I create and mediate get further away from the reality I know, I have found it increasingly important to incorporate details familiar to us as humans in living spaces in order to ground the images in a sort of reality while at the same proposing situations outside the expected.

Bio

Born in 1979, Ross Sawyers moved from Iowa to Kansas City Missouri in 1998 to study photography at the Kansas City Art Institute. He received his B.F.A. from KCAI in 2002 and an M.F.A. from the University of Washington, Seattle in 2007. Sawyers was recently chosen by the Art in Loop Foundation in Kansas City to be the inaugural artist for the semi-annual commission ArtWall. Concurrent with the unveiling of ArtWall, he was invited back to the Kansas City Art Institute in November of 2006 as a visiting artist. In March of this year Ross was invited to present his art work at the Society for Photographic Education national conference “Look Out� in Miami Florida where he was also presented with the Crystal Apple Award. Sawyers’ work is part of the Belger Family Foundation Collection in Kansas City, the Joseph and Elaine Monsen Collection and the King County Portable Works Collection, both in Seattle. He was selected for the 2006 CoCA Annual His work was seen in his recent solo show at Platform Gallery in Seattle in July and looks forward to a solo exhibition at Gallery 4Culture in January.

Slab City, USA by Marie Sauvaitre

Marie Sauvaitre
Currently residing in New York, NY

Website
www.mariesauvaitre.com

Work Statement

Reflecting on globalization, mobility and the new roles of borders, ERRANCES - French term for something between exile and wandering - explores and pays homage to nomads’ home through color landscape photographs.

For months I traveled across cultures and continents, living amongst nomads, while creating a poetic visual evidence of their “homes�. Starting in Jordan’s Bedouin tents, to Slab City’s trailer parks in California, through the gypsy outposts of Beauduc, France, I then explored New York and completed my photographic journey in Israel’s Negev desert.

From my own experience of exile, I am drawn to these tensions between the pulls of nomadism and the search for the feeling of home. When looking at nomadic dwellings, I am touched by their vulnerability, their transience and the enigmatic play between interiority and exteriority that they engage with the landscape in which they integrate.

My belief in the social responsibility and moral agency of the artist made me choose these places carefully: they cover various regions (the US, Europe, the Middle East) and religions (Muslim, Christian, Jewish). By juxtaposing these economically and religiously contrasting cultures in my images, the arch-narrative of the project goes against a dichotomization of the world. My goal is to challenge the viewer’s curiosity for nomadism, and in a bigger scheme, “Otherness�.

In today’s hybrid post-modern world, one must welcome difference, tolerance and the cohabitation of antagonisms.

Bio

Marie Sauvaitre is a French photographer, now residing in NYC.
After graduating with an MBA from the University of Houston in 1994, she obtained her MFA Photography from the NY School of Visual Arts in 2005.
Her fine art work has been shown since by various galleries in:
- New York: in 2007 in Chelsea at the Robert Steele and Mixed Greens galleries, in 2006 at the Storefront for Arts and Architecture and in 2005 at the Exit Art Biennial.
- Buffalo: Chautauqua Center for Visual Arts and
- California: Richard L. Nelson Gallery, Davis.
Her editorial work is published in magazines internationally (Photoeye Magazine or Time Out New York - USA, Masa Acher - Israel, Korean Photography - Korea, Il Corriere della Sera - Italy) as well as in books such as: Title TK (Anarchive Publications France), New York Downtown Style (Garden City, Taiwan) and Witty Design Objects (Garden City, Taiwan).
Over the past two years, she expended her teaching experience to being a Guest Lecturer in Undergraduate Photography, as well as an Adjunct Professor for Graduate Photography, at the NY School of Visual Arts.

From the series Sub Rosa by Birthe Piontek

Birthe Piontek
Currently residing in Vancouver, British Columbia

Website
www.birthepiontek.com

Work Statement

Similar to numerous other photographers my first take on photography was rather journalistic. Inspired by artists like Jeff Wall, Stephen Shore, Anna Gaskell and the work of David Lynch my pictures became increasingly staged over the last years.

In order to tell my stories, I frequently use a combination of portraits and stills, which currently constitute the lion’s share of my work.

Two subjects have always been of great interest to me: innocence and adolescence – both of which playing major roles in my latest project Sub Rosa.

The intimate moments captured in Sub Rosa oppose the innocent vulnerabiliy of youth to otherwise rather somber settings. We are confronted with introductions and conclusions of stories from a world we once were privy to – all the while hinting at secrets and revealing none.

Bio

I was born and raised in Germany and studied Communication Design and Photography at the University of Essen where I received my M.A. in 2004.

During my time at University, I started working as a freelance photographer for various clients and magazines. To get the experience of living and working in another country I moved to Vancouver, BC in 2005.

Since then my work has been exhibited internationally, and featured in publications and magazines including 'The New York Times Magazine', 'The Globe and Mail', 'Stern' and 'Die Zeit'. My work has been recognized a number of times, most recently by being honored with the Santa Fe Juror's Choice Award in 2007.

Village by Georg Parthen

Georg Parthen
Currently residing in Dusseldorf, Germany

Website
http://www.georgparthen.de

Work Statement

My "Lanscape" series is an ongoing project about reality and its photographic representation. I digitally construct photographs of landscapes that are implausible but appear authentic at the same time. It is up to the viewer whether to believes them or not. I want the images to arise doubts whether the shown reality really does exist or not. This works best when viewing the images in real-life size. Also the images represent my personal interpretation of beautiful landscapes.

I studied documentary photography in Essen with Jörg Sasse and just got my diploma a few weeks ago. All my former works are rather strict documentary works about contemporary phenomena as for example carports and mulitplex cinemas. In my new series i try to transcend the idea of documentation further. What is a documentation of a place that does not exist?

Bio

I grew up in Wiesbaden, Middle Germany, then did my social service in the middle of nowhere in the Harz mountains near the former German-German border and then moved to Essen to study photography. I did that for the last 7 years and got the best education I could ever imagine.
The thing that always interested me most in photography was the fact that you tell something or create a feeling without actually saying it.

Robert (Playing Smuggler's Run: Hostile Territory) by Shauna Frischkorn

Shauna Frischkorn
Currently residing in Willow Street, Pennsylvania

Website
www.shaunafrischkorn.com

Work Statement

My work explores popular culture through everyday life.

Game Boys is an ongoing portrait series of young men engaged in a familiar pastime—they are playing video games. For the past three years, I have been photographing video game players who come to my studio, sit in the dark, and play for hours while I quietly watch and shoot. The studio setting lends a theatrical quality to this commonplace activity. Sometimes, I watch the game to see a particularly interesting sequence, but mostly I just watch the game players. I seek to explore the popular culture phenomenon of video games by examining the “gamers� who play them. Because my work is rooted in the tradition of portrait photography, I look beyond the hype surrounding video games and focus on the players themselves. Traditionally, the belief has been that a portrait could tell us a great deal about a subject: a window into a person’s inner character could be found through facial expressions. Although the expressions on my subjects may appear to be passive, the gamers in these photographs are actually performing fast-paced maneuvers and executing split-second decisions, making these portraits of intense concentration.

Bio

Shauna Frischkorn received her MFA in photography from SUNY Buffalo in 1998. She currently lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and teaches photography at Millersville University of Pennsylvania. She had a two person exhibition at Peter Hay Halpert Fine Art in New York in April, 2007. Publications include American Photography 20, Time Magazine, and Mother Jones Magazine.

Painted Bunting, 2007 by Todd Forsgren

Todd Forsgren
Currently Residing in Boca Raton, Florida

Website
www.toddforsgren.com

Work Statement

To create his paintings, John James Audubon shot birds and contorted their bodies into dramatic poses by wiring and pinning them onto boards. The quirky and flamboyant postures he used were not immediately popular with the scientific community, but today they are renowned.

It was Roger Tory Peterson who pioneered the idea of a field guide. His guides highlight observable marks, pointed out by carefully placed arrows, which allow for the identification of birds at a distance. Peterson painted thousands of systematic illustrations of birds in static poses which he based on photographs, bird skins, and field observations. Field guides have allowed hobbyists, artists, and scientists to identify birds with binoculars instead of a shotgun.

Ornithologists now use mist nets instead of shotguns. These nearly invisible nets are set up like fences and function as huge spider webs, catching unsuspecting birds. The researcher carefully extracts the bird from the net. Each bird is measured, aged, sexed, and banded with an individually numbered anklet. Then the bird is released.

I photographed these birds while they are caught in mist nets, moments before the ornithologist extracts them. Here, the birds inhabit a fascinating space between our framework of the bush and the hand. It is a fragile and embarrassing moment before they disappear back into the woods, and into data.

Bio

I grew up along the shores of Lake Erie, just was of Cleveland, Ohio along a major migratory bird flyway. John James Audubon’s Monograph, Birds of America, and Roger Tory Peterson’s Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern and Central North America were the first pieces of artwork I loved. I spent days studying and trying to emulate Peterson and Audubon as a bird-watching teenager.

As an undergraduate at Bowdoin College in Maine, I studied biology, focusing on using molecularly biology explore ecosystem ecology. However, when I picked up a camera during my senior year, I realized that my youthful passions of birdwatching and gardening lay in photography, not biology. When I graduated in 2003, my only desire was to take pictures.

Since then, I have traveled widely with my camera. My work grew substantially in 2004-2005, when I studied at the SMFA in Boston for a year. Aside from the bird photographs in this portfolio, I have spent much of my time photographing urban and community based agriculture projects. Across the US as well as in Cuba. Next February I begin a Fulbright Fellowship to look at the new agriculture projects in Mongolia.

Sequim, WA by Scott Eiden

Scott Eiden
Currently residing in Brooklyn, NY

Website
www.scotteiden.com

Work Statement

As a history major in college, my senior thesis was a study of the history of the Utopian colonies in the 19th century in the Pacific Northwest. This involved a great deal of traveling to these locations and meeting with people who had some type of link to the colonies. But as I was traveling, I began to meet people who, in their own way, were trying to find their utopia. These people and this search stuck with me for a long time. As I began to take photography more seriously, I wanted to go back and explore this theme further. Having moved to New York, the trips to the Northwest became more personal (being able to visit family, friends, memories, etc) and the project took a more intimate turn. These are images of an admittedly idealized utopia of the Pacific Northwest - my Home. The images are a type of fiction in many ways, an idealization of a place I could no longer live in.
The title of the project comes from a book by Edward Bellamy that was credited with starting the surge of the Utopian movement, and a quote from Thoreau - "It is as hard to see one's self as to look backwards without turning around."
The images submitted were photographed with an 8x10 view camera.

Bio

I grew up in Tacoma, Washington, and attended the University of Puget Sound, where I graduated with a BA in History. I have no formal training in photography, but have been taking pictures since I received my first camera at 11 (a Yashica from my mother - I still have it). I began printing my own work in 2000 at the Photographic Center Northwest, and continue to do so in New York. I also print for other photographers (Sze Tsung Leong and Len Jenshel among others) as a freelance printer.

Foreign Vessel in Harbor, Dutch Harbor, Alaska by Jennifer Boomer

Jennifer Boomer
Currently residing in Dallas, Texas

Website
jenniferboomer.com

Work Statement

After I finished studying photography in school, I made the move that so many other aspiring photographers make and I headed straight for NYC. I lived in the city for a year, working as a freelance digital technician for various fashion photographers. I worked hard, learned the business and more importantly, learned what type of photographer I did not want to be. After my year of living in the city came to an end, I made the decision to stop assisting, to build a portfolio and to begin my photographic career on my own terms. In the back of my mind I had always kept stories that an old boyfriend had told me about his former job as an Alaskan fisherman in the Bering Sea. He painted a picture of a vast and colorful place, somewhere that I wanted to experience firsthand. I chose to move from Manhattan to The Aleutian Island Chain in Alaska since it was the furthest place west I could possibly move in Alaska and still be in the United States. I have always been attracted to extreme lifestyles and isolated places, so moving to Dutch Harbor, Alaska seemed to be a great place to live and to work at becoming a better photographer. Photography is how I explore my surroundings and what results is photographs from my fascination with what I find. The following “Greetings from Dutch Harbor� series is the result of my intimate 2-year relationship with the environment and community existing on the edge of the earth in Dutch Harbor, Alaska.

Bio

I was born in the suburbs of Dallas, Texas in 1979 and went to the same school with the same group of students from preschool through high school. I discovered photography in high school and it afforded me the opportunity to stay out of trouble and saved me from otherwise boring weekends hanging out at the local mall. At 16, I saw Diane Arbus’ photograph, “Retired man and his wife at home in a nudist camp one morning, N.J. 1963.� It was Arbus’ nudist camp photos that inspired me to venture out of my comfort zone and to photograph people hanging-out at the Downtown Dallas Bus Station. I became facinated with the transitory lifestyle and was eager to photograph the people at the station and to learn their stories about where they had been and where they were going. Needless to say my mother almost had a heart attack when she found out that her teenage daughter was spending her weekend nights at a seedy bus station. Since leaving NYC in 2006, I've been living the gypsy lifestyle, traveling across the country while documenting people and places that I discover.

Untitled #6 (Catskill, NY, USA) 2006 by Carlo Van de Roer

Carlo Van de Roer
Currently residing in Brooklyn, NY

Website
www.carlovanderoer.com

Work Statement

I am interested in the landscape as a recreational and social space. Swimming pools and the sea dominate much of my work, as I attempt to examine and reconnect with the environments that surrounded me growing up in a small coastal community.
This series focuses on outdoor swimming pools that have been drained or abandoned.
When full, the surface of a swimming pool is a flat continuation of the pool edge, obscuring what is below the surface. When drained, the depths are revealed -- allowing us to examine the empty pool postmortem.
These locations were once bustling social environments, and visiting them was a collective, public experience. Now deserted by swimmers, the experience of visiting these pools is solitary, still and private. Some have become bogs, homes or gardens -- new lives that often go unobserved. Photographing them can be a voyeuristic and dark experience. I have focused on an intimate view of these locations, using tight crops which also emphasize the absent, making these photos as much about what is not there as what is there.

Bio

Carlo Van de Roer was born in 1975 in New Zealand, where he received his BFA in photography from Victoria University. Since leaving New Zealand in 1999, Van de Roer has traveled and photographed extensively in countries throughout Central America, Asia, Europe and the United States. He currently lives in New York.

What's left by recently featured HHS! contender Aubrey Hays

Although we've been accepting new entries for a couple of weeks now, I've realized we never made an official announcements with the most important details. So...

*drumrolls, unrolling of the red carpet, general fanfare*

Ladies and Gentleman, behold! The Fall 2007 competition of Hey, Hot Shot! is now in full throttle!

Entries will be accepted here through Tuesday, November 6th. This season's winners will be announced on the blog on Tuesday, November 20th and the HHS! Fall Showcase will take place at the jen bekman gallery from December 13th through December 16th, with an opening reception on Wednesday, December 12th from 6-8PM.

That leaves y'all one month to get crazy and creative. And, remember, its always best to get your entry in before the deadline crunch!!

So, why not enter right this minute?

A last minute heads up to anyone and everyone who happens to be in New York tonight. Ms. Bekman will be giving a special presentation at The Apple Store in Soho [@ Prince + Greene] as part of the NYC Photobloggers event. Come hear about HHS!, the gallery, 20x200, and other excitement! AND Ultra Joe Holmes is also on the bill. This is an event not to be missed.

TONIGHT - Sept 26 - 6:30PM
The Apple Store [Prince + Greene]

PS: There will be goodies involved. Be there or be [ ]

A Hot Shot, an Ultra, a 20x200 staple - Kate Bingaman-Burt is a bonafide bekman star. And tomorrow night her anxiously awaited solo-show opens here at the jb!

Yes, Kate Bingaman-Burt's Obsessive Consumption opens this Friday and quite a show it promises to be. Initially winning us over with her photographs in the Summer 2006 Edition of HHS! [perhaps you recall the rack of wedding dresses or the mountain of shopping carts] this time around she's taking over our humble abode, filling it to the brim with Obsessive Consumption goodies, a KBB wonder world.

And in the meantime [because by this point you're bound to be bursting with excitement] you can get your hands on a Bingaman-Burt print over on 20x200. Ms. Kate is part of our fantastic launch pad, her piece "I Bought All of These" is hand-colored and out of this world in its greatness.

So let's make it a date! Tomorrow night please join us at the jb and help us celebrate Obsessive Consumption with some smashing + schmoozing soiree fun.

Obsessive Consumption - Kate Bingaman-Burt
Opening Reception: Friday September 21 from 6-8PM
September 22 - October 27, 2007

jen bekman
6 Spring Street [between Elizabeth + Bowery]
gallery hours: Wednesday - Saturday 12-6PM

See you soon!