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 photographers 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.

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

Hello, photographers! It's your last week to view work by the five First Edition 2011 Hot Shots: Laura Plageman, Kevin Kunishi, Laurie Kang, Robert Grimm and Uygur Yilmaz. The Hey, Hot Shot! First Edition 2011 Showcase at Jen Bekman Gallery closes this Sunday, January 22nd.

Recently mentioned in the Wall Street Journal, the Showcase features Robert Grimm's images of male strippers taken from live video streams; Laurie Kang's serene still lifes and sculptural photographs; Uygur Yilmaz's photographs of an abandoned beach setting along the Turkish coastline during off-season; Kevin Kunishi's intimate look at pro- and anti-Sandinista guerrillas in war-torn Nicaragua, and the environments and objects that surround them; and Laura Plageman's luscious, but torn, bent and crumpled landscapes.

Get to know the artists: Check out their recent interviews on the blog.

Kurt Tong Goes Solo at Jen Bekman Gallery

On Friday, January 27th, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., there will be an opening reception at the gallery for 2009 Ultra Kurt Tong's debut solo show, In Case it Rains in Heaven. Featuring images of traditional Chinese paper offerings to honor the dead, the work will be on view January 28th through March 4th, 2012.

As Kurt Tong says in his artist statement for the show, "in Chinese culture many believe that the dead are unable to carry their possessions with them. It is therefore up to their ancestors and loved ones to properly equip them for the afterlife. The practice has evolved from simple 'spirit money' offerings to modern-day items ranging from bizarre to pragmatic, and each painstakingly made of paper." Tong photographed numerous offerings for the series, and then burnt them to honor his ancestors.

Hey, Hot Shot! First Edition 2012

The first round of competition for 2012 will be kicking off very, very soon. Keep an eye on your inbox and start editing your portfolios.

Response to Print of Kudzu, Texas, 2010 by Laura Plageman

Our final Q&A with the First Edition 2011 Hot Shots is with Laura Plageman. The images she submitted from her Response series were not only visually arresting, they also warranted closer examination. To create the striking landscapes, which featured buckling, torn and surreal land and skies, the photographer responded to her original prints by manipulating and interacting with them—tearing at and crumpling the paper, and experimenting with lighting—then re-photographing them with a large-format camera. First selected to be a Contender, Laura's images landed her a Hot Shot win, which led to being in the Hot Shot group showcase currently on view at Jen Bekman Gallery through January 22nd. Laura is now also a 20x200 artist.

You can own your own print of Response to Print of Kudzu, Texas (above) by clicking here.

Living in: Oakland, CA (SF Bay Area)

Your formal and/or informal education and training in photography:
MFA from California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA; BA from Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT

How you pay the bills:
Photography, teaching photography

Best advice you ever received as a photographer:
Don't try to create and analyze at the same time. They're different processes. (John Cage: Some Rules for Students and Teachers, Rule #8)

Three artists who inspire you:
James Welling
Gerhard Richter
Lee Friedlander

Reading now:
Believing is Seeing: Observations on the Mysteries of Photography, by Errol Morris

Tell us a little about the inspiration/impetus behind the series you submitted, and why you felt it was important to share this work:
The Response series images are more true for me than some of their first generation counterparts. What I remember of a place I photograph is what draws me to it—the feeling of plants interacting or taking over a space, for example. So altering the image and rephotographing it helps me to get closer to its true nature, as I experience it.

Next project(s): I'm developing a few new projects, but I'm still focused on the Response series.

Candy #2, 2010 by Robert Grimm

Tonight is the night! The Hey, Hot Shot! First Edition 2011 Showcase opens tonight, Friday, January 6th, at Jen Bekman Gallery, located at 6 Spring St, in New York City. The opening reception is 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. See you there! If you can't make it to the opening, the show will be on view January 7th through January 22nd.

Hot Shot Laurie Kang is an artist who combines photography, collage, sculpture and installation to create her work, often creating new abstractions or "surrealities." Of her winning submission, Party Alone, Laurie says:

This series is the result of creating images that consist of both 2D and 3D collages, sculptures and installations. It's an exploration of abstraction, and a conceptual exploration of the medium of photography; the images express a 3-dimensionality but are rendered 2-dimensional through the final product of a flat print.

For the Hey, Hot Shot! First Edition 2011 Showcase, which is on view through January 22nd at Jen Bekman Gallery, the artist will present her work in its original 3D form.

And check out this great video interview of the artist explaining her work and her competitive nature.

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

Living in: Toronto, Ontario

Your formal and/or informal education and training in photography: BFA in photography from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec

How you pay the bills: I work part time at The Power Plant. It's a contemporary art gallery in Toronto with great programming. I also do some freelance work, whether it's photography, collage or album artwork and design for bands. Sometimes I'll sell work. It's always changing; the unreliability of it all keeps me on my toes.

Best advice you ever received as a photographer: Work that is made with passion will find its place.

Three artists who inspire you:
General Idea
Thomas Demand
Paul Butler

Photograph (or other work of art) that you can't get out of your head, ever: Mike Nelson's I, Impostor

Reading now: I just finished Infinite Jest, by David Foster Wallace last night. I'm now onto the F.R. David series, The Artist's Joke, and Murakami's 1Q84.

Top three photo-related websites/blogs:
I Heart Photograph
JSBJ
Blind Mist

Top non-photo website/blog:
Currently into Super/Collider

Tell us a little about the inspiration/impetus behind the series you submitted, and why you felt it was important to share this work: Party Alone is a project where I made installations and sculptures within my living space. I used objects that I'd collected, then abstracted and re-contextualized them. They're meant to be ironic and humorous, with darker undertones of isolation and the strange. The work also addresses photography's inherent tensions concerning dimensionality. The photograph turns these 3-dimensional situations into 2-dimensional prints. For the Jen Bekman show, the images will be re-established as 3-dimensional objects through their final renderings.

Next project(s): I'm working with pairing landscape (the organic) with non-organic textures and surfaces. It centers around the idea of psychogeography and creating a psychic experience through the landscape. I'm reconfiguring images of abstract textures and idyllic landscapes that I shot, combining them to make collages, sculptures and photographs of sculptures. Again, underlying this work is playing with the dialogue concerning photography's nature.

Our third Hot Shot Q&A is with Robert Grimm, whose webcam-based portraits of online, amateur male strippers capture the moments of "focus, melancholy and exhaustion, when the performance falls apart and sex objects become human again." (His series of female online strippers, Bust, can be viewed here.) Though the strippers he photographed—believed to be located in Latin America or Eastern Europe—were advertised as amateurs, Grimm points out in his artist statement that "repeated visits to the websites show the same strippers appearing in different rooms and different strippers appearing in the same rooms. This suggests a degree of organization inconsistent with strippers being amateurs." You can view more work from this series at the Hey, Hot Shot! First Edition 2011 Showcase at Jen Bekman Gallery, on view from January 7th through January 22nd.

Candy #3, 2010 by Robert Grimm

Living in: Brooklyn, NY

Your formal and/or informal education and training in photography: I am largely self-taught as a photographer. I started exploring photography in high school and have, with some interruptions, continued since then, working with 35mm, medium format and digital cameras.

How you pay the bills: As a professor of computer science.

Best advice you ever received as a photographer: To tell a compelling story.

Three artists who inspire you:
Olafur Eliasson
Pierre et Gilles
Wolfgang Tillmans

Photograph (or other work of art) that you can't get out of your head, ever:

Untitled (Falling Buffalo), by David Wojnarowicz

Reading now:
Haruki Murakami's 1Q84

Tell us a little about the inspiration/impetus behind the series you submitted, and why you felt it was important to share this work: In observing strippers on the internet, I was fascinated by the contrast between the carefully staged backgrounds and the moments of focus, melancholy and exhaustion, when the performance falls apart and sex objects become human again. Combined with the ever present theme of watching, they make for poignant photographs.

Next project(s): I am working on a series called Homeward, featuring portraits of my ancestors. They include literal ancestors, women in my family, and figurative ancestors, gay artists, all of whom fundamentally changed how I think, listen and see.

Our second installment of Q&As with First Edition 2011 Hot Shots is with Uygur Yilmaz, who first caught our attention in 2010 with his photographs of a beach at night. His winning submission for the First Edition 2011 round again found the photographer (and poet) oceanside, capturing a desolate beach during off season.

Untitled, from the series Missing Parts, 2008 by Uygur Yilmaz

Untitled, from the series Missing Parts, 2008 by Uygur Yilmaz

Living in: Istanbul

Your formal and/or informal education and training in photography: Took just a few classes here and there, but I can say I'm not educated [in photography]. I was experimenting to see what can be done with minimum knowledge. I still don't know much technically. But I was very lucky to meet Leyla Gediz. I learned a lot from discussing my work with a painter like her.

Best advice you ever received as a photographer: Don't try to be a photographer. Don't produce much. Learn how to give up and extract. Learn how to bring together and make sense.

Three artists who inspire you: I'm not really inspired by other artists, at least not nowadays... I dont know in general where the inspiration comes from. Sometimes I think [it's fortunate] we cannot find its source. If we could, I'm afraid, it would already be patented and marketed by Unilever or Microsoft.

But talking about influences, Richard Wentworth's and David Hockney's approaches to photography both had a very refreshing effect on me. William Eggleston used to be like a god to me. I also love him for saying in an interview that he doesn't look at other people's work.

Apart from that, talking about personal likes, I was very happily surprised when I came upon the works of Luigi Ghirri. The same goes for Götz Diergarten. Also, I love the earlier work of David Armstrong. And there are so many painters and poets, besides photographers, I couldn't mention all of them here.

Tell us a little about the inspiration/impetus behind the series you submitted, and why you felt it was important to share this work: Well, basically, I thought you might like them and share with more people. I would be happy if they added something to your life, your experience.

Next project(s): I'm working on my new poems. It's a new body of work and I think it will take some more time, reduction and editing. In the coming months I'm also planing to produce some objects that've been on my mind for a while—a few sculptural works exploring matters of memory and transition.

Reading now: Beni Deliler Anlar, by Sevim Burak

On Friday, January 6th, the five winning Hot Shots from the First Edition 2011 round of the competition kicked off a group showcase, exhibiting works from the series they each submitted, at Jen Bekman Gallery. Ahead of the opening reception, we introduced each Hot Shot via an interview. Get to know our Hot Shots: their backgrounds, inspirations and future endeavors. The first is Kevin Kunishi, who shot portraits of Sandinistas and their opposing Contra veterans, and photographed artifacts, in war-torn Nicaragua over the course of two years.

Of the war, Kunishi wrote:

In 1979, after over a decade of struggle, the socialist Sandinista movement in Nicaragua overthrew the dictator, Anastasio Somoza. The Sandinistas quickly began the work of applying their social and ideological values in the hopes of creating a better Nicaragua. Unfortunately, the United States government had other plans. In the Cold War environment of the 1980s, the prospect of a socialist/communist government gaining a foothold in Central America was deemed unacceptable. The CIA began financing, arming and training a clandestine rebel insurgency to destabilize the government. These anti-Sandinista guerrillas became known as Contras. Between 1980 and 1990, Nicaragua became the battleground of conflicting political ideologies; the promise of a bright future was lost as the nation descended into civil war. Although these two sides held polarized political philosophies, their survivors are united by the burden of a war-torn history. As political ideology evolves, dilutes or disappears, the horrors of war endure.

Nelita, 2010 by Kevin Kunishi

From: Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. Currently surrounded by eucalyptus and redwood trees in the hills of Oakland, California.

Formal and/or informal education and training in photography: I received my BA in history from the University of California at Santa Barbara and my MFA in photography from the Academy of Art University. Outside of my formal education, I have been extremely lucky to have been mentored by various photographers over the years, who have shared their time and knowledge with me.

How you pay the bills: I assist various editorial, commercial and corporate photographers to eat, pay rent and fund my own projects.

Best advice you ever received as a photographer: "What must you photograph now?" —Robert Adams

"Each photographer's struggle is accompanied by a question: Are the new pictures I have made true? If that cannot be answered affirmatively, there is no peace to be found in the profession." —Robert Adams

Three (or four) artists who inspire you:
Terrence Malick
Robert Adams
Jim Goldberg
Timothy O'Sullivan

Photograph (or other work of art) that you can't get out of your head:

A Room Maid in the Urashima Hotel, Katsuura, Kii, Japan, by Leo Rubinfien

Reading now:
Hawaii Pono, by Lewis Fuchs
Of Walking in Ice, by Werner Herzog
Hawaiian Legends of Volcanoes, by William D. Westervelt

Top Three photo-related websites/blogs:
American Suburb X
Fraction
Daylight

Top non-photo website/blog:
TED
The Black Harbor

Quilali, 2010 by Kevin Kunishi

Tell us a little about the inspiration/impetus behind the series you submitted, and why you felt it was important to share this work: Most of my work comes from my own deep rooted questions. I usually start with a basic premise or subject. From there the work expands or contracts. In the broadest sense, I am drawn to the aftermath of events and the variations within human nature.

This body of work was created between 2009 and 2011, over the course of several extended periods in the highlands of northern Nicaragua. I have always been interested in the events surrounding the Nicaraguan civil war that occurred in the 1980s. I wanted to move beyond the broad recital of policy and ideology within the textbooks I read during my undergraduate studies and explore the personal experiences of individuals directly affected by those policies.

For me, this work is many things: It is a journal of sorts, a dialogue and exploration, but most importantly, it is evidence. I hope these images function as a catalyst for engagement and discussion.

Next project(s): I'm working on three projects right now. All are rooted in aftermath and identity. Currently my work in Hawaii, entitled Okaga Sama De, occupies my mind the most. I am in the process of ingesting large amounts of information to consider as I continue to move forward.

I am also in the process of editing and sequencing my work in Nicaragua for publication. It will be released in the fall of 2012 by Daylight Publishing.

Wailea Road, from the series Okaga Sama De, by Kevin Kunishi

Procession of the King, from the series Okaga Sama De, by Kevin Kunishi

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.

588-Verbenas on the Desert, 2008 by Phil Jung

For those of us who own or have owned a car, you know that beyond the car's transportation purposes and uses it is also an extension of your personal space—a floating consulate of homebase in foreign territories known as public spaces. Inside your parked car, you can read, eat, space out, sleep, cry, dance or just sit in silence, waiting for something to happen. Inside your car, you feel safe, protected; you can just be yourself, because it is a moving castle—your castle.

At the same time, your car also inevitably reflects you, whether you want it to or not. In that sense, the modern personal automobile moved the boundary between "public" and "private" outward. Your mobile personal bubble is exposed, or displayed even, to the public: on the street, in the garage, at the mall, by the beach, etc. It's probably beyond the primary design intentions of any car, but you can't really hide your car when it's parked outside. Contender Phil Jung takes a peek into these mini worlds with his series Windscreen.

Sleeping Mask, 2010 by Phil Jung

In his artist statement, Jung writes:

I see this group of images as a contemporary look at our social landscape through the windshields, or windscreens, of parked cars. I am fascinated by how these unique personal spaces can be rendered in a photographic image. A car's interior defines the line between public and private space. While peering into these spaces I wonder if the interior, often littered with personal articles, can describe the way language, religion, economy, government and other cultural phenomena play a role in the owner's life. The largest challenge of the project is taking something as iconic as the automobile and adding something new to a conversation that his been going on since its inception. The gasoline-powered vehicles that were introduced in 1896 represented freedom, hope, exploration and independence—quintessentially American ideals. By 1947, when the photographer Wright Morris made his image of an aging Model T, those early ideals had already begun to deteriorate. Like Morris's pictures, Windscreen is about a culture that is disappearing. When combing through neighborhoods for cars, I look first for the way light enters a car and renders color. If I find nothing inside its cabin that tells something about its owner, I move on. Above all, the car needs to be drivable or just recently taken off the road. If a car sits for too long uninhabited, it loses something. The composite of this space reflects who we are, where we come from and, possibly, where we are going.

Untitled, from the series Windscreen, by Phil Jung

Born in New York, Phil Jung now calls Boston home, but he has lived and studied photography on both coasts—at San Francisco Art Institute for a BFA, and at Massachusetts College of Art and Design (where he currently teaches undergraduate students) for an MFA.

Untitled, from the series State of the Union, by Gregg Segal

As in everything else in life, a good sense of humor is always welcomed and appreciated in photography. In this day and age when the scene is dominated by either highly emotional personal projects or serious political topics, when a body of work ambitiously combines subjects such as "the significance of the American Civil War" and "how consumerism and commercialism have changed the modern landscape," a humorous approach not only intelligently subtracts the overbearing heaviness, but also makes the images all the more mesmerizing. Contender Gregg Segal achieves that with his series, State of the Union.

Segal's portrait series was photographed using dedicated Civil War re-enactors on the actual battle sites that he traced and identified. The highly saturated images really bring out the contrast, and often times a bit of irony between the past and the present, reminding us that if the land doesn't have a memory or identity, we do.

Untitled, from the series State of the Union, by Gregg Segal

In his statement for the series, Segal writes:

The Civil War still reverberates in the South, its myths potent as ever. Yet much of Civil War history, specifically its battle sites, has been compromised by sprawl—overrun by freeway expansion, housing developments, shopping malls and all the other hastily erected constructs of consumer culture. State of the Union is a juxtaposition of two contrastive eras: an idealized Civil War embodied by period re-enactors vs. the commercialism of contemporary life. The portraits in this series were taken on the actual sites of specific battles in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Georgia and Tennessee. State of the Union is meant to evoke reflection on our past and how we arrived here.

Untitled, from the series State of the Union, by Gregg Segal

Gregg Segal studied photography and film at California Institute of the Arts. After detouring through film and obtaining an MFA from New York University in dramatic writing, he returned to photography in 1994. His work has been featured in a wide range of publications. Be sure to check out this piece with a behind-the-scene video on State of the Union by TIME.

Untitled, from the series State of the Union, by Gregg Segal

Untitled, from the series The Hill, by Dave Wyatt

You know how when you were a kid, the world just seemed a whole lot bigger? A backyard wasn't just a yard—it was the secret garden with a hidden entrance to Narnia only you knew about. An abandoned building wasn't merely that—it was a maze with a mysterious past, where you could spend hours exploring with your friends. And if you were lucky to have a whole countryside as the backdrop for your childhood, the possibilities were endless.

Contender Dave Wyatt's series, The Hill, comes from the rolling hills of the Mendips in Southwest England, where Wyatt calls home. Aside from its natural beauty, bell pits dating back to pre-Roman Britain and 19th-century mineshafts and quarries also quietly abound in the area. It was a space that "fueled our young imaginations and became a place to learn about ourselves as much as about the landscape," says Wyatt, who adds that till this day the area continues to influence his work.

Untitled, from the series The Hill, by Dave Wyatt

With concerns regarding the environment and how we preserve it, Wyatt's work also goes deeper than the childhood dreamland. He writes:

With the return to power of the Conservative party as part of the current coalition government in the U.K., we have already seen the unsuccessful attempt to sell off the remaining public forests. Once again, what remains of rural Britain is facing the same threats as 30 years ago. The desire to monetize the environment and see it as a possession to own and treat as a financial asset, rather than as a legacy for which we have a duty of stewardship, is unfortunately not a new phenomenon. It is, however, a fatally flawed position and one for which future generations will pay dearly, as we [are] already beginning to see through the effects of climate change. This series of images is part of a wider body of work exploring how a small ecosystem attempts to redress the balance of nature when left unmanaged for a significant period of time. This space was part of a working quarry when I was a child and now, 30 years later, is a feral mix of thick woodland and stark stone landscapes.

Untitled, from the series The Hill, by Dave Wyatt

Dave Wyatt, a native of Bristol, England, is a documentary photographer focusing on the landscape and how it relates to the individual and society as a whole. He received a BA in documentary photography from University of Wales Newport, South Wales, and gained an MA in international photojournalism, documentary photography and travel photography from the University of Bolton, undertaken at Dalian Medical University in Dalian, China.

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 Nowhere in Taiwan, 2011 by I-Hsuen Chen

One of the less talked about topics in photography is how the evolution of transportation has changed it. The popularization of the automobile and the development of road systems in the post-war era have undoubtedly helped shaped contemporary photography as we know it. The car and the road made everything in between the departure and the arrival a big part of the journey. Jack Kerouac's On the Road defined and captured the imagination of a whole generation, while Robert Frank's The Americans gave new meaning to both its subject and method.

The photo camera helped document humanity in landscapes in a way that was not possible not so long ago. The "in between" on a journey became the purpose of it, the very core and essence of traveling—and, to a greater extend, exploring and seeing—that it was no longer about the destination. This approach, which in theory can be traced back to Laozi, is ever so clear in Contender I-Hsuen Chen's series Nowhere in Taiwan.

Untitled, from the series Nowhere in Taiwan, 2011 by I-Hsuen Chen

Chen writes in his statement:

Nowhere in Taiwan is a personal journey tracing back to my home country: Taiwan. Influenced by American road trip photographers such as Joel Sternfield and Alec Soth, uncharacteristically, I tended to avoid capturing beautiful landscapes or busy cityscapes. I tried to find places ambiguously in between, which I would call them "nowhere." Those places may be halfway urbanized, or even abandoned, but humanly gestural traces still poetically exist. Searching for nowhere, I would like to unveil intimate scenarios in Taiwan.

Untitled, from the series Nowhere in Taiwan, 2011 by I-Hsuen Chen

Chen received a BA in advertising and public relations from Fu Jen Catholic University in his hometown, Taipei. He is currently an MFA photography student at Pratt Institute in New York.

Untitled, from the series Nowhere in Taiwan, 2011 by I-Hsuen Chen

Elizabeth and Ben, by Laura Stevens

Anyone who has been in a long-term relationship knows that every day is not a honeymoon in Barbados or a gondola ride in Venice. HHS! Contender Laura Stevens' series Us Alone depicts exactly those "other sides" of a relationship: the boredom, frustration and disillusionment that happen in a couple's most private moments.

Clare and Mark, by Laura Stevens

"I wanted to explore the disparity between each partner striving for personal freedom and identity, alongside the need to act as part of a whole in creating a shared and unified reality," Stevens says of the work, which she captured with a Canon 5D II. "I photographed real couples within their own homes performing in a collaborative attempt to render visible the twofold existence of a partner."

Alice and John, by Laura Stevens

The results are darkened, household settings with "sombre, theatrical lighting" that highlights the couple. They're moody, melancholy and, most of all, real.

Chiaki and Daniel, by Laura Stevens

British-born, Paris-based Laura Stevens received a master's degree in photography from the University of Brighton, England, in 2007. Her work has recently received an Honorable Mention in the Lens Culture Exposure Awards and won a Julia Margaret Cameron Award. This year she has exhibited in the Foto8 Summer Show, the Peaches and Cream exhibition in London and at The Greenlane Gallery in Paris. Clients include: The Times, the Saturday Telegraph, Reader's Digest, Together and Depaul International.

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.

Untitled, from the series Particle Progress, 2011 by Teo Ormond-Skeaping

When we first wrote of Contender Teo Ormond-Skeaping, blogger Stacy Oborn commented that his then-submission, In the Fulcrum of Our Dreams, reflected "the sensibilities of one that likes to traffic in dreams, archetypes and the shadow-sides of reality."

Ormond-Skeaping's recent submission, Particle Progress, again visits similar sensibilities. The project was intended to be "represented in a 'zine' format containing 21 images... forming a fragmented narrative, [with] diptychs on facing pages preceded and succeeded by two full-bleed images, as well as diagrammatic text." The artist also plans similarly themed installation and video work.

Untitled, from the series Particle Progress, 2011 by Teo Ormond-Skeaping

Ormond-Skeaping says of his latest project:

The particle is responsible for the simplification of the explanation of existence and thought. [It] functions as a fundamental basis for all matter and processes, its finite answer only applicable as long as there is no further manifestation of inexplicable forces. This is equally true of teleology and the finality of existence; knowing that we may only perceive and predict the causality of what will exist between Creation and Infinity during a lifetime—assuming that "life" is defined as a period of conscious existence—we have no means to experience any actuality of finality.

Untitled, from the series Particle Progress, 2011 by Teo Ormond-Skeaping

Teo, a semi-finalist from HHS! 2010, lives and works in the U.K. He received a BA in photography at University College Falmouth, and he has been enrolled at SLADE school of Art in London for an MFA since 2010. His work includes photographic, video and installation-based pieces.