Hot Shot Nina Berman on www.artforobama.net

Today was the kind of day that made me really thankful that Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of the Jewish year, is in a few days. I think I need a new beginning. I think we all need a new beginning. Banks failing, jobs disappearing, prices rising, and so on. So I can't help but be a little bit enlightened/encouraged by those who are also searching for change:

On 20x200, Kara reports on Art for Obama, a photography auction initiative to raise money for the campaign. Some JB-related — Alec Soth and Nina Berman — are even involved.

And then there's this: The Great Schlep. It has nothing to do with photography, and when it was forwarded to me, I immediately assumed I would hate everything about it. But I don't. It is silly, but they have a point. I hope they help.

Also, Lipstick for Change. A few weeks ago I got an e-mail from an old friend asking if I wanted to take some photos for a new project she was about to begin. There was lipstick. And there was exciting thinking. There was hope. And there was, of course, Obama. You should shoot some photos for them too.

P.S. When I went to Flickr, just now, to upload the photo for to complete this post, I found this, from my talented friend, Carrie McClean. It's a photo, so it's related. And it's adorable. You should think about wearing one of her rings. And take photos. (I should stay more on task: photos.)

Needle-Needle-Nee by Coke Wisdom O'Neal on 20x200

I've had one of Coke Wisdom O'Neal's medicine cabinets hanging in my bathroom for years. I got mine, from Mixed Greens, for free. They sent it in the mail a long time ago; I wish I could remember exactly why. It wasn't a bribe; I wrote this sort of overblown blurb in The Village Voice about Coke's work all on my own.

That said, you need one hanging in your bathroom too. Visit 20x200 to see what, if any, of each edition is left. I was happy to see these two pieces in my inbox today. I still love how the cabinet serves as a perfect frame for his portraits. Also, his work makes me think about how I have pills all over my house and maybe I need some structure. Morning medicine near the front door, night medicine near the bed, mid-day pill cases in every purse, etc. It's like I live in a medicine cabinet; as such I'm afraid I'd be a terrible subject for O'Neal.

P.S. Do visit Mixed Greens. It was one of the first places I loved for its art-for-everyone ethos. I knew I'd found a good group when I used the bathroom, on my first visit, and in there they had a shelf lined with a Ryan McGinness work that consisted of tall gold plated sports-figurine topped trophies bearing phrases like "#1 Artist" and "Best Artist Ever in the World."

Katarina, from Hot Shot Karolina Karlic's Dear Diary series

Spring '07 Hot Shot, Ne Plus Ultra, and 20x200 contributor Karolina Karlic is in a show. Work from Karlic's Dear Diary series is up now through November 8 at the Independent Feature Project in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The IFP notes:

The lush large scale prints of ... Karolina Karlic radiate a sensuality revealing everyday lives longing for meaning and connection.

...

Intrigued by the motivations of those that post Internet classifieds through “Missed Connections” on Craig’s List, Karolina Karlic sought out the posters to create her images. Perhaps by helping to complete their need for connection she was able to draw them into collaboration to make photographs of vulnerability and longing in our contemporary world of impersonal Internet communication.

On the art-inspired-by Craigslist ads note, check out the songs of Gabriel Kahane's "Craigslistlieder." The music has been touted as, "His song cycle, Craigslistlieder, art-song settings of eight anonymous posts he found on the ubiquitous personals/classifieds website Craigslist, has won over fans and critics with its affiliation of raucous pop culture and deft high-art craft. " And it is true. Perhaps it's time for a music and photo show for Karlic and Kahane together.

P.S. Only one print is left from Karlic's 20x200 edition (pictured above)!

P.P.S. Full disclosure: I shot some photos for Kahane's recent album.

Summer '07 Hot Shot Shuli Hallak's photo appeared in The New York Times Magazine's "The Way We Live Now" column on June 15, 2008

Okay, she definitely does not belong in the trash, but that's where I found her work today. Or, more precisely, I came across one of Shuli Hallak's photos in an issue of The New York Times Magazine in a pile that I was building as an alternative to the trash. The pile is small, but it's been growing for some time, and it's made up of articles and entire magazine issues that I plan to read. "Plan" being the key word.

So, it's a good thing I decided to flip through a few as I attempted to throw out some of the pile. Because luck granted me this gorgeous photo I'd originally missed by Ms. Hallak, who happens to have been a Summer '07 Hot Shot. Her photo is stunning. A good fit for the "The Way We Live Now" column it illustrates.

I can't stop staring at the photo. I can't believe it lived so long in my trash.

Hot Shot Jennifer Boomer's zine The Uncommon Vantage Point

Fall '07 Hot Shot Jennifer Boomer makes a zine, The Uncommon Vantage, and it was featured in the July issue of PDN. The zine includes images from Boomer's Dutch Harbor, Alaska adventures. Each is Ssgned and numbered and includes a 4X6 C-Print and a "cute" sticker designed by Leslie at Pancake Meow.

The PDN article, titled, "The New Portfolio" explains that, "Photographers are marketing themselves online and in print to potential clients in all kinds of new and interesting ways that are more portable and less expensive than traditional portfolios." It cites Boomer's zine as a particularly interesting mode.

The article, by Jay Mallin details:

"Smaller printing projects—still larger than the traditional promo postcards—are gaining some attention as well. Jennifer Boomer (28 and currently traveling, according to her MySpace entry) created a new portfolio by moving to Alaska and, photographing while working for a few months in a fish-processing plant. When she was done, she created a 'zine' to present her work to potential buyers.

As zines go, it's definitely upscale, with four-color reproduction and professional design in place of mimeographed monochrome. She sent it to 125 people she'd like to work with, from reps to editors to gallery owners. Again, no immediate jobs, but Boomer says she got a good response. "I felt like it was a good, positive step."

'I remember Jennifer's booklet, and I still have it,' reports Anne Lyse Tardivat, an editor with Agence Vu in Paris. 'I rarely receive such material. I guess it's not in the European style—yet.'"

Brian Clamp of Clamp Art by Ryan Pfluger

Ryan Pfluger is not a Hot Shot, but he is a great young photographer who is working a lot in the editorial and art worlds.

July 20th's New York Times Magazine featured Ryan's portraits of writer David Carr (inside and on the cover) and Shoot The Blog's Rachel Hulin recently interviewed Ryan about his work. It is a good read. (Also, for the record, the David Carr book, The Night of the Gun, is a good read too.) Rachel's interview touches on a new project of Ryan's too:

"As for personal work, I started a project about two months back entitled "Edited". I'm photographing all the photo editors/curators/dealers in New York that I can. It's all about turning the lens on the people who are currently making decisions about photography. Most photographers don't even know what half these people look like. They are all environmental portraits in their homes, studios or galleries. I've already photographed people like Kathy Ryan, Brian Clamp, and Brooke Nipar. George Pitts, Leslie Martin and Tim Barber are also some of the people that are future subjects."

That's Hey, Hot Shot! panelist Lesley A. Martin, in fact. I look forward to seeing more of this work. What a great resource it will be: a guide to those who are looking at your photographic work. A very smart idea.