Three Horse Race 2001 - 2006 by Ernie Button.

Hot Shot Ernie Button's portfolio Back & Forth was recently featured in the portfolio issue of F-Stop Magazine. In this series he photographed coin-operated grocery store rides, many of them deteriorated and neglected. Five years later, he returned to the locations of many of the rides and was captivated by what he found, as he writes in his artist statement:

The revisited site was photographed at a different time of day or year or a slightly different position from the original photograph to signify not only the passing of time but also how things are never quite the same. The findings of this project seemed to mirror life: sometimes changes are dramatic, sometimes they are barely noticeable, but change happens. And continues to happen. Change can be so subtle that if you don't pay attention, you won't know what's different.

Rocket (or) Ferris Wheel 2003 - 2007 by Ernie Button.

You may be familiar with Ernie's charming Cerealism series that garnered him the title of Hot Shot in the Summer 2006 competition. This body of work will be in an upcoming show at Davis Orton Gallery in Hudson, New York. The show will be on view August 26 - September 19, so be sure to check it out if you're in the area! Below are two images from the portfolio to whet your appetite.

John Chervinsky & Ernie Button
Davis Orton Gallery
On view: August 26 - September 19, 2010
Opening reception: Friday, August 28th, 6-8 p.m.

cat, no hat by Ernie Button.

french toast canyon by Ernie Button.

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

Hope it's not too early to say, Happy New Year everybody! There are only eight days* in the new year to take in Mixtape at Jen Bekman Gallery, which runs through January 9th, 2010. Mixtape is a delirious, kaleidoscopic show, but one reason we're so excited about it is that nearly every photographer included, going back half a decade to our first round in 2005, has held the rank of Hot Shot.

On-screen reproduction just does not do this work justice, but for those of you who can't make it to the gallery, I've taken the liberty of linking up the following list to each photographer's piece in the show so that you can click through and get a peek at the work:

Jessica Eaton—2009 Second Edition
Mike Sinclair—2009 First Edition
Michelle Arcila—2009 First Edition
Colleen Plumb—2008 First Edition
Yijun (Pixy) Liao—2008 Second Edition
Gregory Krum—Summer 2007 Edition
Scott Eiden—Fall 2007 Edition
Kate Bingaman-Burt—Summer 2006 Edition
Ian Baguskas—Spring 2006 Edition
Joseph O. Holmes—Fall 2006 & Fall 2005
Matthew Tischler—Spring 2005 Edition

Another thing to note is that many of the prints in the show are genuine 20x200 editions. If you see something you like at the show, it may be more affordable than you think! Make sure to check the Mixtape page on 20x200 to see what's available for collecting. Stay tuned for news about out 2009 Second Edition Hey, Hot Shot! Showcase which is set to open in early March 2010.

* The gallery is closed on January 1st but will reopen from 12–6 on the 2nd

Untitled by Sara Macel

Hot on the heels of the announcement of our Second Edition 2009 Hot Shots, we bring you great news from Summer 2006 Hot Shot Sara Macel. A solo-show of her series Texas Bunch opened just over a week ago at Kris Graves Projects in Brooklyn.

Texas Bunch is a collection of photographs taken in Sara's home state of Texas over the past five years. This show marked the ten-year anniversary of Macel's exodus from where she grew up to her current home in Brooklyn, New York. In stepping back from the landscape of her youth, Sara is able to see it with an outsider's eyes. In doing so, Macel was able to recognize its strangeness while remembering its familiarity.

If you can't make it out to Brooklyn before the show closes you can see the work online at Sara's website. Congratulations to Sara; we suspect that this solo-show will be the first of many!

Texas Bunch
December 11th - January 16th
Kris Graves Projects
111 Front St. - Gallery 224
Brooklyn, NY 10005

Dirt Cheap, Mississippi, 2006 by Kate Bingaman-Burt

Summer 2006 saw Kate Bingaman-Burt crowned a Hot Shot, and gain representation through Jen Bekman by winning a place in the Ne Plus Ultras circle. Kate has had her work grace the walls of the gallery on more than a couple of occasions. In fact, Kate has work up rightthissecond at Jen Bekman Gallery's Summer Reading show.

Kate's work focuses on consumerism, and its this passion for plastic that landed her work, along with Banksy and The Wooster Collective, in an Australian website article entitled, Incredible Credit Card Art. View the piece here.

See more of Kate's work on 20x200, Jen Bekman Gallery, and on her site.

Summer '06 Hot Shot (and 20x200 darling) Kate Bingaman-Burt is one of many superstars in a new documentary by Faythe Levine, Handmade Nation: The Rise of DIY, Art, Craft, and Design .

A new wave of craft is catching the attention of the nation. It has emerged as a marriage between historical technique, punk, and the DIY (do it yourself) ethos while being influenced by traditional handiwork, modern aesthetics, politics, feminism, and art. In June 2006 director Faythe Levine set out with her one camera crew to document this emerging trend. Levine traveled to 15 cities and over 19,000 miles to capture what is unfolding around America in the indie craft movement. Handmade Nation, the book based on the documentary process, features 24 of the interviewed makers and four essays on the community. Handmade Nation, the documentary which will premiere in New York at MAD on Thursday February 12th features segments on influential indie craft community members, including: Jenny Hart, The Little Friend of Printing, The Dirt Palace, Susan Beal, Nikki McClure, Deb Dormondy, Mandy Greer, Stephanie Syjuco, Kathy Sever, Buyolympia.com, Whitney Lee, Knitta and Jenine Bressner. Following the screening, Faythe Levine will be joined in a post-film panel discussion about the indie craft movement by artist Mandy Greer, and Kate Bingaman-Burt.

Kate designed the Handmade Nation logo you see above, and then Sublime Stitching magically transformed it into a cross-stitching pattern. How's that for artists inspiring artists? I'd say it is pretty rad. I'm looking forward to seeing the NYC premier next Thursday at the Museum of Art and Design, and sticking around for the promising panel discussion that Kate will be part of. Huzzah!

Handmade Nation NYC Premiere and Director's Panel
Tickets can be ordered here
Museum of Art and Design Theater
Thursday, February 12 6:30-8pm
2 Columbus Circle
NYC

In the past few months, I think that every day I've received upwards of four "We're Having Big Sale!" e-mails from stores large and small. Summer '06 Hot Shot Kate Bingaman Burt has been on top of her spending, and allowing us to be on top of her spending, for years now.

For sale now on Etsy, via her websiteObsessive Consumption, is the November edition of her zine, What Did You Buy Today?

Kate writes:

Hey Hey November! Purchases this month ranged from a bag of rice to an iphone. I also happened to buy some swimming medals from the mid 90s and a package of gremlins cards for no reason what so ever. OH and I really wanted our house to smell like fall and winter (hence the candle and incense purchases).

The cover pattern pays homage to the rice that I purchased on November 1st. The rice was white...not red, teal and peach.

Enjoy!

Every copy of What Did You Buy Today comes with a button or a sticker or a postcard or whatever I happen to think would be awesome to give away that day. The covers are color laser printed onto cardstock and the guts are b&w photocopies. Oh and a plastic bag. It all comes in a fancy schmancy plastic bag. SWEET!

Each issue contains 30 or 31 or 28 or 29 (leap year) drawings

You can browse Kate's November purchases and purchase her original drawings as well.

You can still purchase Kate's 20x200 editions. One of my all-time favorites: I Bought All of These and the almost-sold-out
Plattsmouth, Nebraska, Carts #1.

Speaking of buying, be sure to visit the gallery tomorrow night for the benefit finale of Thrilla In Manila!

Yesterday's 20x200 blog was awash in Hey, Hot Shot! goodness.

First, Kara posted about two Hot Shots, Kelly Shimoda (Spring '07) and James Rajotte (Summer '06), who frequently shoot for the New York Times these days.

Then, Jen announced a special Monday edition of 20x200, by current Hot Shot Kate Orne. Orne's edition is also a benefit for a recently established school for the children of sexworkers in Pakistan which was founded under the umbrella of Sheed Society (an organization Orne founded to address the social issues particular, not to mention particularly brutal, to Pakistani sexworkers.

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!

It was a busy Fall for Summer Hot Shot Sara Macel. A participant in the DUMBO arts festival through The Rider Project, her work was seen in two group shows in October, all while continuing to make new work, and it doesn't seem like she'll be getting a break anytime soon. Sara's work is to be included in Kiss & Tell curated by Kate Menconeri at The Center for Photography at Woodstock opening later this month. Keep it up, Sara!

Where were you born, where were you bred?
Born and bred in Spring, Texas, a stone's throw outside of Houston.

Current place of residence?
Brooklyn

Age?
25

How do you pay the bills?
I'm a photo production assistant and I do my own photography on the side.

What's your formal background (if any) in photography?
I studied photography at NYU where I learned almost everything I know and had some really amazing teachers. But the best way to learn technique is just by trial and error. After school, I worked as Bruce Davidson's assistant for 2 years and he taught me all kinds of nifty tricks.

What artist drove you to make the work you do? Who inspires you now?
Being from the south and a color photographer, William Eggleston is a definite hero. I love Stephen Shore, Joel Sternfeld, and Alec Soth. Christian Patterson is great and other young photogs I know inspire me to keep at it. But most of my inspiration comes from music and books and my personal life.

What camera do you use? Is it always with you?
I mostly shoot with a Mamiya 7II, but I prefer using the RZ for portraits. I'm looking to make the jump to 4x5 in the near future.

How would you sum up your photographic process from start to finish?
I'm an old-timer in the sense that I sort of like bulky equipment and film and printing your own c-prints in the darkroom with weird little cut-out dodging tools.

Do you shoot with a plan or on a whim?
I try to have a general plan or project idea, even if it is just a song that I'll listen to over and over while I'm wandering around looking for something to shoot. There's a Big Star song that really inspired the project I'm working on now.

What images are superglued into your mind for all eternity?
I find old family photos of my parents and grandparents when they were my age a little haunting. And then, there's Joel Sternfeld's photo of the beached sperm whales; Davidson's Brooklyn Gang; Robert Frank's elevator girl from The Americans; Alec Soth's photo of Johnny Cash's boyhood home just floored me when I first saw it. There's just so many.

Elevator - Miami Beach, from the series The Americans by Robert Frank

What piece of equipment do you fetishize the most and/or what is your guiltiest tech pleasure?
I'm a total camera nerd. I am currently lusting for a cherry wood 4x5 Wista- and not because it is the best 4x5 but just because is so damn pretty. And 8x10 is just the cat's pajamas.

What are your loftiest goals?
Just to shoot and wander around and have some nice folks like the photos and want to buy them so I can keep on wandering around.

Do you have any other talents, hobbies, or favorite pastimes?
I like to knit. I can make beer bread from scratch. I won a trophy for pantomime in the 7th grade, but I don't think that really qualifies as a talent. That's really more of my ace card up the sleeve whenever I get into discussions about embarrassments from adolescence.

Any big plans for 2007?
I have a show opening at the Center of Photography in Woodstock in late January. I'm thinking of doing a road trip through Texas with my best friend in March. And my sister is getting married in July. Beyond that, just to find some time to make a couple nice photos.

If you had to choose only one film to watch for the rest of time what would it be?
Big Lebowski

Name three songs that would be on your soundtrack?
Say Something Nice to Sarah - Ernest Tubb
These Days - Nico
Deep in Your Waters - Sonny Oaks
Days - The Kinks
Everyone - Van Morrison...Okay, I'll stop now.

Favorite director/composer/author/artist/musician/etc
Director- Billy Wilder
Author- Salinger and Steinbeck
Artist- Edward Hopper
Musician- Sam Cooke

What are your favorite websites/blogs?
NYTimes.com, Tiny Vices, Conscientious, Modish, HopStop is a Godsend.

City you would most like to escape to?
Every day when I leave for work I wish someone would drive up and say, "Hop in, we're going to Memphis."

What do you look for in a mate?
A goof, a rascal, a good time, a Scrabble opponent, a shared love for aquatic animals (or at least the ability to find my love for them bearable), a bookworm, and a handsome devil.

If you had to choose any object/service to be branded with your name, what would it?
If I could put a copyright on my homemade Chex Mix I would.

How do you spoil yourself?
Bubble baths with my rubber ducky.

Favorite beverage of choice?
Unsweetened iced tea or whiskey when I wanna get messy.

New Year's resolution?
No more whiskey (not really).

Empty Kmart on 27th Street by Kate Bingaman

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you to all that participated in this competition!

Wedding Dresses, Columbus, Mississippi by Kate Bingaman

Kate Bingaman

Currently residing in: Starkville, MS

Website: http://www.obsessiveconsumption.com

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

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

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

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

Grape Nuts Dune #7 by Ernie Button

Ernie Button

Currently residing in: Phoenix, AZ

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

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

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

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

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

living room, reykjavik, 2006 by Kara Canal

Kara Canal

Currently residing in: Brooklyn, NY

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

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

Untitled (Suzie Hedge), 2006 by Brandon Herman

Brandon Herman

Currently residing in: New York, NY

Website: brandonhermanland.com

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

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

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

King's House Hotel, Scotland by Matthew Kime

Matthew Kime

Currently residing in: Brooklyn, NY

Website: www.mwkphotography.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Oak Alley Plantation, Vacherie LA. by Sara Macel

Sara Macel

Currently residing in Brooklyn, NY

Website: http://www.saramacel.com

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

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

Chandelier, Chicago by Matthew Nighswander

Matthew Nighswander

Currently residing in Chicago, IL

Website: www.mattnighswander.com

Work Statement:
Project Statement: Chicagoland

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

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

Auditorium by James Rajotte

James Rajotte

Currently residing in: Rochester, NY

Website: http://jamesrajotte.net

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

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

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

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

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

Man With Bear by Nadia Sablin

Nadia Sablin

Currently residing in: Brooklyn, NY

Website: www.nadiasablin.com

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

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