Photographer Profiles

April 5, 2019

Tall Tales, Twins And Truths: The Tangled Self-Portraits of Jess Richmond
In this age of fake news, alternative facts and countless digital selfies, Jess Richmond takes an unusual approach to self-portraiture
By Terry Sullivan | Photography By Jess Richmond
Self-portraits, that seemingly narcissistic offshoot of the much broader genre of portraiture, have always been a bit problematic, if only because they’re almost indistinguishable from the larger group. In other words, you can’t tell from the image itself whether it’s a self-portrait or simply a portrait of another artist. Even when the artist... Read more
March 13, 2019

Analog Afterglow In The Digital Age
Maine-based photographer Tillman Crane combines the latest digital technology with older analog darkroom processes to make nuanced, luminescent platinum prints of his beautiful black-and-white images
By William Sawalich / Photography By Tillman Crane
Big Bend National Park: “I was invited to be a guest in [a workshop] with Justin Black and Jack Dykinga,” says Crane. “It was my first real outing for an extended period of time working with the Fujifilm GFX. In this image, I wanted to push the limits of contrast and see just what the camera would capture and how the file would look. I was stunned... Read more
March 4, 2019

Photographing With A Blind Mind
Whether working on a commissioned or personal photo project, Hiroshi Watanabe attempts to “blank out his consciousness” by having a “blind mind” when approaching the subjects he shoots
By Mark Edward Harris / Photography By Hiroshi Watanabe
“Jun Masuda as Oyanagi, Matsuo Kabuki” from the series Kabuki Players. Read through the names Southern California-based photographer Hiroshi Watanabe gives his photographic series—Lotus Dreams, Dunes, Bull City Summer, Ideology in Paradise, I See Angels Every Day—and you’ll find that each one has an almost haiku-like, understated quality.... Read more
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February 19, 2019

Taking The Time With The Next Generation
Why the 2018 W. Eugene Smith Fellowship winner focuses on youth, patriotism and the poetry of long-form photography projects
By Terry Sullivan / Photography By Sarah Blesener
Artyom Baklashkin (17), a student at the local secondary school in the village of Diveevo, stands guard in an abandoned building with a group known as the "Survivalists," April 6, 2016, Russia. Survivalists train young adults to survive future wars and post-apocalyptic life and meet weekly for tactical drills. They use air-soft guns for the practice and competition. From “Toy Soldiers.”
Artyom Baklashkin (17), a student at the local secondary school in the village of Diveevo, stands guard in an abandoned building with a group known as the “Survivalists,” April 6, 2016, Russia. Survivalists train young adults to survive future wars and post-apocalyptic life and meet weekly for tactical drills. They use air-soft guns for... Read more
January 28, 2019

Being Sandro Miller
A photographer collaborates with renowned actor John Malkovich to create an homage as a thank you to past masters
Mark Edward Harris / Photography by Sandro Miller
Chicago-based Sandro Miller is a sculptor of sorts, using light as a chisel to bring out the essence of the sitters before his camera lens. His photography series Malkovich, Malkovich, Malkovich: Homage to Photographic Masters, exemplifies this mastery of advanced lighting techniques. To create the series, the Lucie Award-winning photographer set out... Read more
January 22, 2019

Beyond The City Of Lights
Paris-based photographer Nahoko Spiess weaves high fashion with local authenticity in unexpected locations
By Mark Edward Harris / Photography By Nahoko Spiess
Fashion shoot in the Sahara Desert with model Hafssa Bahajji, winner of “The New Face of Morocco.” Few places on earth can compete with Paris as a backdrop for haute couture, prêt-à-porter and every type of fashion shoot in between. But in Nahoko Spiess’ world, beauty knows no borders. The Tokyo-born, Paris-based Spiess ventures out... Read more
January 2, 2019

Concept And Purpose
Benȷamin Von Wong on creating narrative photographs that matter
By Mark Edward Harris / Photography By Benjamin Von Wong
Spitting fire with henna created by artist Alliebee Henna. While photographers come from vastly different backgrounds and follow their own serpentine paths to find success in the visual medium, San Francisco-based conceptual photographer Benjamin Von Wong has definitely ventured down a road less traveled. The son of Malaysian Chinese immigrants to Canada,... Read more
December 18, 2018

Turning The Lens Around
A portrait series of master photographers illuminates classic techniques
Text & Photography By Mark Edward Harris
Creating a dynamic portrait requires far more than technical prowess.  If we want to penetrate the façade of a person’s visage, we need to have our subjects reach a point where they can connect to us through the lens and, in turn, to the viewer of the resulting image. That said, certain traditional techniques in terms of posing, lighting and lens... Read more
November 19, 2018

A Life Exposed
The prolific Nobuyoshi Araki reflects on a life of creativity in the face of adversity
By Mark Edward Harris >> Photography By Nobuyoshi Araki
From the series “A’s Paradise”
From the series “A’s Paradise” Nobuyoshi Araki, known simply by his mononym Araki, is perhaps the most prolific photographer in the history of the medium. More than 500 books bear his name, including Tokyo Lucky Hole, about the infamous sex district of Kabukich. For those with an interest in the work of the controversial lensman who do not have... Read more
September 10, 2018

Under The Tuscan Sun And Shade
Joel Meyerowitz reflects on his legendary career
By Mark Edward Harris >> Photography By Joel Meyerowitz
Joel Meyerowitz reflects on his legendary career
The Greek fabulist and storyteller Aesop is credited with the saying, “A man is known by the company he keeps.” In the case of Joel Meyerowitz, this ancient adage rings true. He “discovered” photography on a shoot with Robert Frank. Soon afterward, he was walking the streets of New York, camera in hand, with Garry Winogrand. But Meyerowitz soon... Read more