Photo Essay: Ian Fisher: American Soldier

Denver Post photographer, Craig F. Walker spent 27 months following a young man as he went through all the stages of joining the US Army. The story follows Ian's arc as he graduates from high school, goes through is training, deploys to Iraq and returns to his family and his soon-to-be wife. The series is very long, but most of the images are very poignant, with excellent captions. There is also a series of videos to accompany the photos if you're interested, but the photos themselves paint quite a picture. Find the rest of the series here.

Chris Jordan's "Midway" Documents the Plight of Albatross Chicks

This series of rather disturbing images was taken on Midway Atoll, which as the artist puts it, is a "a tiny stretch of sand and coral near the middle of the North Pacific." Each image depicts the remains of an albatross chick that was killed by their own mothers who mistook trash floating in the ocean for food and fed it to their young. It's a problem that affects tens of thousands of the birds a year.

When documenting it, Jordan left his subjects untouched and unmoved. As it says on his site, "not a single piece of plastic in any of these photographs was moved, placed, manipulated, arranged, or altered in any way." Keeping that in mind, it's morbidly impressive just how much plastic some of these little birds were able to injest before they died from poisoning or choking. Some of the birds remain relatively identifiable, but perhaps the most powerful images in the series are those where the bird has decayed so badly that the feathers and bone mix in with the plastic, making it difficult to determine where the remains end and the trash begins.

The series includes 25 images, which you can view on the artist's site. The subject matter is certainly no departure for Jordan. He has often used his creative vision to point out the flaws in what he calls, "American Mass Consumption." He's currently showing his series, "Message in a Bottle" at The Mariners' Museum, Newport News, VA until December 30th. There is also a great blog he did about the project on his site with video and recounts of his experiences.

Visit his official site here

How a Photograph Becomes a Record Cover

Downloading music has never been easier, which means record labels are doing everything they can to keep consumers in the habit of buying albums. That means album art has never been as important as it is right now. We took a look at how photographs from Clay Patrick McBride became the album cover for Kid Rock's Rock N Roll Jesus LP. Click here (or the image) for the full story.

Welcome to the New American Photo

For more than 30 years the magazine has been exploring the art and culture of photography, and we’ll continue to do so for years to come. In this issue you’ll find stories on subjects that have long inspired you as well as new topics, all covered in a fresh way that’s meant to fuel your passion for shooting.

On page 32, you’ll discover the latest work by Markus Klinko and Indrani, including shots of Naomi Campbell taken exclusively for American Photo, paired with behind-the-scenes stories from the photographers themselves. They also share a never-before-seen image of Lady Gaga that upholds the singer’s risqué reputation. One of the most captivating elements of the feature is a timeline that shows how the photographer and art director came into their own as an image-making force.

10 Things You Wouldn’t Know About This Photo (Unless We Told You)

Photographic team Markus Klinko and Indrani made the image here in 2006 for V magazine, which invited a number of noted photographers to shoot their own interpretations of a V cover. “Mostly, I love it because when we were shooting it we had no idea if we were getting anything good,” says Klinko, the half of the team who takes the pictures. For Indrani, who helps create the mise-en-scène for the team’s images and does post-production work, the photo “brings back memories of happy chaos.” Sometimes, that is the recipe for creativity.

1. Apocalypse Wow

“The idea was to visualize a post-apocalyptic world where young people reassert their individuality by putting together pieces of clothing and making it chic,” says Indrani. “It really came together when we saw the location we were shooting at.”

Where to Go and What to See

This week, gallery-goers should head out to Rochester, NY for a recreation of the significant 1975 exhibition, New Topographics: Photographs of a Man-Altered Landscape. Showing once again at the George Eastman House, the selection includes more than 100 photographs from the original show from photographers such as Robert Adams, Bernd and Hilla Becher, Frank Gohlke, Henry Wessel Jr., and John Schott (who took the above picture). New Topographics was revolutionary because it demonstrated a new way of photographing landscapes, marrying documentation with fine art aesthetics, and its influence is still felt today. The exhibit opens on June 13 and runs through September 27, after which it will tour the US and Europe.

Follow the link below for details about this and more photography events.

Polaroid Lovers, Hold Onto Hope! Euros Try to Make Instant Film

he New York Times reports today that a group of European scientists and salesmen are trying to revive instant film in an old Dutch factory that once produced Polaroid material. They think there is a market for people who love analog photography and value the retro art look of Polaroid, which discontinued manufacturing of its film stock last year. Let's wish them luck! There really is something kinda wonderful about the tones and emotional impact of Polaroid imagery. The problem is that Polaroid made its own chemicals, and these new guys in the Netherlands can only try to duplicate the brew. At least they have some of the original equipment in the old factory, which was saved only by accident. In 2005 an American entrepreneur, Tom Petters, bought Polaroid's name and assets, but he was later indicted for running a Ponzi scheme, which seems to be what everyone private equity firm was doing for the past few years. Because of his current troubles, Polaroid was eager to sell its Dutch factory.--David Schonauer

Where to Go and What to See

It's a good week for gallery events outside of New York, and one of my favorites takes place in Boston. On May 30, the Museum of Fine Arts will exhibit a collection of Edward Weston's photos from Mexico, taken during the mid-1920s. This focused selection of images—titled, Viva Mexico!—highlights the legendary photographer's transition from soft pictorialism to a sharper aesthetic. Above are two portraits from the exhibition, which runs through November 2.

Follow the link below for details about this and more photography events.

Counterpoint: Why The Abu Ghraib Photos Should Not Be Released

In yesterday's New York Times, author Philip Gourevitch puts forward the case for keeping the never-seen images of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib prison locked up. The points are well taken, and echo the arguments that President Obama made during his national security speech last week: 1) the images will not tell us anything we don't already know; and 2) they will enflame America's enemies and put American troops in danger.
     Gourevitch knows the subject: he authored a book with filmmaker Errol Morris called The Ballad of Abu Ghraib, telling the story of the soldiers who took the images that helped turned public opinion against the conflict in Iraq. As he says, he "spent more than a year living with the photographs from Abu Ghraib...." Like the president, he does not specify exactly how the images would endanger troops;  no one has yet presented evidence that the photographs would cause immediate and certain harm; the threat is vague and generalized. His argument that the pictures would not add to the public knowledge or debate is also one-sided, since the images remain classified. Who is to say what information they may provide and what effect they would have on the debate regarding the use of torture? (President Obama countered that the debate is effectively over, because he has outlawed the use of torture.)
     More complex, and winning, is Gourevitch's argument about the nature of photographs, and how they can mislead while providing vital information. The photos from Abu Ghraib were made by soldiers put in a situation they were not trained for, who documented acts by comrades who, in many cases, were following orders from higher-ranking officials.
    "Crime-scene photographs, for all their power to reveal, can also serve as a destraction, even a deterrent, from precise understanding of the events they depict. Photographs cannot show us a chain of command, or Washington decision making. Photographs cannot tell stories. They can only provide evidence of stories, and evidence is mute; it demands interpretation and explanation."
     The images from Abu Ghraid, he says, do not show "that the real bad apples were at the top of the civilian chain of command in Washington." Perhaps seeing the unreleased images would motivate us to learn that story, and not simply forget what happened at Abu Ghraib. Forgetting would be the ultimate failure.--David Schonauer

Missing Link Photo: The Truth Is Out There

Speaking of nature photography, have you seen the image of the new "missing link" fossil now on view at the American Museum of Natural History in New York? This fossil, which is 47 million years old, is said by scientists to the earliest human ancestor--a link between the animals that became homo sapien and other mammals. It's a controversial theory, but very exciting, and the announcement is being pumped up with considerable marketing muscle. The fossil is called Ida ("eeda"), and when you gaze at the images of it, you understand the primordial fear evoked by the creature in the Alien films.--David Schonauer

Conservation Photography Conclave Planned for November

Does nature photography help save the environment. I want to think so, and I also happen to think so. As the Sierra Club discovered many years ago, an image of a wild, beautiful place can raise awareness of threats to the environment and be a powerful motivator for preserving fragile places. Images can also be used for scientific studies of endangered eco-systems and as evidence to influence policy makers. Only recently photographer James Balog presented his images of melting glaciers--part of his Extreme Ice Survey--to members of Congress.
     Balog is one of the founding members of the International League of Conservation Photographers, a group of landscape and wildlife photographers who have redefined their work, merging the ideas of art and activism. In November the ILCP is sponsoring a symposium during the 9th World Wilderness Conference, which will take place in Merida, Yucatan (Mexico). Cristina Mittermeier, the executive director of the ILCP, wants to make sure that photographers around the world are aware of the event--if you would like to attend, you get more information at the ILCP website, including how to register. Even if  you can't attend, you might want to look for news coming out of the symposium, which will feature panels on journalism, effective communications, and scientific ideas. If my schedule permits, I will certainly be there.--David Schonauer

Where to Go and What to See

This week, take the time to view some black-and-white portraits by famed LIFE photographer Gordon Parks, on display at The Gallery at Hermes (691 Madison Avenue, 4th Floor). The exhibit debuts on May 20 and features intimate photographs of Americans — both famous and everyday — from the past 30 years. Himself embodying the American Dream, Gordon Parks worked his way out of his impoverished Kansas hometown to become one of the most respected photographers of the 20th century. Above is Parks's iconic image of Muhammad Ali.

Follow the link below for details about this and more photography events.