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Here is a collection of Vans and the Places They Were Found.

Nicolai Howalt’s portrait series of child pugilists before and after a match is oddly compelling.

Alison Malone’s photo series, The Daughter’s of Job portrays a secret society of girls ranging in age from 10 to 20 years old that are the daughters and granddaughters of Freemasons.

Swedish fashion label Whyred commissioned a rather surreal short film, La Vitesse Et La Pierre which is composed entirely of still images. The project reminds me of Chris Marker’s La Jetee.

Juha Arvid Helminen’s photo series, Invisible Empire is quite chilling.

I’ve just become acquainted with Pierre Dal Corso’s fashion photography.

Pictory curates submission-based series of photo-works that tell a story. This collection’s theme is Overseas and Overwhelmed : 25 Stories of Culture Shock. The story on visiting Berlin in 1974 is pretty fantastic.

Jason Koxvold’s large format landscape photography is not to be missed.

Simon Hoegsberg photographed ten New Yorkers and asked them to discuss what they think of their own faces.

During my teenage years, I did a number on my body competing in the sport of wrestling. When I saw this photo series of high school wrestling champions shot after matches by Ben Watts, I was reminded of the blood, sweat and painful injuries.

The Selby curates images of creative people in their homes and their work spaces. Some of the more famous participants include Michael Stipe and Tom Wolfe.

I recently discovered the work of photographer Martina Hoogland Ivanow. Whether shooting people, landscapes or fashion, there is a consistent style that evokes the dreamy spirit of a Tarkovsky film. See more of her work here and here.

Here is an interview with photographer Alec Soth. And here he discusses the making of his Niagra series and how the theme of love is at that play.

Here is a series of photos taken at the sites of different cultural icon’s deaths. Each image was snapped on the anniversary of the event at the exact same time that tragedy struck.

Everything that comes from the imagination of MIranda July makes me happy. Here she poses as background actors in scenes from classic cinema. I don’t think she’ll ever run out of fun ideas.

J. Bennett Fitt’s photo series entitled No Lifeguard on Duty seems to appropriately echo the mood of this grey Fall day.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art celebrates the 50th anniversary of Robert Frank’s photo collection America. Images from the book, which is an iconic document of the nation in the 1950s will be on display until January 3.

Lately, I’ve been obsessed with images and masks that celebrate Dia de los muertos. Here are some particularly cool fashion photos using the theme.

Good news. It seems that Urban Outfitters have joined forces with the Impossible Project to save Polaroid film from a sad demise.

Here is a photo collection containing 204 images that compares places in Normandy during WWII to what it looks like now.

20x200 is a project that gives emerging artists exposure while at the same time allowing anyone to collect work at a modest price. I have a good mind to purchase the two images below and hang them above my desk. They’d be perfect reminders to not take advertising too seriously.

As a New Yorker, I’ve become very comfortable with the idea of living in a small space. Adapting to this kind of environmental restraint leads to creative thinking, and a sort of practical living in which one must consider what and how much they consume. The notion of building a home 1,000 square feet or less, like those in the coffee table book, Tiny Houses is quite intriguing. I’ll gladly take the house in image #2.

Gordon Parks is to photography as Jackie Robinson is to baseball, an African-American male who began the process of tearing down walls that should never have existed in his field. A collection of his work containing 4,000 prints and 20,000 negatives has just found a home at Purchase College - State University of New York.

I’ve just discovered the work of photographer Paul D’ Amato. The earnest view of his lens captures moments that often feel wrought with tension.

Obstaculum is a surreal series of photo-illustrations rich with texture. The project was conceived of by designer-photographer Craig Hunter Parker.

The NY Times docu-photo series One in 8 Million takes a look at some of the unique souls that are New Yorkers. Get to know a few of them; Jesse Villanueva (a sneaker connoisseur), Alexandra Elman (a blind wine teaster), and Ed Grajales (the dictaphone doctor).

The days of Polaroid film may be behind us, but there isn’t any good reason not to pretend that they aren’t. Shake It Photo is a fun iphone application that gives your photos a little Polaroid makeover.

Jacob Holdt is a photographer of Danish descent. He began hitchhiking across the US in the 1970s armed with a small camera. A theme emerged. His massive body of work includes photos shot around the world, but it is his intimate gaze into social class structure of America that strikes me as the most fascinating material.

It would be impossible for society to appreciate the great works of modern architecture without the frozen image. It is in this way that architecture and photography are inextricably linked - a detailed record of an ever-changing landscape is etched in celluloid. Were it not for the camera, how else would future generations come to understand exactly the stature of the World Trade Center. Another example - most of us will never set foot in the Stahl House-Case Study House #22 (seen below) designed by Pierre Konig, however; many of us will experience it through the photos of Julius Shulman. The work of Julius Shulman particularly exemplifies this notion that a photographic document is the final detail to a great piece of architecture. Shulman passed away yesterday at the age of 98. Here is more on the life of Shulman from the LA Times.

(photo by Julius Shulman - 1960)

David Lynch has created images to accompany Sparklehorse and Danger Mouse’s new project entitled Dark Knight. Listen to the album here.

Earlier in the year, Polaroid discontinued it’s beloved instamatic film. Sadly, Kodak has announced an end will come to Kodachrome. Here is more on shooting and developing the classic vibrant color stock while you still can.

(via Subtraction)

Here is a photo series of 100 Abandoned Houses.

(via What We Do Is Secret)

When I was in college, a classmate introduced me to the world of art cars. He had outfitted the entire exterior of his pickup with working TVs. He also made a short film documenting a cross-country caravan of these kinds of vehicles. This is what I was reminded of when I came across these pictures of trucks and bikes by Japanese enthusiasts who take it to the next level.

There was once a time when skateboarding was considered counter-culter in the US. This was while I was growing up. No skating signs were posted just about everywhere. The image of a teen with a skateboard came to represent a punk ethos. Times have changed. I remember reading a few years ago that in the US more children own skateboards than baseball bats and gloves. I probably shouldn’t be surprised to see that skating has seeped into cultures of underdeveloped nations like Uganda. Check out these fantastic photos documenting an East African skate park.

(via WMIG)

Charlie White’s newest photo series compares teenage girls with male to female transsexuals on their paths towards womanhood.

(via kottke)

1984, Peter Feldstein photographed the entire population of Oxford, Iowa (676 people). Twenty years later, he came back to update the portrait series.

Nadav Kander is a photographer who shoots both people and places. His diverse body of work includes portraits of people ranging from Obama to Kissenger and Pele to Bertolucci. He has photographed the the Yangtze River, the Arcticle Circle, Chernobyl and explored the human form as a landscape.

This is Daniel Freytag’s still life series entitled Tempest.

(via Today and Tomorrow)

I just discovered the work of photographer, Carl Wooley. His photo series of places at night explores similar territory to work by Todd Hido, Dan Holdsworth and Will Govus.

Here is a blog dedicated to awkward family photos.

Signs of American Life is a photo series that documents photographer, Stephen Tamiesie’s travels across the rural American landscapes.

During the last week, a number of tragic scenarios have played out in my life. I thought perhaps it would be a good idea to post something beautiful. The picture below is by a friend and photographer, Erik Snyder.

This weekend, I discovered this series of found group photos that have been digitally manipulated by Jonah Birns.

Utilizing time-lapse photography and what appears to be a shift-tilt lenses, a photographer named Keith Loutit manages to make people seem like toy miniatures placed in colorful landscapes. These films are documents of twelve months of life in Sydney.

(via kottke)

I snapped this photo in DUMBO a while back. It’s something of a note to self.

I stumbled upon the website of fashion photographer Miles Aldridge. The two figure studies below are fantastically provocative and all about the shoes.

I just discovered Johann Fournier’s photographic collages. His style makes me think of what might happen if magically Magritte and Dave McKean were able to collaborate on a project.

Here is a photo series shot in Pripyat, Ukraine. The abandoned town had once been home to many of the workers at Chernobyl and was evacuated after the disaster 23 years ago.

Here are a ton of high-res Marilyn Monroe photographs shot by celebrity photographer, Bert Stern. Be advised that these images are posted on a naughty NSFW site.

My friend and musical collaborator Erik Snyder is an extraordinary photographer. He recently went on a trip to Louisiana to shoot a project entitled Kingdom of Heaven.

Whenever I walk past this tree, I am reminded that nature has a way of showing us who is boss. I think the caption for this photo should read, Sign Eating Tree.

Here is a pretty fascinating portrait series of families from around the globe photographed with the food which they consumed that very week.

The miserable economy has everyone concerned with good reason. I’m going to try to stay very optimistic despite my urge to share this photo series of bankrupt offices by Phillip Toledano.

I’ve been waking up in the early hours of the morning to make it to the gym before the rush. I had been very undisciplined with the frequency that I was using my membership, but I have to say that I am rather elated with how it has boosted my daily work productivity and inspiration. And the other big plus about being an early riser is that the gym tends to be more like a graveyard, thereby avoiding other people’s strange locker-room behavior like clipping toe nails on the bench or waxing their nipples in front of the mirror nude. It’s much more preferable when it looks like the snapshot below.

Unfortunately, the end of polaroid film is upon us in just three days.

Rune Guneriussen’s photo’s of common house lamps positioned in natural landscapes are eerily similar to a concept I had for a music video several years ago. Unlike these gorgeous images, the video was never made.

(via Colectiva)

I recently discovered Greg White’s photography. While he clearly is interested in using geometric forms to shape his compositions, it is his cold pristine lighting that has caught my eye.

Click around Richard Power’s photo portfolio of architecture and you will be certain to find a dream home. The abode below is looking pretty good to me right now.

It is only in retrospect many decades later that we can really appreciate the walls that Bettie Page helped to break down. Though her intent may have not been to do so, Page’s successful modeling career of the 1950’s is certainly in part responsible for encouraging the sexual revolution tied to the women’s liberation movement of the 1960’s. Goodbye Ms. Page; you certainly will always be a cultural icon.

The work of photographer Jeff Brouws resonates with me in a strong way. His images feel like moments lifted from one of my favorite films, Wim Wender’s Paris,Texas. His photos are often of built environments in flux and void of people.

I first encountered Edward Burtynsky’s work at a show curated by the Brooklyn Museum of Art. There is an emotional paradox one feels when looking at his massive prints. The images are so beautiful and crafted with a masterful eye for detail. And yet, these photos are documents of how industry has changed our visual landscape. Burtynsky gave a TED talk a few years back which is certainly worth checking out. Additionally, a documentary entitled Manufactured Landscapes on the photographer’s work was released last year.

Here is a fascinating documentary photo series from the time photographer Livia Corona spent with Mexico’s Los Enanitos Toreros (The Dwarf Bullfighters).

The holiday season usually means it’s that time of the year when we’ll catch half naked models frolicking around on a beach in a black & white fragrance commercial. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but it seems like a bit of a tired formula. I look forward to the day that I turn on the tube and find a perfume ad as bizarre as this short film created by fashion photographer Eugenio Recuenco for Loewe’s odor “Quizás, Quizás, Quizás”.

(via Wicked Halo)

Many thousands of people have removed their clothing while gathering with complete strangers to participate in one of Spencer Tunick’s large scale nude photos. Signing up on his site to model sure would be an interesting way to get over any self-image issues one might have with their body. Maybe I should put this on my list of things to do before I die.

Square America is a web-archive of found snapshot photos dating from the 1890’s-1970’s. These extraordinary images present a unique window into the past.

Here is a photo series by Hans-Christian Schink that I like quite a bit.

I stumbled across this work by photographer Nazif Topcuoglu. His photos seem to be concerned with re-creating classical painting compositions and lighting. Whether shooting a scene of young women or a still life, most of the work seems to reference back to the great paintings of Caravaggio and his contemporaries.

For some time now, I’ve been fascinated by the transformation of the body undergone by female bodybuilders. There is something about the change to the form that many of us find grotesque or even perverse. For several years now, I’ve toyed with the idea of doing a documentary on the subject. And today, I came across this photo series of women who are competitive body builders.

It would seem appropriate to share this music video directed by Thomas Hilland for the Ralph Myers track Nikita. The video focuses on the day in the life of a female bodybuilder, leading up to a competition.

(via kottke)

William Eggleston’s photography probably has had more of a conscious influence on me as a filmmaker than the work of any other photographer. The first US retrospective of his work begins today at the Whitney Museum and will be up until January 25th, 2009.

A night of booze and Halloween cheer has rendered me exhausted. I feel just like the guy in this photo I snapped a few years ago.

I took this photo of a young woman named Morgan in 2004. I still think she has fantastic face.

Chris Cunninham performed an exorcism of sorts on a resurrected Grace Jones. Film and music video auteur, Chris Cunningham fell off the creative map several years back. He had given up on promos and slowly turned out a few experimental films that seemed to be an arduous task. Rumors that he would make a feature film proved to be just rumors. And then he resurfaced with a tease; Cunningham shot his first music video in seven years for the breakout act The Horror’s - “Sheena is a Parasite”. Since then, Cunningham hasn’t released anything else. Although the buzz is that he has been working with The Horrors again; only this time in a different capacity as record producer. And now while we wait to see the results, Cunningham has teased us again with a rather disturbing photo spread that he shot for Dazed & Confused Magazine of none other than Grace Jones.

Some of the most inspiring photographs I’ve come across in recent years have been shot by Vincent Fournier.

I just got the chills looking at Todd Hido’s photo series Homes at Night.

I love this photo series of the human form by photographer Francesca Ripamonti.

Here are portraits by Nick Sushkevich of his friend who has been awake for 72 hours.

Will Govus is a young photographer. I particularly love his Night photo series.

A photographer named Jack Radcliffe documented his relationship with his daughter Alison from the time she was a small girl for 32 years (1975-2007). We see an innocent child grow into a rebelling teen, and eventually a woman.

From September 6th-17th the Paralympic Games are taking place in Bejing. Its kind of sad to think that network television isn’t interested in canceling a few days of bullshit-reality television in favor of showcasing some of the world’s most impressive athletes. In this photo series you’ll see some of those extraordinary moments that we are not catching on TV, including the US Men’s wheelchair rugby team in midst of battle. For more on this sport check out the brilliant documentary Murderball.

These are photos that changed the world.

Jo Longhurst likes to photograph hounds.

Here is photographer, Rachel Papo’s gaze at life in the military for young Israeli women.

At an age when social, sexual, and educational explorations are at their highest point, the life of an eighteen-year-old Israeli girl is interrupted. She is plucked from her home surroundings and placed in a rigorous institution where her individuality is temporarily forced aside in the name of nationalism. During the next two years, immersed in a regimented and masculine environment, she will be transformed from a girl to a woman, within the framework of an army that is engaged in daily war and conflict.
Almost fifteen years after my mandatory military duty ended, I went back to several Israeli army bases, using the medium of photography as a vehicle to re-enter this world.

Kim Holtermand is a photographer from Denmark who takes fantastic photos of landscapes and architecture.  Environments in my dreams often look like some of Kim’s night photos; so no wonder I like the work so much.

Andrew Bush’s pretty neat photo collection of people driving in Southern California from 1989-1997.

(via Boing Boing)

I came across this photo series of Kenadie Jourdin Bromley, a little girl born with a condition known as primordial dwarfism. Having never heard of the condition, the angelic looking little girl’s beauty reminded me of Ron Mueck’s sculptures in which he redefines human scale.

Fencing is a beautiful sport that requires grace and precision. Here are some fantastic photos of the women’s fencing matches from this weeks Olympic competition.

Errol Morris is curious about how we take in imagery and examines the well documented Iranian missile test image that was doctored from earlier in the summer.

Michael Greenberg is a kid I knew from childhood in passing. While in my second year at art school, we ran into each other and I learned that he was enrolled as well, with a focus in photography. I had no idea how talented he was. His diverse body of work ranges from fashion and portraiture to advertising and travel.

We’ve all heard stories of photographers going to great lengths to capture the perfect photo.  But why do this…

I’ve always been envious of creative professionals who get an early start while still practically in their teens. This seems to be par for course in Scandinavian countries. Danish born photographer, Asger Carlsen was shooting for hire by the time he was 18. His work mainly composed of people and places is peculiar and humorous.

Seth Kushner shot a photo series of people who live in Brooklyn for his book The Brooklynites. Apparently, if one wants to be a best selling novelist, they need to go by the name Jonathan and move to Brooklyn (Jonathan Lethem, Jonathan Ames, Jonathan Safron Foer).

I first learned of the prolific photographer Michael Wolf when my girlfriend brought home a copy of Hong Kong Front Door/ Back Door. He has spent more than a decade living and working in China; much of his recent work has dealt with the notion of cultural identity in Hong Kong.

Michael Cook is a Toronto based urban explorer. He maintains the website Vanishing Point.

This is a website about spaces that exist at the boundaries of modern control, as concessions to the landscape, as the debris left by economic transition, as evidence of the transient nature of our place upon this earth.

Check out an interview with Cook on BLDG BLOG.

The website of photographer Richard Renaldi has a ton of amazing portraits and landscapes to look at.

When I came across Alex Sandwell Kliszynski’s human barbie doll photo series, I was instantly reminded of popular new trends in body augmentation. Procedures like “labia conturing” and “pelvic fitness” have become popular in a world in which people are increasingly concerned with a perfect appearance like dolls. This very notion of human perfection makes me think of Leni Riefenstahl and her fascination of people as statues.

Leni Riefenstahl was a controversial filmmaker and one-time Nazi propagandist. She had been commissioned to document the 1936 Olympics held in Berlin. An ex-dancer, she was obsessed with the human body and particularly was intrigued with an idolized form. Throughout several of Olympia’s sequences, the most chiseled of humans are likened to Greek gods. Many critics have pointed out that these visual metaphor’s may also be a tribute to fascist ideal’s of a perfect Aryan race.

(via BuzzFeed)

I am baby-sitting a friend’s bulldog this weekend. The sounds that come from this animal are simply bestial. Taking care of this little monster reminded me of some photos that I had recently seen of hyena handlers in Nigeria. Photographer Pieter Hugo spent two years on and off traveling with this group in order to capture these striking portraits and to assimilate with these mysterious performers.

I have a neighbor who is keen on making paintings of places in New York. He is drawn towards subjects that represent an old world, places that are hanging by a thread to exist. Yesterday, he told me about a graveyard for tugboats that exists in Staten Island. Apparently, there are literally hundreds of boats docked in their final resting place. Some of these ships are wooden tugs dating back to the early 20th Century. Curious to see what these may look like, I found a flickr photo-set that someone had taken of the area. I also, found some info on a short film made about this very place.

Nick Veasey is an x-ray photographer.

(via Coudal)

I came across the work of a young photographer named Lissa Rivera. Her environmental photos of educational institutions are intended to simply portray and allow the viewer to draw their own conclusions. I was particularly excited to see the contrast of subject matter between this work and her newer self portrait series posted on her blog. Rivera seems to be completely comfortable switching between photographic genres.

Folks! Line up your tractors. We’ve got a record here to beat.

Get paid to Flickr.

10 Cameraphone photographs that rock.

(via monoscope)

For 18 years until his death, Hugh Crawford snapped a polaroid a day.

(via Patterns In the Sound)

While on the topic of hair, this sure seems appropriate. Quirky Japanese designer/director, Nagi Noda created some interesting hairstyles. She linked up with photographer, Kenneth Cappello to shoot these hair hats.

(via Kenneth Cappello)

Elkie Vanstiphout is a young photographer, model, and musician from Belgium. I consistently saw photos of her posted on the image sharing site ffffound. With a closer look, I realized that Elkie’s moody photos were indeed self-portraits.

Mikael Kennedy is a Brooklyn based photographer. I recently came across this bluish series of his polaroid snaps.

Recently I posted about Pascal Dagin, the world’s premier fashion photo retoucher. I’ve also recently posted about Unilever’s brand Dove and some of their practices, both good and bad as a cosmetics manufacturer. Their global Campaign for Real Beauty was aimed at portraying what women truly look like in the real world. Ironically, the company hired the world’s greatest photo retoucher for that very campaign. Why? Because even real beauty needs a little post production help from time to time.

The New Yorker just did a piece on Pascal Dangin, the world’s foremost image retoucher of fashion photography.

Humble Arts Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that aims to support upcoming fine art photographers through exhibitions and grants. Many of their photographer’s works are priced very reasonably for collectors just starting out; have a look. (Photo below by Sam Morgan.)

An intimate photo-set of young American vagabonds (photographer unknown).

Since I recently posted about satellite debris currently in orbit, it seems befitting that I would come across a more positive side of space exploration. It has been 18 years since the Hubble Telescope was launched, and to celebrate NASA has posted some brilliant images of merging galaxies.

(via kottke)

Combining performance art and photography, illusion artist Li Wei produces some pretty extraordinary moments.

At the young age of 30, photographer Ryan McGinley has firmly established himself as one of the most celebrated fine art photographers of his generation. His current series entitled, I Know Where the Summer Goes is on display at New York’s Team Gallery until May 3rd. For this project inspired by nudist magazines from the 60’s & 70’s, McGinley hit the road with a group of models for the summer. Having shot 4000 rolls of film that resulted in 150,000 images, McGinley edited the show down to 50 photographs.

A closer look at Juergen Teller’s long standing collaboration with fashion designer Marc Jacobs and the use of Victoria Beckham’s legs.

German photographer Walter Schels and his partner Beate Lakotta have created a collection of photos contrasting portraits of the dying with their image just after passing. The series entitled Life Before Death will be on display at London’s Wellcome Collection from April 9 - May 18. 

Errol Morris discusses Abu Ghraib and the importance of a photographic moment. 

Errol Morris discusses the role of the re-enactment as a means to investigate truth.

Morris’ newest film, Standard Operating Procedure opens in theaters April 25th. The film examines the Abu Ghraib torture incidents and the photos that serve as proof of the events.

Controversial photographer Joel Peter Witkin is best known for his sepia toned images. Often employing the use of cadavers and societies “freaks” for models, his photos are created with painstaking detail. For the most part his work has been celebrated by the fine art world in museums and galleries by audiences with a taste for the macabre. Fashion designer Alexander McQueen, tipped his hat to Witkin’s odalisque when he created a filmed homage to show off his Spring/Summer 2001 collection.  I never would have expected to find Witkin’s work in a NY Times fashion spread, highlighting designs by the Louis Vuitton, Prada, Ralph Lauren and of course McQueen. This feature dates back to 2006.

Photographer Carrie Levy began to win applause for her work at a very young age. Her photos have been displayed in countless exhibitions around the world. She has published her work in several prestigious collections and produced a book including a documentary series on her family’s coping process from her father’s incarceration, entitled 51 Months. Levy has launched a beautiful gallery of her images. She also happens to be one of my favorite people in the world. Her collaboration on the design of the site with Mandy Brown, another one of my favorite people (& better half) proves that simplicity is key when displaying work.

I really don’t how I found this but I am truly fascinated by these Victorian post-mortem photos.