Photographer #415: Thomas Locke Hobbs

Thomas Locke Hobbs, 1976, USA, is a photographer who has been based in Buenos Aires since 2008. Although his background is in economics and finance he decided to dedicate himself full-time to photography in 2008. He started following numerous workshops in order to further his technical skills as well as to define what photography is to him. Thomas works in a very exploratory manner, investigating the city he lives in from various different perspectives. His conceptual series are the work of an organized photographer who looks at the city as an outsider. His series Ochava Solstice is a collection of large format photographs showing the corners of numerous buildings. In the early 20th century the government mandated that buildings on corners in Buenos Aires have diagonal edges to improve visibility for cars. However, from the 1960's onwards, the economic imperatives of real estate development demanded maximum square footage. The ground floors are diagonal edge, the floors above have square edges. This way of building leaves a triangular shadow which tracks the sun as a sun dial would. The following images come from the series Ochava Solstice, Riverbank and Chalet Porteño.

Website: www.thomaslockehobbs.com

Photographer #414: Sabelo Mlangeni

Sabelo Mlangeni, 1980, is a South African documentary photographer. He was able to study photography thanks to a bursary from the Market Photo Workshop and graduated in 2004. In 2010 he released the book Country Girls, an intimate portrait of gay life in the countryside of South-Africa. The areas in which he photographed are rough and poor, yet Sabelo shows that glamour is also present. He worked on this project for six years, focusing on drag queens, hairstylists and beauty pageant contestants who are still often perceived as un-African or un-Christian. Besides Country Girls he also released the series Men Only as a book and a catalogue containing his series At Home and Ghost Towns. Ghost Towns concentrates on small towns that have been abandoned due to immigration towards the country's urban areas. His work has been shown at several venues in South-Africa, UK, Germany, Italy and the US. The following images come from the series Ghost Towns, Country Girls and At Home.

Website: www.stevenson.info

Photographer #413: Andrew B. Myers

Andrew B. Myers, 1987, is a young Canadian photographer based in Toronto. He has a very distinct photographic style. His work is aesthetic, using carefully placed objects on simple color backgrounds which creates a large area of negative space. Due to the use of negative space the images gain an awkward flatness. His photographs are well composed, graphic and stylish. The sunlit shadows, washed out colors as well as the objects used refer back to the 1970's and 1980's with a modern twist. Andrew's photographs contain elements of nostalgia and pop culture. The following images come from the portfolio's 2011 PT.1, 2010 PT.1 and 2009.

Website: www.andrewbmyers.com

Photographer #412: Paulina Otylie Surys

Paulina Otylie Surys, 1979, Poland, is a fine art and fashion photographer based in London, UK. Only recently she has launched herself as a fashion photographer. She studied fine art in Poland and photography in the UK. She uses a variety of camera's, mostly vintage one's working with 35mm, medium format and large format film. Currently she is interested in working on other alternative techniques as tintypes and the wet collodion proces. Her analogue images are hand-painted using a mixture of toners, chemicals, inks and dry dyes. The photographs are often described as outerworldly and have a strong relationship with classic photography and painting. Her work has appeared in numerous magazines. The following images come from the series The Deadly Chair of Moros, Sever and Une Belle Sauvage.

Website: www.paulinasurys.co.uk

Photographer #411: Adam Amengual

Adam Amengual, 1981, USA, is a portrait photographer based in Brooklyn, New York. He studied at Massachusetts College of Art and Parsons School of Design. After graduating he started assisting commercial photographers as Ruven Afanador and Art Streiber. Even though he was photographing for himself and commercially he felt the urge to create his own series. While researching gangs, cults and hardcore religious factions he came accross Homeboy Industries, a non-profit organization assisting former gang members to become positive and contributing members of society. He portrayed the former gang members at Homeboy Industries which resulted in a series named Homies. The images are stylized and aesthetically composed mug shots. He hopes that the viewer connects to the portrayed on a more human level. It is important to Adam that his subjects are always shown in a respectful manner. The following images come from the series Homies: Portraits of Former LA Gang Members, Day Laborers and People, Places, and Things...

Website: www.adamamengual.com

Photographer #410: Christopher Anderson

Christopher Anderson, 1970, Canada/USA, is an all rounded photographer who is well-known for his documentary / photo-journalistic work. He has traveled extensively to conflict zones throughout the world as Israel, Afghanistan and Haiti. He photographed these conflicts from a personal point of view. In 2009 he released the book Capitolio, a cinematic journey into Caracas, Venezuela. "He notates the country's current incongruities, where the violent and the sensual intermingle chaotically." (Magnum Photos) A recent body of work is called Son. He photographed his wife, his son and his father who was ill with cancer. Due to the birth of his son and several other happenings Christopher has decided to step away from war photography. Son is a very intimate and emotional project, touching themes as the cycle of life. It is a project that defines the real reasons for our existence and our drive as human beings. Christopher joined Magnum Photos in 2005 and became a full member in 2010. He has worked on commercial fashion shoots and had portrait sessions with people as Lady Gaga, Lance Armstrong and Al Pacino. The following images come from his book projects Son and Capitolio and from his story on Bethlehem.

Website: www.christopherandersonphoto.com

 (Video 2008)

Photographer #409: Shinya Arimoto

Shinya Arimoto, 1971, Japan, is a conceptual documentary photographer who studied at the School of Visual Arts in Osaka. Within his body of work there is a lot of street photography containing images of structures, objects, women and homeless people. In contrast to a lot of other street photographers he does not just snap his camera but carefully creates the images showing a photographer who communicates with his subjects. The world he shows us is chaotic and vibrant yet he manages to create a sense of calm within his photographs. His story-telling images are well-composed, sensitive and intimate. His work has been exhibited on numerous occasions in Japan. The Totem Pole Photo Gallery released two limited edition 20 page books with his work. The following images come from the portfolios Ariphoto2011 Vol.1, Ariphoto2009 Vol.3 Why Now Tibet and Ariphoto2009 Vol.1.

Website: www.arimotoshinya.com

Photographer #408: Stephen Gill

Stephen Gill, 1971, UK, is an experimental, conceptual and documentary photographer. In 2005 he founded his publishing company in order to gain maximum control over the publication process of his books. He has released an impressive amount of books. For him a book is not merely a vessel or a shell in which to house and show his photographs, it should be the finished expression of the images. Various techniques are used as cut printing, spray paint or rubber stamps are used to what he considers "the key final stage in the production of his photographic works." The images for the series Outside In were made in Brighton where he featured objects found in the local surroundings that he literally put inside of his camera and started making images of street sceneries. To finish the images he used a magnifying glass to concentrate the sunlight onto some of the negatives in order to create markings. Other negatives were dipped into the sea hoping that the finished series would become something like the regurgitated contents of a giant vacuum cleaner. For his series Billboards he photographed the backsides of these large objects taking us to strange places that are normally hidden from our point of view. His work has been exhibited extensively throughout the world. The following images come from the series Outside In, Billboards and Hackney Flowers.

Website: www.stephengill.co.uk

Photographer #407: Francisco Reina

Francisco Reina, 1979, Spain, is a politically and socially-engaged conceptual photographer based in The Netherlands. In his project The Art of Power he meticulously manipulated architectural elements that depict political institutions, making them into impenetrable structures. We see the  ruling institutions of today as rational enterprises who's interest should be to further the interest of their societies as a whole. Francisco strongly believes that this notion is not always rooted in reality and that the leaders of our world are gradually becoming an elite class primarily concerned with defending its own interests. The series called Strauss' Legacy focuses on "the so-called neoconservatives and the way in which their presence in the American presidential administration on September 11, 2001 shaped events."  He created images that through a conceptual way takes a close look at "the role of multinational corporations in a conflict which began under the name "Operation Enduring Freedom" and turned into a perfect market niche for multi-million dollar earnings." His work has been exhibited mainly in Spain, but also in The Netherlands and New York. The following images come from the series The Art of Power, Strauss' Legacy and The Silent Enigma.

Website: www.franciscoreina.com

Photographer #406: Txema Yeste

Txema Yeste, 1972, Spain, is a fashion photographer based in Barcelona, Spain. His career started as a reporter after completing his photographic studies in Barcelona and Birmingham. He was traveling the world shooting images for newspapers like El Pais. He sees this period as very helpful for the photography he does today. His editorial fashion shoots have a narrative quality, build up of story-telling images. This is reflected in the titles given to the series as Spy in Nice, A Summer Waisting or Beyond Love and Evil. Txema is known for his sophisticated style, his experimentations, surrealism and graphic expression. His work has appeared in numerous magazines as Harper's Bazaar, V Magazine and Vogue. Amongst his commercial clients are major brands as Lacoste, Levi's and Nike. The following images come from various different shoots.

Website: www.txemayeste.es

Photographer #405: Daniel Gordon

Daniel Gordon, 1980, USA, is a conceptual photographer who lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. He received a BA at Bard College in 2003 and an MFA at Yale University in 2006. He works in a sculptural way. He searches on the internet for images that he can use. The images he finds are printed and cut in order to make large three dimensional collages. These collages are life-size, using his own body as a reference. Once the collages are finished he photographs them with a large format camera. After the photograph has been made he disassembles the sculptures in order to use several body parts for new works. In his series Thin Skin II he depicts the human body in extreme situations as giving birth, accidents and operations. Both of his parents were doctors and he feels that seeing the images of operations when he was young have influenced him in his work today. His photographs have been exhibited extensively in the US and several times in Switzerland and France. The following works come from the series Still Lifes, Portraits & Parts, Portrait Studio and Thin Skin II.

Website: www.danielgordonstudio.com

Photographer #404: Hiroshi Watanabe

Hiroshi Watanabe, 1951, Japan, is a California based photographer who graduated from the Department of Photography at Nihon University in 1975. He moved to the US and started working in the production of TV commercials. Later he even created his own production company. 20 years later, in 1995, he started to photograph again and travel the world. He closed the production company in 2000 and has since devoted his time to be a photographer. Hiroshi is interested in what humans do, seeking to capture people and traditions. In 2010 he released the book Love Point which contains studio images of sexdolls mixed with images of real girls dressed in the same way. For his book Suo Sarumawashi he photographed a tradition that has existed for over a thousand years in Japan. Dancing and performing monkeys were initially used as a form of religious ritual to protect the horses of warriors. Today they perform acrobatic stunts and comedic skits for an audience. He took intimate portraits of the monkeys, displaying human-like features. Hiroshi has released a large number of books and his work has been exhibited extensively throughout the world. The following images come from the series Love Point, Suo Sarumawashi and Kabuki Players.

Website: www.hiroshiwatanabe.com

Photographer #403: Chadwick Tyler

Chadwick Tyler, 1975, USA, is a fashion / fine-art photographer based in Brooklyn, New York. His work career started in art direction and corporate advertising. In 2005 he began focusing on photography, learning the basic technical competence under the guidance of still-life photographer Larry Wittek. In 2009 he had his first solo exhibition entilted Tiberius. The large exhibition was filled with beautiful female characters in black and white photographs. He played with the themes of ecstasy, hysteria, confusion, lethargy, exhaustion and more expressive emotions. He used 52 models to realise all the images for the show, often in strange positions and showing expressive faces. The result was a strong, refreshing, raw yet classy and brain triggering set of images that challenges contemporary notions of beauty. His photography has been featured in numerous magazines as Dazed and Confused, Grey and AnOther. The first two rows of images come from the portfolio VIII and the last row is Mercedes: Quantum Present.

Website: www.chadwicktyler.com

Photographer #402: Stefan Milev

Stefan Milev, 1981, Bulgaria, is a very productive fashion and fine-art photographer based in Paris, France. He spend seven years assisting major photographers around the globe and worked as a photographer in New York for a period of three years. He wants his images to resemble paintings and includes a sense of mystery and beauty, trying to capture emotion, mystic and soul. He wants the photographs to be simple and unique. He is heavily inspired by the great photographers of the 19th and 20th century as Alvin Langdon Coburn, George Seeley, Peter Lindbergh, Irving Penn and Helmut Newton. His images have appeared in magazines and publications as Tranoï Magazine, DERZEIT Magazine and Qvest. The following images come from various different shoots.

Website: www.stefanmilev.com

Photographer #401: iO Tillett Wright

iO Tillett Wright, 1985, USA, is a young photographer based in New York City. She is currently working on the project entitled Self Evident Truths. The project started as part of an exhibition called Manifest Equality. She shot 300 portraits of people who felt that the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning (LGBTQ) desciption applied to them. These portraits were laid in stacks for visitors to take home for free. Currently she is working on another 4000-5000 portraits that will be shot in 25 different cities throughout US. For the portraits in New York she was supported by the Human Rights Campaign. "This is the civil rights fight of my generation, and this project won't be complete until queer people have the same rights as every other human being in this country." All of her projects and images contain something pure, genuine, intimate and in close contact with the reality of life. In 2010 she released the book Lose My Number in a limited edition and recently KISSER came out. iO has been published in numerous magazines as The New York Times Magazine, Vice and The Huffington Post. The following images come from the project Self Evident Truths and the books Lose My Number and KISSER.

Website: www.darlingdays.com & www.selfevidentproject.com

Photographer #400: Moises Saman

Moises Saman, Spain, 1974, Spain, is a very productive photojournalist based in New York City. He studied Communications and Sociology at California State University. Between 2000 and 2007 he worked as a staff photographer at the New York Newsday before going freelance in late 2007. For his photographic work he has traveled to countries as Pakistan, Nepal, Cuba, Lebanon and El Salvador to name a few. In his extensive portfolio we find stories that cover the earthquake aftermath in Haiti, Afghan boys who enter Europe fleeing from poverty and violence in their home-country, problems with drug cartels in Peru, the conflict in Congo that has cost the lifes of millions as well as multiple stories in Iraq focusing on an intense drought, the war and the complexities of the conflict by looking at the three major cities. He also concentrated on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Mara Salvatrucha gang in El Salvador. He released the books Afghanistan: Broken Promise (2007) and This is War (2004) as well as providing the images for the book Howard Zinn: Just War. In 2010 he became a Magnum Photos nominee. The following images come from the series Rivers of Coca, Peru 2009, The Lost Boys of Afghanistan. Greece 2009 and La Vida por las Maras 2007.

Website: www.moisessaman.com

Photographer #399: Wei Leng Tay

Wei Leng Tay, 1978, Singapore, is a photographer based in Hong Kong who explores how people live their lives within their homes. She gives the viewers a glimpse into the houses of her subjects. In her series Where do we go from here? she looks at what it is to be Japanese from the inside. The project consists of two parts, all taken in the city of Fukuoka. In the first part entitled Initial Encounters she photographed the people in a studio, which gave her an introduction to the people and the opportunity to continue her project. For the continuation of her project, Impressions of Japan, she went into their homes, discovering their relationships, priorities and lives lived. In her ongoing project Hong Kong Living she enters the homes of people and portrays the inhabitants, seeing how they live in this challenging Chinese city. The portrayed reveal a part of their Hong Kong. Her work has appeared in numerous publications and she has exhibited her photographs at several venues around the globe and extensively in Asia. The following images come from the series Discordant Symmetries - Converge, Where do we go from here?: Impressions of Japan and Hong Kong Living.

Website: www.weilengtay.com