“It is from walking attentively through a place at different times and in different light and weather that we can most assuredly come to know the character that abides within that place despite its changing appearances. Out of this direct knowledge almost inevitably grows understanding, affection, and an impulse to take some responsibility for where we are.”

-Gregory Conniff, from his introduction to his book Wild Edges

Lafayette County, Mississippi, Gregory Conniff , 2005

“The subject of landscape as a photographic possibility is both pleasurable and very difficult. The subject itself is simply perfect, and no matter how well you manage as a photographer, you will only ever give a hint as to how good the real thing is. We photographers don’t really make anything: we peck at the world and try to find something curious or wild or beautiful that might fit into what the medium of photography can hold.”

-Lee Friedlander, from his introduction to Lee Friedlander Photographs Frederick Law Olmstead Landscapes

I have been pecking away at the world myself and have a few photographs from the past winter to show for it. I’ll have something to share soon, I hope. I’ve been having some trouble with the weather these last few weeks, so mostly I just drive around Long Island and take notes on places I would eventually like to photograph if I ever get the chance.

I am pleased to announce the recipient of the 2010 Film Grant, Chris Hoge. Here are some photographs from Chris, with details about his process below.

Chris’s project involves the creation of a custom 360 degree panorama pinhole camera, based on a device called the Ovnipan. The camera will have a total of 6 pinhole apertures, each overlapping to create one continuous 6x21cm image on the film. The images above are simulations that Chris made with a digital SLR while the camera itself is still under construction.

Chris Hoge's panoramic pinhole camera, construction detail

Chris will also be using the Polaroid film in a modified SX-70. I’ll be checking in with Chris over the coming months and look forward to seeing how this project develops.

One more big thanks goes out to Mike Sinclair, who donated a significant amount of film for the grant. Thanks Mike!

Alexi Hobbs’ new series: Hunters and Heirs. Wonderful.

Photograph from the series Boonville, by Timothy Briner

If you’re in the NYC area, be sure to catch the opening of Timothy Briner’s Boonville exhibition tonight at Daniel Cooney Fine Art. For some more background on Timothy’s work, here’s an interview I did with him over the summer for Too Much Chocolate.

Daniel Cooney Fine Art
511 West 25th street, #506
New York, NY 10001

Boonville opening January 7, 6-8 PM

I love these desert images from photographer Allie Mount. I discovered Allie on Flickr a couple of weeks ago and was instantly smitten.

“For a shot to be good—suggestive of more than just what it is—it has to come perilously near being bad, just a view of stuff.”

- Robert Adams, 1970

Andy at Flak Photo is putting out a call for your favorite winter images. I added a whole bunch to the list, and then realized that I couldn’t stop looking for more. Here are some of my favorites so far:

Jennifer Boomer

Justin James Reed

Brian Ulrich

Rachel Hulin

Sean Stewart

Noah Wilson

Peter Baker

Corey Arnold

Ben Huff

Alexi Hobbs

J Zorn

All photographs link back to the photographer’s website. What are some of your favorite winter photographs? Go tell Andy or leave them in the comments.

Photograph by Brandon Schulman

I don’t know Brandon Schulman, and I had never heard of him before yesterday. I was browsing Kickstarter the other day when I came across his project proposal, which looked interesting to me. I watched the video and visited his website, and decided to donate some money to his project.

Kickstarter is website that helps creative people get funding for their projects. You post some information about your project on the site, and people pledge to donate. The donations are only made once the project has met it’s fundraising goal. Brandon, for example, needs $3,000 to continue work on his photography project. He’s got about $2,500 pledged so far, and looks like he has a pretty good chance of making his goal of $3,000 by December 1. If he doesn’t make it to his goal, he doesn’t get any of the money. Those who pledge are rewarded with photos from the trip—a few 4×5 contact prints at the lowest level all the way up to a complete portfolio of c-prints for a $3,000 pledge—along with the warm feeling that they are helping a photographer fund a dream project.

Kickstarter is a fairly new site, but it seems to be doing well. Take a look through some of the recently funded projects; these are all ideas that are going to become reality because someone like you or me chipped in a few dollars. If you’re interested in getting involved, or have a project of your own that you need to raise money for, it’s definitely worth taking some time to explore the site.

Photograph by Brandon Schulman

Photograph by Brandon Schulman

Andrew Zuckerman’s photographs of birds are mesmerizing and beautiful.

Western Screech Owl, Photograph by Andrew Zuckerman

via kottke