Fazal Ilahi Sheikh came by his interest in displaced people naturally. You could say it was the family business. He was born in New York City in 1965. His father, though, was born in Nairobi, Kenya and his grandfather was born in a part of … Keep readingFazal Sheikh
What do you get when you cross a dissatisfied urban planner and a fine arts photographer? What you get is David Allee. Allee earned a BA in Government and Economics from Cornell University in 1991, and went to work as an urban and environmental planner. … Keep readingDavid S. Allee
I know almost nothing about Zhou Hai, this week’s Sunday Salon photographer. I know he was born in 1970 in the city of Guilin, which is located in the Guangxi region of China — a region known for its natural beauty. I know he attended … Keep readingZhou Hai
Jeff Wall is best known for his large scale directorial photographs. Large scale directorial photographs? What the hell does that mean? In essence, it means Wall uses an 8×10 view camera to take staged photographs of events in such a way that they resemble a … Keep readingJeff Wall
Toys are, by definition, objects of play. In the hands of photographer David Levinthal, however, these objects of play play with our objectivity. He turns the innocence of toys upside down, using tiny figurines to create lurid scenes, some of which are vaguely menacing, some … Keep readingDavid Levinthal
Larry Burrows arrived in Vietnam in 1962 at the age of thirty-six. He’d been a professional photographer for Life magazine for almost a decade. He’d covered some violent places at violent times (tribal conflict in the Congo, sporadic hostility in the Middle East) and in … Keep readingLarry Burrows
Some photographers have an agenda. They see photography less as a form of expression and more as a tool for bringing public awareness to their cause. Their photography is not intended to please, but to inform; not meant to form an aesthetic, but to form … Keep readingLewis Hine
The photograph below was my introduction to Finnish photographer Pentti Sammallahti. I was completely charmed by it and immediately wanted to see more of the photographer’s work. I discovered that in some ways, this photo wasn’t necessarily representative of the scope of Sammallahti’s work; it’s … Keep readingPentti Sammallahti
There are a few fortunate people who know early on what they want to do for the rest of their lives–and actually find a way to do it. One of those felicitous folks is Bruce Davidson. Born in Chicago in 1933, Davidson first picked up … Keep readingBruce Davidson
There’s been a lot of discussion lately about the relationship between reality and photography. There’s been discussion about what constitutes a “photograph.” These aren’t new discussions, of course (although given Flickr’s NIPSA rules, they are increasingly personal and pertinent). These discussions make this an appropriate … Keep readingJoan Fontcuberta