THE BLOG

If you find yourself flying Virgin Australia this month be sure to check out the travel feature I just shot — titled “Soul of the South” — it was a great shoot with a shot list that specifically called for NO BOURBON STREET — which the photo editor put in all caps, bold and red just in case there was any question! It was a treat for me to rediscover the grace and beauty of New Orleans. Highlights included meeting Kermit Ruffins who played a few songs for me, jazz brunch at Arnaud’s, flaming Bananas Foster at Brennan’s, incredible jazz at the Preservation Hall and beyond, out in the streets too. The sunset shot of the the Mississippi River with New Orleans skyline was made from the serene rooftop deck of the National Rice Mill Lofts, a place I love — I sit there often and behold the Crescent City. Here’s the layout:

Here are some of the unpublished images from the travel feature about New Orleans in the February 2012 issue of Voyeur, the Virgin Australia in-flight magazine:

Behind the scenes at Mardi Gras World.

The Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans.

JoAnn Clevenger, owner of Upperline Restaurant, surrounded by a treasure trove of 400 art objects and memorabilia accumulated over 40 years, each of them with New Orleans associations.

Man in the doorway of his French Quarter home.

Audubon Park.

The Superdome at dusk.

I am in I am in love, love, love with the Sarah Anne Johnson’s series Arctic Wonderland. Here’s a bit of background, excerpted from The New Yorker (by Caroline Hirsch):

Sarah Anne Johnson reated her series Arctic Wonderland after an artist’s residency on board a double-masted schooner in the Norwegian territory of the Arctic Circle, sailing from untouched landscapes to abandoned mining camps. “It seemed so pristine and perfect, vast and strong, but also somehow delicate and fleeting,” she says. “After such an experience, one can’t help speculating about the impact we have on this planet.” Upon her return, Johnson went to work on the photographs she’d taken with a full visual arsenal: paint, Photoshop, embossing, printmaking. “I do this to create a more honest image,” she says. “To show not just what I saw, but how I feel about what I saw.”

Such a fun shoot!

Shooting the Perfect Trip Florida feature for Lonely Planet Magazine’s December issue was a real treat and a chance to travel down memory lane. When my family first arrived in America our first vacation was to Florida. My sisters and I were astounded by the soft, warm white sand that looked so much like the snow we left behind in Sweden. From dawn to dusk we played in the Florida surf and sand for a glorious week.  That inaugural all-American vacation was such a hit that we returned each summer thereafter.

The Perfect Trip Florida focused on five different areas of the Sunshine State with a specific angle — all in all, a great trip with the amazing and inimitable John Vlahides (writer extraordinaire!). Here are a few unpublished outtakes:

Miami (angle was “Art Deco”):

The Clevelander Hotel on Ocean Drive in South Beach.

LEFT: Exterior of the art deco Hotel Victor in Miami Beach. RIGHT: Concierge at the Hotel Victor.

Key West (angle was “Literature”):

LEFT: A painting in the Ernest Hemingway House in Key West depicts a scene from the book Old Man and the Sea. RIGHT: Dave Gonzales, the proprieter of the Ernest Hemingway House in Key West, photographed in Hemingway's office.

At the Ernest Hemingway House in Key West -- Hemingway's typewriter and a book in his library.

The pull of Key West for writers seems to have something to do with how far away it is from everything else -- it is the most southern tip of the continental US after all. LEFT: The sunset is celebrated daily in Mallory Square Dock in Key West --- people gather, watching the sun dip down into the sea on the horizon. LEFT: Key West attracts many types -- the writers, the dreamers, the bohemians and the pirates. Jack Sparrow watches one of the many ships setting sail for a sunset cruise.

Resident bohemian — Street performer Michael Bovee came to Key West 8 years ago for a vacation and decided to stay.

Cuban Coffee Queen in Key West -- delicious!!

Everglades (angle was “Nature”):

Kayaking down Turner River is a great way to see the Everglades nature up close.

LEFT: If kayaking so close to the ever-present alligators makes you squeamish there are a number of elevated boardwalks allowing for a safe passage into the mysterious ecosystem (well, except for the mosquitoes -- there is no escape from them). Pictured here is The Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk along the Tamiami Trail (Highway 41). RIGHT: Coffee mug on top of a map of the 10,000 Islands illustrating a tangle of mangrove islands reaching into the Gulf of Mexico.

In the Everglades people tend to know each other — get the inside scoop by making friends with the locals. LEFT: National Park Ranger Susan Reece in Everglades National Park is a great resource in deciphering the vast wilderness. LEFT: Everglades local Dwain Daniels holds Fred, a 3-year old alligator at Wooten's animal sanctuary. Daniel is a bit of a local celebrity at the moment, having rescued an elderly woman during an alligator attack in August.

The Everglades is home to America's smallest post office (Ochopee Florida Post Office).

Siesta Key (angle was “Best Beach”):

The peaceful, magical Siesta Key beach.

Stephanie Strahlman, a Siesta Key local, enjoying the beach and warm waters.

LEFT: Geoff Carroll, chef at S.K.O.B. (Siesta Key Oyster Bar) holds up the popular Keith's Seafood Taco plate. The S.K.O.B. interior is plastered with dollar bills with notes from patrons, a tribute to an old gulf coast tradition in which fishermen would leave a dollar at the local bar before heading out to fish in order to be able to buy a beer upon return. RIGHT: Siesta Key from above.

Apalachicola (angle was “Fishing Village”):

Apalachicola is a magical fishing village, tucked away in the Florida panhandle. It is a long drive from the other 4 locales we visited, but really worth it to see "old Florida." LEFT: Shrimp boat in Apalachicola heading out to work in the Gulf of Mexico. RIGHT: Apalachicola is famous for the abundant oysters — you can hire a fisherman, go out and harvest some oysters in the morning and have them for breakfast (a one of a kind experience!).

LEFT: T.J. Ward on his shrimp boat. Ward is a third generation fisherman in Apalachicola - his family started the 13-Mile Brand fishing company. RIGHT: Freshly boiled shrimp on a countertop decorated with local fishermen.

A Shrimp boat, The Miss Francis, in a waterway near the Apalachicola marina.

René Magritte, the man behind the famous painting of the man behind the apple (pun intended) had the following to say about hidden faces: It’s something that happens constantly. Everything we see hides another thing, we always want to see what is hidden by what we see. There is an interest in that which is hidden and which the visible does not show us. This interest can take the form of a quite intense feeling, a sort of conflict, one might say, between the visible that is hidden and the visible that is present.

I’ve been thinking about this quite a bit lately, and experimenting with it in my own work (a project that is still under wraps, stay tuned). But for now, here are some of my favorite hidden faces for inspiration:

LEFT: By Maurizio Anzeri, who makes his portraits by sewing directly into found vintage photographs. RIGHT: René Magritte's famous Son of Man painting.

Another masterpiece by Maurizio Anzeri. His embroidered patterns garnish the figures like elaborate costumes, but also suggest a psychological aura, as if revealing the person’s thoughts or feelings.

Portraits from Fastnacht, a photographic project by Axel Hoedt. The photographs were taken in 2008 during a three-week period dictated by the regional timing of the Fastnacht festival. This varies according to the date of Easter and the commencement of the Lenten period of fasting each year. Fastnacht, literally meaning 'the night before fasting,' is an annual carnival held in Germany, but also in Switzerland and Austria, which has roots in both Christian and Pagan traditions. The latter are particularly relevant to the region in which Hoedt was working, where grotesque and frightening masks are often worn to chase away the spirits of winter in preparation for the coming spring and a new harvest.

Bad boys, bad boys — whatcha gonna do when they come for you?

I am happy to report that my image of two maniacs hanging out, chatting, on top of Victoria Falls in Zambia was a winner in PDN Magazine’s feature Photo Annual 2011:

Perched in a naturally formed pocket known by locals as the “secret pool,” two men swim in the Zambezi River at the edge of Victoria Falls in Zambia during the dry season.

It’s with some great company. Check out the amazing work in the winners gallery here: http://www.pdngallery.com/contests/photoannual/2011/

“In the sky there is no distinction of East and West; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.” — Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, founder of Buddhism, 563-483 B.C.

From the Western perspective the East often appears delightfully mysterious, inexplicably profound, shrouded in centuries of layered tradition. As a thousand-year-old industry, Chinese herbal medicine falls into this category; it has been used for centuries to prevent, diagnose and treat diseases in the East. It consists mainly of natural medicines made from herbal, animal, mineral substances. Yet, despite its long history, the word “Chinese medicine” appeared only after Western medicine was introduced into China.

Mayway is a Chinese herbal medicine company that operates in both USA (Oakland, California) and China (Anguo, Heibei Province, which is the known as the “Medicine Capital”). I had the opportunity to work with Mayway to build a corporate image library for the face of their Plumflower brand (new website link coming soon). It was a fantastic and visual story to photograph, covering the people behind the herb production, from farmers to scientists. It is ultimately a story about the convergence of ancient knowledge and modern-day scientific innovation as plant life is transformed into medicine.

After the founding of New China in 1949, plenty of research has been made in various fields such as botany, identification science, chemistry, pharmacology and clinical medicine, providing scientific basis to identify the source and authenticity of herbal medicines as well as their function scheme. As Mayway shows us, Chinese herbal medicine is grounded in history and tradition but at the same time it is also very much a part of the modern-day green movement  — it is natural and the very picture of cross-cultural innovation.

Below are a few images from the Mayway shoot in China. To see images from the Mayway USA shoot click here.

A quick shot from my hotel room in Anguo at dawn

Farmer — many of the farmers are 3rd or 4rth generation farmers — they know they land intimately.

Local farmer drops off herbs at the Mayway campus in Anguo.

Mayway workers moving herbs for initial washing.

Herb sorting room at Mayway (some herbs must be hand processed).

Worker in the Mayway herb steam cleaning facility.

Woman performs quality control tests on herbal extracts.

“The arts are an even better barometer of what is happening in our world than the stock market or the debates in congress.” —Hendrik Willen Van Loon

If you find yourself in Beijing with an extra day go visit the 798 Art Zone, located in Dashanzi Art District (original 798 Factory), the heart of a growing art and culture community. I spent two full days here.

Today, the market for Chinese art, both antique and contemporary, is widely reported to be among the fastest-growing in the world. Chinese artists have a great deal to say, and much of it is strong (and often visceral) commentary on Chinese politics and culture.

Here are a few snaps of work I saw:

By the Luo Brothers. These ice sculptures of business men and soldiers were made with organs and viscera.

By the Luo Brothers. These ice sculptures of business men and soldiers were made with organs and viscera.

By Rosfer + Shaokun. Commentary on China's blocking/censorship of Facebook.

An army of tortured looking clones, mouths open. Perhaps a modern day interpretation of the Terracotta Warriors?

Not all the art at 798 is serious and sobering - loved this whimsical Dr.Seuss-like tree!