Thank you

Sorry for my absence in the last couple of weeks... no real excuses at hand, other than I designed a book of our new house (well actually more of the surrounds) for my parents for xmas and it took longer than expected - as most things do. I love it that in our minds we can think about all the great projects we like to do and they are done as quickly as we can dream them up, but if we begin the project in earnest, well... it always takes much longer.

Also a big thank you to Bryan from la pura vida for including UYW in his "Top 15 Photography Websites of 2010."
It is an honor to be on this list along with Ahorn Magazine, 1000 Words Magazine, Daylight Magazine, The New Yorker's PhotoBooth, Jen Bekman's Hey Hot Shot, Wired Magazine's RAW blog, Luceo Images, The New York Times Lens Blog, Blake Andrews' blog, Pictory, Flickr, Tumblr and Urbanautica.

What we remember

The other day I discovered the work by Eugen Litwinow. His luxurious series "Obratno" presents a great story about his trip to Russia, to connect with his wider family he hasn't seen in 17 years. via

Where is my summer

I am a summer girl, but so far we had rain and rain and more rain - don't get me wrong it is nice and very necessary to have rain, but a bit of sun with rain - well makes rainbows... anyway... Today I came across Oksana Yushko and felt inspired by his colors, ease and quirks of his images. (Via)

New UYW issue

The other weekend I went to an exhibition opening and whilst enjoying a glass of champagne and the paintings around me I tried to imagine a world without art. I simply couldn’t, or better said, I wouldn’t let myself imagine such a depressing world. Art is varied and whilst we all have such different tastes it is simply a necessity. Every time I think of giving up - I imagine my world without my cameras... and without art – and I think I would have to go and see a psychologist instead, but I prefer looking through the view finder and creating to sitting on a couch.

This month I invited five artists who could not be more different in their style of photography, but each one of them delighted my eyes and heart in a different way. They all use their BW photography as an entrance to unknown worlds. Worlds of mystery, beauty, delight and joy - time and time again. They are completely different in details and are engaging us in a distinctive development of their ideas. Their simplicity transforms into something memorable and creates a possibility. So to finish off this great year I invited

Paula McCartney
Roger Ballen
Rodney Smith
Rhondal McKinney
Michelle Kloehn

Why did I make it an exclusive BW issue? In the middle of the year, I spent a couple of days in Rome and stayed with Fabio Severo. His knowledge of photography and BW inspired me no end and I invited him to write the foreword, to share his knowledge on this subject from a different point of view.

You'll find the new issue here. There won’t be an UYW edition in January as I will need some time to concentrate on my work and then go to a workshop in January with Todd Hido and Bruce Gilden in NZ.

Looking outward

If we find someone gazing into the distance - we are intrigued. We wonder what catches their attention and makes them look in the same direction? There is a quiet sharing of knowledge while studying the distance. Ana Cabaleiro's beautiful film images do just these. They make us gaze out with her.

Singleness

On saturday while there was a power failure I finally got around to tidying my office. The key is to sort everything and eleminate anything you do not need. You know how it is once you loose control, your study it will stay like that for a long while... Tim Davis "Office" images have a simplicity combined with an abundance of beautiful colours. And as Albert Einstein said: "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."

Habits of dreaming

"Either one does not dream at all, or one dreams in an interesting manner. One must learn to be awake in the same fashion: either not at all, or in an interesting manner.” Friedrich Nietzsche
Dreaming can be a form of planning and framing the hours inside our imagination. Looking at Joe Nigel Coleman's "dreaming" series I am guided through his grand possibilities which make me ask if I am dreaming or remembering.

Natural history

I came across Kim Boske's work in the new Foam magazine and simply had to look up her website. I was rather delighted to come across her series "decay can be very slow". I am drawn to these images as I get to experience nature in slow time. I can look and study these animals for as long as I wish - without them simply vanishing into thin air. Her images provide us with a lot of information - past - present - and it can take a while to be able to register the details. Not hidden, but one has to look closer to find those treasures.

Our garden

Ok, so it has been a bit quiet here over the last month but I thought I show you why. Well we moved into this new house in the country and our garden is 10 times bigger - well definitely bigger then the tiny one we had in the city. Dont get me wrong - it is not huge, but to look after 1000sqm is enough to keep me happily busy. A couple of month ago I took these - wandering around and discovering all the plants. As always, it is interesting to look back, because since - our garden has turned into a jungle and keeping up with it - is a battle I enjoy.

From one page to another

There is so much great information available that it is hard to find time for anything else. Have a look at the new Ahorn magazine. While there, maybe read the great and insightful interview with Todd Hido. Then I found an interesting video with Roger Ballen, part of DVAfoto blog, which is also on the list of favorite photo bloggers on Wired’s Raw File. And dont forget to have a look at this incredible video by Aaron Huey on TED about his project on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. There is no end to great images & stories, but sometimes it is good to shut down the computer and step away from it. So... I am off to the market and then to take some more images of the rain.

Voyage

Is there a subject greater than the sea? Do all rivers take you to the sea? "Asleep at sea" is a stunning series by Jane Tam.

Intangible conflict

I have been researching infra red techniques and images and came across Richard Mosse's "Infra". I have never seen such amazing infra reds, that I had to find out more. So, after more research I found two great interviews here and here. And the irony of this is, that after all this research I discovered that the film is no longer available.