Garret Suhrie

All images © Garret Suhrie

These intensely beautiful images shown here are by far the strongest from Garret Suhrie´s project Phantasmagoria which in all fairness is a bit of a mixed big. Still, writing eloquently on the work, Suhrie says:

"This series developed from my love of exploring the natural world. Often viewed as well-trodden territory lacking in original artistic opportunity, these images are effort to debunk that fallacy: hile the natural world has been well documented throughout generations of infinite talent, there are still amazing original sights hidden everywhere – the key to finding them is having the patience to look in a different light. My preferred scenes are cloaked in the night; beauty doesn’t fade with the sun, it just hides. Instead of a blank canvas, I start with a black canvas; instead of a paintbrush, a flashlight. The light transforms the subjects to be so strangely engaging that they seem surreal, a distorted aesthetic often bizarre and unbelievable: Lonely locations containing an eerie stillness and silence, despite their dynamic creation. These images are my effort to shine a new light on a way to see the world."

Garret Suhrie graduated from the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, majoring in Art History and Studio Arts, with minors in Photography and Italian. After graduating, he took a job in Los Angeles as studio manager/producer for David LaChapelle, eventually moving into the post-production end. His work has appeared in various publications (Wall Street Journal, Luxuriant, Flaunt, etc) a few small exhibitions in Los Angeles and Philadelphia, and most recently at Smithsonian Museum in DC. Upcoming shows will take place in St. Moritz and Berlin showing in conjunction with David LaChapelle, made possible by a grant Suhrie received from the Maybach Foundation.

Larry Sultan on The Genius of Photography

This man needs no introduction. Here is the late great Larry Sultan speaking about family, domestic life and the role photography has played in its construction and mythology.

Klaus Pichler

All images © Klaus Pichler

The very gracious Klaus Pichler wrote to 1000 Words to introduce a series he is working on at the moment called Skeletons in the Closet. It deals with the backstage environments and storage sites of the Museum of Natural History in Vienna.

Yes, there are a handful of photographers who have turned their lens´ on these sorts of spaces but, needless to say, Pichler has given form to these ideas better than most. The project is still in its infancy but already several strong images have come forth so if he can pull the rest of the pictures in the series up to this standard then something will happen for him, no doubt about it.

Talking about how the project´s origins he says, "It all started when I happened to catch a glimpse through a basement window of the museum of natural history one night: an office with a desk, a computer, shelves and a stuffed antelope. This experience left me wondering: what does a museum look like behind the scenes?" He adds: "Therefore, the focus of this study is not on the exhibition spaces of the museum of natural history, but on the space behind the scenes, particularly depots, cellars, and storage rooms assigned to individual departments which are generally not accessible to the public. These spaces are used for the storage of countless exhibits belonging to various collections, sorted following a rigidly scientific classification system, but also taking into account the limited storage space available."

"As a photographer with limited knowledge of scientific research methods, the museum’s back rooms presented to me a huge array of still lives. Their creation is determined by the need to find space saving storage solutions for the preservation of objects but also the fact that work on and with the exhibits is an ongoing process. Full of life, but dead nonetheless. Surprises included!"

Klaus Pichler was born 1977 in the province of Styria/Austria and moved to Vienna 14years ago. His original profession was landscape architecture, but while studying he says he became "more fond of photography", which he taught himself over the years. "I don't have any photographical education," he says. "After I graduated in 2005 I quit my profession and now work as a freelance photographer and photo artist. The topics that interest me in my photographic work are both everyday life in its varying forms as well as social groups with their own codes and rules. I like to catch a glimpse behind the scenes and to document it with a conceptual approach."

Anna Strand

All images © Anna Strand

"I work with staged photography and text to examine the elusive parts of existence, the unreal aspects of reality," says Anna Strand by way of introduction to her brilliant project Never complain, never explain. Elaborating a little, she says that her photography "deals with our way of seeing by routine and our habit of using words and concepts by routine. In that way I want to come closer to what’s beyond the describable."

I must admit, hers is not the best artist statement I´ve ever read but Swedish photographer Anna Strand is definitely onto something here. I like the irreverent sense of humour present in the work which coupled with the enigmatic quality and clean aesthetic assures its success as both individual images and a methodically built up collection of pictures.

Strand works around the subject rather than addressing it directly; her method of enquiry is not aimed at solving problems, but at undermining uncertainties: "Lately I more specifically have been focused on the contradiction concerning the desire to disappear and at the same time wanting to be somebody. To be somebody is necessary in our world but at the same time it confines us in a frustrating way. The persons and objects in my images can be understood as performers, examining the world in and how to be a part of it in their own way."

To see more examples of her work, and to read her biography go to www.annastrand.se

Payback 2010

Every photographers deserves Payback

DACS has now launched Payback 2010 and this year we have a share of over £3 million of royalties to pay to photographers whose work has been reproduced in UK books or magazines or on certain television channels. Photographers have until 17 September 2010 to make their claim.

DACS negotiates these royalties on behalf of photographers and other visual artists. In 2009, DACS paid out a share of £3 million to 11,628 visual artists.

Did you know?

-In 2009, the average Payback claim was £300
-Last year the highest payment of £5600 was made to a photographer
-Every photographer who makes a successful Payback claim is guaranteed a minimum of £25

Where does the money come from?

Payback royalties come from revenue generated through collective licensing schemes. Collective licensing is used in situations where it would be difficult or near impossible for photographers to licence their rights on an individual basis, for example, when an individual wishes to photocopy a page of a book or magazine which features their work.

"It’s a win-win situation. All they need to do is fill in a Payback claim form telling DACS which books, magazines and television programmes their work has featured in. Once they’ve had a successful Payback claim, they can claim for the same published work every year, so the size of their claim could increase if they have new work." says Nicolas Watkins-Wright, DACS Payback Manager.

Photographer Betsie van de Meer also has some advice for photographers claiming for the first time:

"I hadn’t heard of Payback before last year. A photographer friend told me about it and so I contacted DACS. Initially I had a lot of questions about what work I could claim for. DACS were really helpful, they explained what I needed to do and it became very simple after that. Getting the first royalty felt great. It came just before Christmas and I was really surprised by the amount."

In order to make a claim photographers need to provide up to three examples of both books and magazines where their work has featured. We just need to know the publication title, ISBN/ISSN or barcode number, plus the cover date, issue number or year of publication. Photographers can also claim for all work which has featured on any of the following TV channels in 2009 only - BBC 1, 2, 3, 4, BBC News 24/ Parliament, CBBC, CBeebies, ITV1, Channel 4, SC4 and Channel 5.

The easiest way to claim is to fill in the form online at www.dacs.org.uk. Alternatively they can request a claim form to be sent to them by post or email. For further information about Payback or to request a claim form contact the Payback team on 020 7553 9062 or email payback(at)dacs(dot)org(dot)uk

Established by artists for artists, DACS (the Design and Artists Copyright Society) is the UK’s leading visual arts rights management organisation. As a not-for-profit organisation, DACS translates rights into revenues and recognition for a wide spectrum of visual artists. DACS exists to generate and distribute money to artists, which in turn, helps to sustain their practice and livelihood.

DACS offers three rights management services – copyright licensing, Artist’s Resale Right and collective licensing – in addition to lobbying, advocacy and legal advice for visual artists. In 2009, DACS distributed over £6.1 million of royalties to artists and their beneficiaries. DACS takes a small administration charge on the Payback royalties collected on behalf of artists in order to cover the costs of running the service. Since 2008 this charge has been reduced from 25% to 22% in a continued effort to pay out even more to visual artists.

William Klein: Out of Necessity

Want a lesson from a living legend? Thought so. Sit back and watch this rare interview with William Klein. Enjoy!

Fernanda Montoro

All images © Fernanda Montoro

Fans of the Polaroid will hopefully revel in these pictures that have been sent in by Fernanda Montoro. I, for one, was bowled over by the dreamy and poetic nature of her images. Some may indeed argue that the Polaroid simply offers yet another form of processed nostalgia but there is no getting away from its singular ability to convey the intimacy and melancholy beauty of things; in other words, a "thereness".

Fernanda Montoro was born in Uruguay, in 1974. In 2002 after 10 years working in the scientific field, Fernanda moved to London where she studied film-making and set up Satori films. During the process of making short documentaries Fernanda discovered her passion for photography. Today she lives and works as a freelance photographer between London and Montevideo, using mainly vintage Polaroid cameras. Her limited edition archival giclée prints and original Polaroid work has been exhibited in galleries around the world and published in numerous magazines and books.

Talking about the photographs shown here, Montoro says:

"Two years ago I made the decision to shoot, almost exclusively, with a Polaroid sx70camera. I had fallen madly in love with the way Polaroid magically captures light, with the distinctive quality that a polaroid photo has. Also, I am interested in telling stories and expressing myself through visuals and Polaroid and its dreamy, blurred quality is the perfect means for me to do that. I called this selection of photos Time Zero.Time Zero is one type of film that Polaroid produced until 2006. It's become harder and harder to find, but that only makes it even more special. For me, the texture, saturation of pictures taken with Time Zero film equals none."