Cruisin’ by Spring 2006 HS Casey Kelbaugh

Check out the current issue of Photo District News to see Spring 2006 Hot Shot Casey Kelbaugh’s favorited photograph Cruisin’. Casey’s image, featured in all of its full-page glory, won the Best of Category for Snapshots in PDN’s World in Focus: the ultimate travel photography contest. The shot, taken in Belize, also won an Altpick award last year.

See Casey’s image and the other selected photographs in the online gallery here.

At this very moment Casey, camera in hand, is in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti capturing more potential award-winning shots. We wish him luck. Our Hot Shot Alums continue to make us proud. What fun and excitment will the Winter 2007 group bring? We expect nothing but the best.

Untitled by Winter 2007 HS Kirby Pilcher

My how time does fly. You’ve had a week to become acquainted with our sizzling new set of Hot Shots. If you haven’t checked out the HHS! work on flickr, I suggest you do so right now. Here at the jb we are pulling ourselves from the daze of excitement that usually follows the breaking news, and frantically beginning preparation for what I am positive will be yet another wild and crazy showcase. An unusual quirk of this bunch, they’ve managed to scatter themselves across the globe. Our Hot Shots hail from Oregon, Michigan, Sweden, Washington, California, London, Minnesota, and New York. And you can expect to see their sweet smiling faces when you come support their work opening night.

Be there: Wednesday March 7 from 6–8 PM.

As always, more fun to follow.

The Bute Street Goldfish, Kowloon, Hong Kong by Winter 2007 HS Ka-Man Tse

Oh yes, it is here! The time has come to announce the 10 photographers selected for the Winter 2007 Edition of Hey, Hot Shot! Here we go, the winners are:

Holly Andres
Colin Blakely
Jeffrey Krolick
Juho Kuva
Molly Landreth
Brad Moore
Kirby Pilcher
Ben Roberts
Mickey Smith
Ka-Man Tse

And now the fun begins! Pencil it in, the showcase soiree in honor of our new Hot Shots is Wednesday March 7 from 6–8pm. Make sure to see the work and support the winners. The show will be up from March 8–11, 2007 and what a show it promises to be!

Special thanks to our fantastic group of panelists––Anthony LaSala, Leslie Martin, Joerg Colberg, Amit Gupta, Eileen Gittens, Jenni Holder, Youngna Park, Christine Collins, and the Ultras, to Jeff Kirsch and Jesse Chan-Norris for all their hard work and commitment to the jb, and, of course, a gigantic thank you goes out to all of the participants for sharing their work with us.

Our panelists were faced with what promised to be the impossible, narrowing it down to a final ten proved just as difficult as expected. With so many fantastic entries coming our way, some honorable mentions are necessary:

Sarah Claire Ahlers, Alejandro Cartagena, Hin Chua, Jill Frank, Nicole Hatanaka, Shane Lavalette, Seth Lower, Jason Reblando, Paula Rebsom, Beth Riemer, Caroline Shepard, Michael Simon, Mandy Sue Springer, Will Steacy, Monika Sziladi, Daniel Traub, Andrea Wallace, Keith Kin Yan, Christopher Young

What a round, congratulations to all! Stay tuned to the HHS! Blog for more news, fun facts, and other tidbits of info for your entertainment.

Fiona by Winter 2007 Hot Shot Holly Andres

Holly Andres
Currently residing in Portland, OR

website: http://hollyandres.com

Work Statement
The reoccurring themes in my work explore the experiences in my life that have impacted and constructed my identity. I am interested in revisiting, recreating and preserving that history, but am especially fascinated with the interweaving of fact and fiction, and finding a place in which autobiography and fictitious narration come together.

The photographs that I’m submitting are from a series titled, Stories From a Short Street, which is an on-going project inspired by childhood experiences. For this series I have created a fictitious group of siblings that are loosely based on the archetypes of my own family. Each image is constructed to enact a specific moment, convey identity through space, and depict a psychological portrait.

My photo process has been informed and influenced by my early training in traditional painting, my interest in religious Renaissance art, and my nostalgia for childhood television programs such as the After School Specials and Little House on the Prairie.

Bio
I was born in 1977, the youngest daughter of ten children in rural western Montana. My older siblings voted to name me Holly; born just two days before Christmas my mom told me I was the best Christmas gift ever received. Growing up in a large family, money was scarce and since we didn’t have many toys, we entertained ourselves through imaginative storytelling and art making. Organizations like the community church and 4-H gave me my first outlets for creative projects such as photography.

A full tuition scholarship moved me to the Art Institute of Seattle were I studied architecture and illustration. I received a BFA in painting from the University of Montana, but it was while pursuing my graduate work at Portland State University, that I discovered my love for filmmaking and photography.

Selected 2006 Exhibitions and Film Festivals include the following:

• 2006 Oregon Biennial at the Portland Art Museum
• Annual National Juried Exhibition at Newspace Center for Photography
• Current Photography: New Directions, Clark College
• POW! (Pictures of Women), Quality Pictures Contemporary Art
• Private Contemplations/Private Conversations, Salem Art Association
• 31st Annual NW Film + Video Festival (Honorable Mention)
• Portland International Film Festival
• Portland Experimental Film Festival (Gearhead Filmmaker’s Grant)
• Perpetual Art Machine in New York

Confrontation with the Monster We’ve Collectively Created by Winter HS Colin Blakely

Colin Blakely
Currently residing in Ann Arbor, MI

website: http://www.colinblakely.com

Work Statement
As I have gotten older, I have turned more and more towards the familiar for inspiration and subject matter in my photographs.

In the most basic sense, this project is about the 400 and 500 blocks of Keech Avenue, an examination of my immediate surroundings. Bordered on one side by Michigan Stadium and by Almendinger Park on the other, both entities play an important role in the identity of the neighborhood.

My photographs depict this street and the people that inhabit it- both the ones that live here and the ones that visit. Some I know quite well, others are complete strangers. Overall, the work tells the story of a community that is holding on to a vanishing way of life. It is about a group of people living quite literally in Middle America- geographically, economically, politically- at a time when our notions concerning what this means are quickly changing. Having shunned the constant call of the “suburbs,� we live in a small neighborhood close to downtown. Here, the passing of time is defined as much by the rituals we collectively participate in as by the months on a calendar. This work is a celebration of and possibly a eulogy to our way of life.

Bio
I was born in Brooklyn, NY, but moved to Houston, TX earlier on in my childhood, and remained there until college. My earliest memories concerning my interest in photography center around my mother and her ongoing endeavors as a serious amateur photographer. My first real explorations in photography began as one of two yearbook photographers for my high school. I don’t know when my interest turned into an obsession, as it snuck up on me over the years. Sometime towards the end of college I stopped being able to imagine doing anything with my life that did not involve photography. After receiving a BA from Williams College in Massachusetts I went on to teach middle school for several years before returning for an MFA from the University of New Mexico. Currently, I am a professor of photography at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, MI.

Oregon Caves 10-24-06 9 by Winter 2007 Hot Shot Jeffrey Krolick

Jeffrey Krolick
Currently Residing in Ashland, OR

Work Statement
I completed a State University of New York campus-wide MFA program in 1983. My career path at that time focused primarily on fine art jewelry and sculpture, but my most consistent (and passionately practiced) artistic endeavor over the past 20 years has been photography. Although my vocation since 1986 has been in community mental heath, I have continued to explore photography in a disciplined way, while compiling a substantial body of evolving work which is just beginning to be exhibited. Photography in particular holds that impossibly seductive promise of learning to see in a new way which is at one and the same time democratic (the “subject� of each photograph is as worthy as the next) and highly individualized (the unique formal qualities of the picture such as color, framing, lighting and personal, cultural and historical referends which may be conscious choices made by the photographer or serendipitous). Walt Whitman’s stance of treating all moments as of equal consequence (the democratic) and Gary Winogrand’s stated purpose in taking photographs – to see what the subject looks like as a photograph (individualized seeing) are the essential dynamics behind much of my photography. Formally my work explores how composition can unify disparate materials and seeming contradictory conceptual themes and how my personal aesthetic changes or remains static over time and across content.

Bio
Jeff Krolick earned an MFA in sculpture, studying with Albert Paley, and worked for many years as a craftsman, metalsmith and sculptor, exploring how composition can unify disparate materials and seemingly contradictory conceptual themes. Photography has been his preferred medium for the past 17 years to discover/uncover these relationships in the seemingly mundane scenes of everyday life and the natural world. He recently began exhibiting his work again after pursuing a career for many years as a counselor and administrator in the community mental health field. His work has been included in a number of shows this year including solo exhibitions at the Silver Eye Center for Photography in Pittsburgh, PA and Dayton University’s Rike Center for the Arts as well as group shows in Kansas City, Boston, Philadelphia and New York City.

Jeff’s work has been recognized with awards from the Silver Eye Center for Photography, the Society for Contemporary Photography and the International Photography Awards which selected him as Fine Art Photographer of the Year in 2005 and nominated him for a prestigious Lucie award.

Untitled (One) by Winter 2007 Hot Shot Juho Kuva

Juho Kuva
Currently residing in Gothenburg, Sweden

website: http://www.juhokuva.com

Work Statement
For me, the beauty of pictures has always been important. As a photographer the essential things like light, colour and composition are central elements in my own production. My own production, which focuses on landscape photography, has progressed towards more and more simplified photography. In addition to the traditional light, colours and composition that are basic components of my photography, the horizon, lines, silence, open spaces and large surfaces are important elements in my work. Beauty lies in simplicity, I feel. A simple landscape with plenty of open space is more appealing to me than a photo cluttered with detail and colour. In my photography I have always been interested in its linkages to reality. Apart from beauty, trying to evoke something real, tell of a moment that `really happened` and picture things that are personally important to me are important features in my work. As a summary I think that beautiful picture needs no explanation. It has earned its place with its presence.

“Beauty is based on perfection. It pierces the heart. What are we seeking for with our work if its not beauty?” ––A Finnish cultural document

Bio
I was born in HongKong 6.6.1980. It is quite hard to say where or when this all started. In my childhood my father used to take a lot of photographs and these photographs my father took had a strong impact on me. Our family had a habit on getting together to watch slide shows of Finland whilst we were in HongKong, of HongKong whilst we were in Finland. Perhaps these familiar landscapes we looked at together, absent yet present, have had an important impact on my work. My fathers style is quite simple and traditional, and the photos he has taken are a beautiful documentation of the history of our family. The works of old masters of black-and-white photos such and from Sebastiao Salgado and Pentti Sammallahti made a lasting imperssion on me after moving back to Finland. The stunning beauty I felt to be present in their photos inspired my work. As a member of the local Photography club, I loved the traditional work with black-and-white photos in the darkrooms, fell in love and couldn`t turn back. After this it has been a wonderful journey…In fall 2005 I started my studies (MA) in School of Photography, Gothenburg University, Sweden. Our final exhibitions will be shown in the absolutely best places in Sweden like Konthallen in Gothenburg and Centrum för Fotografi in Stockholm.

Simon and West, 2006 by Winter 2007 Hot Shot Molly Landreth

Molly Landreth
Currently residing in Seattle, WA

website: http://www.mollylandreth.blogspot.com

Work Statement
Embodiment:This series of photographs is an archive and a journey through a rapidly changing community and the lives of people who offer new visions of what it means to be young and queer today. Coming of age witnessing rapid changes in how gender and sexual minorities are viewed, I began this project as an investigation into the ways this generation of young people is continuing to challenge traditional life narratives within both straight and mainstream gay and lesbian communities. Even with today’s increasingly progressive attitudes, to be visible is to become both empowered and vulnerable. As a result, these images depict subjects who meet my gaze with a rare combination of forthright self-awareness and total abandon, like they are standing in for something much larger than themselves. Paying attention to carefully considered identities and surroundings, I find in a moment suspended, that an overlap is revealed, exposing the subtle outlines of who people are and more importantly, who they wish to become.

As I look from one image to the next I see that although my original investigation is the heart of this project, its blood is more universal. Embodiment, is about love and the process of growing up into ones self. It is about the complexity of relationships found between a diverse group of young people who playfully reveal unique and subtle shades of gender expression and with a glance or a touch re-assemble the sometimes-delicate anatomy of a family.

Bio
b. 1978, lives and works in Seattle, WA. where she continues to create and exhibit new work, as well as shoot as one half of landreth+riffle.

EDUCATION
School of Visual Arts,
MFA, Photography and Related Media, 2005. New York, NY
Glasgow School of Art
Study Abroad, Commercial Photography, 1 semester, 2001. Glasgow, Scotland
Scripps College
BA, Studio Art with focus in Art History, Photography and Digital Art, 2001. Claremont, CA

GROUP EXHIBITIONS
In a New Direction, wall space, Seattle, WA, February, 2007
Give us Your Best Shot, Benham Gallery, Seattle, WA, February 2007
Group Show #7, Humble Media, New York, NY 2006
Group Show Box Set, Auctioned by Ladies Lotto for Planned Parenthood, The Foundry, LIC, NY 2006
Online Exhibition, Photomedia Center, Erie, PA 2006
“See What I Mean?�, School of Visual Arts Gallery, New York, NY. 2005
Ladyfest Los Angeles Art Exhibition, Los Angeles, CA 2002
Vera Project Multi-Media Exhibition, Vera Project, Seattle, WA 2001
Scripps College Thesis Exhibition, Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery, Claremont, CA 2001
Scripps College Junior Exhibition, Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery, Claremont, CA 2000
New Work, The Motley Coffee Shop, Claremont, CA 1999

AWARDS
Finalist, Critical Mass, 2007
American Photo Image of the Year Competition, Honorable Mention, 2006
Photographic Center Northwest, Printing Sponsorship, 2006

PUBLICATIONS
Zeek: A Jewish Journal of Thought and Culture, Oct. 2006

405 & Magnola, Fountain Valley, CA by Winter 2007 Hot Shot Brad Moore

Brad Moore
Currently residing in Laguna Beach, CA

website: http://www.bradmoore.com

Work Statement
These photographs were shot in modest, well-worn, suburban cities in central Orange County, California. Built in the 50s and 60s, these cities provided a new home and future to a post-war population. While southern Orange County’s coastal cities flourish with affluence, central Orange County struggles. Future prosperity and civic health seem to come primarily from growing ethnic populations, which are reviving and recreating these cities for their communities.

I grew up in central Orange County. After 25 years I returned, and was fascinated by the simultaneous decline and growth. I stayed away from traditional, documentary-style photography, instead I have photographed only select buildings and the nearby shrubbery in primarily static, symmetrical compositions. Together, the buildings and foliage convey change, irony and evolution of place.

Bio
Born 1958, La Jolla, California

EDUCATION
1976–1980 BS Art/Photography, Loma Linda University, Riverside, California

1981 Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, California

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
1978 - 1981 Photography and Darkroom Instructor,
Loma Linda University, Riverside, California

1981 - 1985 Photofinishing Instructor,
Noritsu America Corporation, Buena Park, California

1984 - 2005 President, Aperion, Inc.,
Irvine, California (manufacturer and distributor of photographic color calibration products)

Untitled by Winter 2007 Hot Shot Kirby Pilcher

Kirby Pilcher
Currently residing in Rochester, NY

website: http://www.kirbypilcher.com

Work Statement
I began studying photography as an undergraduate, and dabbled with it for a few years before finally deciding in 2004 to pursue an MFA at the Visual Studies Workshop. Lately I have been interested in what images can be found when limiting the search area to the spaces that I inhabit on a daily basis. I am interested in finding images where human interaction has left evidence of events that occurred in these spaces. I try to give only fractured clues to the viewer so they must bring their own experiences to the image in order create a narrative.

Bio
I was born in South Dakota in April of 1977, raised there, and attended the University of South Dakota earning a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in art. I am currently completing a MFA at the Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester, NY. I was first introduced to photography by my aunt who was a photographer. Over the years she had given me several cheap point and shoot cameras, but it wasn’t until she passed away and I inherited her Canon AE-1 that I began to seriously make photographs. I have owned many cameras since getting the Canon but it is the only one that has not been stolen or broken.