Marine Wedding, by Sping ‘07 Hot Shot Nina Berman, installation view.

Spring ‘07 Hot Shot, and all-around hot shot, Nina Berman will speak on an Aperture panel at this weekend’s New York Photo Festival. As I’ve already implored, you MUST go to the festival, and when you’re there, be sure to catch Nina talking with Vicki Goldberg and Claire Beckett at Aperture Presents: Picturing Iraq. There should be more public discussion of images of this war; I expect a great conversation with this trio.

I know where you should be this weekend: the New York Photo Festival.

Lesley A. Martin, a HHS panelist, is one of the curators, and it looks to be a tremendous affair. Jen Bekman gets in on the action too, sitting on a panel about curating tomorrow at 5:00 p.m.

The festival was created because “New York City, home to the most influential commercial and fine art photography community, has lacked—until now—a large-scale event dedicated to photography.”

This year, powerHouse Books and VII Photo Agency launched the New York Photo Festival, which is the first international-level festival of photography to be based in the United States.

Visit the festival’s site to see the great schedule and report back about what you go to see.

Tonight, the Griffin Museum of Photography will present Jen Bekman with its Rising Star Award at its 3rd Annual Focus Awards its annual Focus Awards. The Griffin Museum of Photography recognizes the work of people who are not photographers, but who have been instrumental in increasing awareness of the photographic arts among the general public.

Awards are presented in three categories: Lifetime Achievement, given to an individual whose ongoing commitment to photography has far-reaching impact; Rising Star, awarded to an emerging force the photographic community is watching with interest; New England Beacon, recognizing an individual whose work brings prominence to the local photographic scene; and the Spotlight Award, given to an entity that consistently shines a light on photography and enhances the art form. Ms. Bekman is this year’s Rising Star.

The museum says,

“An innovative gallery owner, Bekman has used her knowledge of the Web to change gallery culture. After years of managing Web development teams at Netscape and Disney, she used her Internet skills and interest in photography to create a vehicle for connecting emerging photographers with potential buyers on the Web. She writes a blog, Personism, and is founder of the international photo competition, Hey, Hot Shot! Her latest endeavor is 20 x 200, a place to buy editioned prints and photos at affordable prices. She has been featured in many publications and was named Innovator of the Year by American Photo.”

We’re so proud of Ms. Bekman. Visit the museum for more info.

It’s time! We are now accepting entries for 2008’s first edition of Hey, Hot Shot! We’re all super excited about the great changes in store for applicants and winners. And, remember, all applicants are also potential contenders for features on this very blog.

Hey, Hot Shot! offers unrivaled opportunities for emerging photographers to have their work promoted online, reviewed by top-notch panelists and exhibited in our New York gallery. Now entering its fourth year, the international competition has been lauded by curators, critics, educators and journalists. This year we’ll sharpen our focus on fewer hot shots, giving them even more exposure. Read on for the details.

Fewer hot shots + longer exhibitions = more exposure
The competition will now be bi-annual. In each competition 5 photographers will be selected to be part of a two-week showcase at Jen Bekman Gallery.

Cold hard cash
All winning photographers will be awarded a $500 honorarium.

Ultras go solo
At year’s end 2 Ultras will be selected from 2008’s 10 Hot Shots. The Ultras will be represented by Jen Bekman and slated for solo exhibitions at the gallery.

In it to win it
As always, we’ll be selecting contenders to feature daily on the Hey, Hot Shot! blog throughout the entry period. Contenders will also be considered for 20×200, Jen Bekman’s newest online endeavor which offers limited edition prints at affordable prices.

So what are you waiting for? Get your work out there: apply now!

We are only accepting submissions online, via this web site.
The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, June 17th @ 8pm(EDT).
Winners will be announced on Wednesday, July 9th @ 1pm (EDT).
There is a $60 handling fee for your entry.
Submissions are open to everyone (from anywhere in the world!).
The competition is open: APPLY NOW!

2006 Hey, Hot Shot! Ne Plus Ultra Kate Bingaman-Burt

Lesley Martin, Hey, Hot Shot! panelist and the publisher of Aperture’s book program will speak tonight with Harper’s Books art book dealer Harper Levine, and Daile Kaplan, V.P., Director of Photographs, Swann Galleries Inc., and others in an Introduction to Collecting Photography Books, a panel discussion. They will talk about what makes specific books valuable, and thoughts to consider in building a book collection. It should be a great night for photographers and collectors alike.

The details:
Introduction to Collecting Photography Books
Panel Discussion
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
6:30 p.m.

Aperture Gallery
547 West 27th Street, 4th Floor
New York, New York
(212) 505-5555

Structure of Thought 6-a, by Doug & Mike Starn

The second part of the Starn twins’ 20×200 edition is now for sale. If you missed out last time, or if you want to own both parts, you should really hurry!

Ms. Bekman writes, “Structure of Thought 6a is printed on translucent vellum and is a beautiful print on its own, so if you didn’t get the first one, don’t hesitate to click through and grab a print. And of course, it can be layered over Structure of Thought 6b.”

A few weeks ago, Rob Haggart at A Photo Editor put out a call for work. He curated a slideshow meant to forge new relationships between photographers, photo editors, and art collectors. It’s up now, on his blog, and with an embed code so that others can host the show too. It’s called I Like These Photos (to the point, perfect), and it features the work of 297 (!) photographers. It’s a novel way of collecting images, for sure.

He writes:

Attention art buyers and photo editors, this is a free promo that’s meant to supplement all the other ways you find photographers to hire. I created it see if there might be an easier more efficient way to quickly look at 200-300 photographers. Compared to the weekly promo pile this works pretty good. Plus, if you’re like me, you remember a picture and not necessarily who took it so you can come back to this slideshow and find the name and website of the photographer whenever you like. This project only works if you find work you like and hire the photographer. I can create more of these but it’s a complete waste of time if it doesn’t connect buyers with photographers. That’s the only reason I did this.

Are you a photographer who missed out this time? Don’t worry, Haggart promises, “we’re going to do this again with different editors in a couple months.”

Have you done your taxes yet? Have you had your taxes done for you yet? One day to go, and yet, there’s still hope. “Business of Art: Taxing Artists,” a New York Foundation for the Arts article, has some great information that’s relevant to photographers and other artists. For example, “…artists should also be aware of what is known as a Un-Incorporated Business Tax. If someone is a freelance artist doing a portion of their business in New York City, there is a tax form they have to complete in addition to their federal, state and city tax returns.”

• The New York Times reports that MFA students at SVA show at the MoMA. In the bathroom. The show lives on, online.
• In the 40th anniversary of New York Magazine, they attempt to define a New York Canon from 1968-2008, and they also run a few Q&As with “iconic New York artists about creating their masterworks.” Mark Stevens talks to Cindy Sherman about her Untitled Film Stills. She discusses process, character creation, and, to some extent, intent.
• Earlier this week, the Pulitzer Prizes were announced. Adrees Latif of Reuters won for Breaking News Photography “for his dramatic photograph of a Japanese videographer, sprawled on the pavement, fatally wounded during a street demonstration in Myanmar.” Preston Gannaway of the Concord (N.H.) Monitor won the Feature Photography category “for her intimate chronicle of a family coping with a parent’s terminal illness.”
• Mike Stimpson uses Legos to recreate famous photos from Robert Capa’s Death of a Loyalist, to Cartier-Bresson’s Behind the Gare Saint Lazare. “Strobist.com taught me everything I know,” he says.
• It’s photo auction time. Controversy over the oldest — or just an old— photo. Even Gawker’s covering the photo auctions, drawn to the nudes. Phillips de Pury canceled a sale of Diane Arbus prints because of concerns about a recent lawsuit. There was even a Fine Photobooks Auction at Christie’s.
• Cathy Horyn discusses Juergen Teller’s role in Marc Jacobs’ ad campaigns. How great is it to see a photographer so in charge of a commercial campaign? Small thing: the NYT blog swapped out the photo they initially had (Teller’s ad that featured Victoria Beckham’s legs splayed out of a shopping bag) at the top of the post. Why?

Winter ‘07 Hot Shot Mickey Smith

Why visit one gallery, when you can visit 75+ all at once? The AIPAD Photography Show runs today through Sunday at the Park Avenue Armory. “More than 75 of the world’s leading fine art photography galleries will present a wide range of museum quality work by contemporary, modern and 19th century masters at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City,” says AIPAD.

“AIPAD is dedicated to creating and maintaining high standards in the business of exhibiting, buying and selling photographs as art. Acting as the collective voice of the art photography dealers that make up its membership, AIPAD maintains ethical standards, promotes communication within the photographic community, encourages public appreciation of photography as art, concerns itself with the rights of photographers and collectors, and works to enhance the confidence of the public in responsible photography. AIPAD members provide a wide range of services to the public, such as exhibitions, appraisals, expert opinions and consultations.”

And while an armory full of exhibitors can feel like overload, it’s also a great chance to quickly visit with some people you might not usually have the time (or the access) to see.