Lost AT E Minor

Diana Brennan

This photo from Rhode Island photographer Diana Brennan has made my day. The delicate beauty she captures, which is so tender and still, is a nice thing to pontificate over a rich coffee and a sense of quiet introspection. ‘Brennan shoots mainly with a digital SLR camera, but also enjoys using vintage film cameras and experimenting with different techniques. She believes that the essence of a scene is often captured best by photographing the details. Her work evokes her love of natural New England, her awareness of the environment, and her passion to create’.

Matt Duffin

Matt Duffin’s sparse illustrations of symbolically loaded objects, anthropomorphic donkeys, and children’s toys, are full of dark and blank spaces that make their subjects seem isolated and alone to the point of dread. Extreme sources of light up the drama of Duffin’s images, and despite the storybook-ish quality of his wax drawings, they convey a sense of impending doom. Read more

Planet Earth’s Lyrebird

The BBC’s Planet Earth series kept the mandatory blues that kick in on a Sunday night at bay for a long time. Going into work the next day suddenly didn’t seem so bad when you knew the hot topics of conversation would revolve around last night’s viewing, and not today’s admin prospects. There’s one bit in the series that really stood out; something so exceptional it can be watched over and over again and still draw gasps. There’s a segment at the end of one episode where David Attenborough tiptoes up to a Lyrebird - the greatest mimic of them all - the cameras start rolling, and the result is pretty staggering. That’s all I’ll give away, but note the sheer poignancy of the final few shots.

JeongMee Yoon’s Pink and Blue photo series

Working out of Seoul, South Korea, JeongMee Yoon has a wonderfully vibrant photo series consisting of children with their pink and blue items. We asked her about the genesis of it: ‘The project began from five-year-old daughter, who loved the color pink so much that she wanted to wear only pink clothes and play with only pink toys and objects. I discovered that my daughter’s case was not unusual. In the United States, South Korea, and elsewhere, most young girls love pink clothing, accessories and toys. This phenomenon is widespread among children of various ethnic groups, regardless of their cultural backgrounds. Perhaps it’s the influence of pervasive commercial advertisements aimed at little girls and their parents, such as the universally popular Barbie and Hello Kitty merchandise that has developed into a modern trend. Girls train subconsciously, and unconsciously, to wear the color pink in order to look feminine’. Read more

Corey Arnold

Corey Arnold’s world straddles two disparate, yet wonderfully integrated, pursuits — he works as both a professional photographer and an Alaskan crab fisherman. Now there’s a story. We asked him how his inside perspective on human and animal relationships influences his photographs: ‘When I was a kid, I used to stalk birds and other animals with my BB gun in the backyard. My hunter instinct was strong and I’d spend hours searching for victims. Then, after killing something, I was torn by my adrenaline fueled sense of accomplishment and deep sadness for what I had done. The same applied to sport-fishing as a child. The goal was, of course, to seek out and kill the largest, most beautiful fish! At home, I’ve fathered many pets — cats, snakes, dogs, and rabbits. For some instinctual reason, I’m endlessly curious about animals. I like to be in close quarters with them, whether it be gutting a fish for dinner or letting my cat sleep on my head. The human animal series came along naturally. It’s a series of curious animal situations that I’ve encountered throughout my recent life. This is an ongoing series, an exploration of how we relate to animals, and it covers a broad perspective of events both real and designed. My time at sea as a commercial fisherman has given me a more animal perspective on animals than a human one in some ways. The goal is to make pictures that are sometimes brutal and often ridiculous, which is how I experience our shared world with animals’. Read more

Christine Callahan’s colourful photography

There is magic in these photographs by New York photographer, Christine Callahan. The vibrant colors and the beauty in the everyday give me the feeling that everything is going to be just fine. Read more