Photographer #416: Chen Jiagang

Chen Jiagang, 1962, China, studied architecture in Chongqing and became a full-time photographer in 2001. His large-scale images, some up to 4 meters wide, are a mix of documentary, conceptual and staged photography. For his series Third Front he visited a large number of abandoned villages and factories. In 1964, due to an unstable foreign policy, China installed heavy industry and factories in the heartland of its country, resulting in the relocation of millions of workers. The third front was born and the region was booming. However, in the early 1980's an economic reform was initiated, the factories were closed and the towns and cities became empty. Chen visited the region on many occasions and photographed the industrial wasteland. Within his images he puts a beautiful woman, often dressed in a Qipao, and sometimes a young girl. They are symbolic and create a reference to China's history as well as raising questions about it. Chen released several monographs and his work has been exhibited extensively throughout the world. The following images come from the series Sample Room, Temptations and Great Third Front.

Website: www.chenjiagang.com

Photographer #306: Francesca Galliani

Francesca Galliani, 1962, Italy, is a fine art photographer who lives and works in New York City. At the age of 19 she moved to the United States and received a BFA at the Corcoran School of Art in Washington. She does not limit herself merely to the photographic medium and could be described as a mixed media artist. To intensify her strong images she uses the methods of painting and collage. She writes words or short sentences, adds paint and other visual objects onto the original photographs. Francesca's work has been exhibited extensively throughout the world and has been published in a vast amount of magazines and numerous catalogues and books. The following images come from the series Transgender, Nudes and Asia.

Website: www.gallianiphoto.com

Photographer #281: Zhou Mi

Zhou Mi, 1962, China, works and lives as a freelance photographer in San Francisco since 2004. He started out as a civil engineer in China for 13 years before receiving an M.A. in Communication Arts at the New York Institute of Technology. Between 1997 and 2004 he was an art director in New York but left for San Francisco to become a photographer. Since then he has done a large number of projects that have taken him to various places. His homeland China, Cuba, India and Turkey are amongst the places he has traveled for his photography. His series The Earth is a collaboration with fashion designer Ma Ke. It is an impressive mix of fashion, documentary, portrait and landscape photography creating very clear, high contrast b/w photographs. Zhou works with homeless people, photographs lost or discarded items on the beach and focuses on street photography. The following images come from the series The Earth, Lost & Found and Portraits.

Website: www.zhoumi.net

Photographer #230: Dan Winters

Dan Winters, 1962, USA, is most known for his celebrity portraiture. An endless amount of politicians, musicians and actors have been photographed by Winters. However he does not limit himself to portraiture. Within his photography he also focuses on objects and documentary work. He also draws and makes videos. His photographs have been published in a vast number of magazines and he has received numerous awards for his work. The subjects he chooses to photograph are diverse, from Texas gangs to honeybees to his very own son. His first monograph was released in 2009 with the title; Periodical Photographs. The following images come from the portfolio People; People of Interest, Friends & Neighbors and Actors.

Website: www.danwintersphoto.com

Photographer #197: Ellen Kooi

Dutch photographer Ellen Kooi, 1962, works and lives in The Netherlands. She makes large-scale photographs. They are stories created on camera that seek the border between reality and fantasy. The landscapes and the subjects, often young girls or boys, fit together perfectly and create a dramatic and poetic scene. Ellen has been in numerous exhibitions worldwide and her work can be found in various private and public collections. The following images come from her portfolio.

Website: www.ellenkooi.nl

Photographer #151: Thomas Rusch

Thomas Rusch, 1962, Germany, is a commercial and fine-art photographer. He has released an impressive amount of books, had many celebrities in front of his camera and has worked for big clients. Next to his fashion and advertisment photography Thomas focuses on personal projects. His most recent series Behind is currently featured in Eyemazing magazine. Images of people in masks, created with make-up and semi-transparent materials. The following images come from the series Behind, Unquentum Pharelis and his portfolio Portraits 2.

Website: www.thomasrusch.com & www.thomasrusch.org

Photographer #139: Christian Kettiger

Christian Kettiger, 1962, Switzerland, is a beauty and portrait photographer. Christian got into photography after seeing the work of Guy Bourdin in Zoom Magazine. He has worked for clients as La Roche-Posay and Pantene. Besides his commercial work he also makes personal work. He went to  Gibsonton, a town in Florida that is known for the circus people or "freaks" that spend the off-season there. The following images come from his portfolio's Beauty, Celebrities and Personnel.

Website: www.kettiger.com

Photographer #110: Guido Mocafico

Guido Mocafico, Switzerland, 1962, is a still-life photographer, even though he might use subjects that are alive. He is well known for his colorfull and stunning series called Serpents. Due to the confinement of the snakes they curl up and create twisted shapes. This series, as many others, was also released as a book. In the series Movement, he photographed the machinery behind clockwork. Again the background is kept black, making the watches come out as large marvels of technology. The following images come from the series Serpents, Movement and Nature Morte.

Website: www.guidomocafico.com/index.html

Photographer #072: Vee Speers

Vee Speers, Australia, 1962, lives and works in Paris, France. Her most recent series is The Birthday Party, an imaginary birthday party where children dress up creating bizarre, twilight zone like images. Earlier her book Bordello was released. Photographs printed with a 19th century technique and inspired on the photography of the 1920's and 30's. The following images come from the series The Birthday Party, Bordello and Parisians.

Website: www.veespeers.com