Newsletter #4
A Summer of Breuer and a look towards Fall '24.
Hello friends! I hope you’ve all had a great summer and you’re looking forward to the fall/autumn as much as I am.
Despite the steamy weather this past few months, I’ve been out and about making new work, adding to existing projects and even winning a couple of prizes. Read on for more…
Critical Mass 200
I’m delighted to be included amongst the 200 finalists of Photolucida Critical Mass 2024! To even make it onto the list of such a prestigious award is amazing and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the final round of judging, hoping I make the top 50.
SUGi x NAVA Alt Landscape 2nd Prize
Another pleasant surprise was my image Capulin Volcano Visitor Center Outdoor Viewing Area won 2nd prize in the SUGixNAVA photography contest. The photo comes from my in-progress series The Great Outsiders, so it’s very encouraging to have a little part of the work recognized at this early stage. Thank you to the judges and congrats to the other photographers!
Urban Photo Awards Finalist & Book
Lastly, I’ve had my series LIGHT/MASS earn a spot in the selected portfolios section in the Urban Photo Awards 2024! The awards are ran by Trieste Photo Days, and I’m in the running to have my work shown at the Trieste Festival in October. They’re also releasing a book featuring selected photographers (including yours truly) and I’ll share the link to order once it’s live.
LIGHT/MASS In the Press
I was very proud to have LIGHT/MASS featured in Designboom back in June. This is the biggest publication I’ve had the work published in to date and I’m very happy that the alien landscapes of the US are reaching a wider audience.
New Work
Speaking of LIGHT/MASS, I’ve been busy visiting a few locations to make new work for the series. Back in June, I revisited Motorgate Parking Garage (exotic, right?) on Roosevelt Island after the cloudy weather spoiled my last trip. Happy to report that the sun was well and truly shining second time around and I was able to make these images.
Next up was a trip to Bronx Community College in August to photograph two fantastic Marcel Breuer buildings: Meister Hall and Begrisch Hall. This location had been on my list for a long time, so I was very happy to get access to campus for the afternoon and make these images.
Continuing my Summer of Breuer (the kids can keep their Brat Summer) I had the privilege of photographing the fantastic Geller House II in Lawrence, NY. Marcel Breuer designed the home for the Geller family in 1969 and to my knowledge the house hasn’t been photographed since its completion - by the legendary Ezra Stoller, no less.
I got to spend an afternoon making images of the house and just taking in it’s beautiful design. I’l be sharing the work soon, but for now here’s a little taster. A huge thank you to Eric for reaching out and letting me photograph your wonderful home.
My latest series Adventures In Fiberglass is now live on my website! If you’re interested in the weird and wacky architecture of Roadside America, please go take a look.
Lastly, I was delighted complete my first Assignment for the New York Times back in July. I spend a day covering the affects the global tech outage had on the city and made the font page carousel! Thank you to Renee for the call and I’m looking forward to future assignments!
Upcoming Things
Very happy to announce that I’ll be giving a lecture this fall at the New York School of Visual Arts as part of the I3 Masters of Digital Photography series. I’ll be speaking on the evening of October 22nd and showing plenty of work I’ve made over the years. If you’re in NYC that day, you can grab a free ticket here. For those outside of the city, the lecture will be on Youtube, so stay tuned to my Instagram for the link. Hope to see you there!
More ramblings from me!
I’m really enjoying writing on Substack and have found it a much more engaging exercise compared to other social media posting. I’ve decided to dedicate a little more of my time to it and post more about specific images, stories and projects I’m working on.
I’ll be aiming for one per month - nothing to spammy - and will be starting with something on my newest work; Adventures In Fiberglass. Look out for it soon!
Some Inspiration & Distraction
Capping off this newsletter with a few things that kept me inspired and entertained over the Summer.
Love Heart Cheat Code by Hiatus Kaiyote - Apple Music - Spotify
Why Lawd? by NxWorries - Apple Music - Spotify
Nadav Kander’s incredible photobook: Dust
Ok that’s your lot from me today. How was your summer? Let me know in the comments!
For more frequent updates, be sure to follow me on Instagram and/or Threads.
Thanks for sharing, Luis!
Thanks @Finn Hopson for sharing @Owen Davies images with me!
Breuer’s Geller II house is nothing like the only Breuer house in the U.K., from much earlier in his career, only a few miles away from me in East Preston.
It’s currently up for sale too… https://www.themodernhouse.com/sales-list/sea-lane-house-ii/