Recently I was invited to be a judge for the Costco International Photo Contest. The 24,000 entries received reminded me, once again, how so many people around the world love making pictures. Since the Kodak advances in the late 1800s, photography has been as simple as pressing a button, but only the truly talented can produce an original and inspiring photo.
Surprisingly, judging the qualifying 7,000 shots in the contest wasn’t nearly as time-consuming as one might expect, as the most impressive efforts were quickly recognized and ultimately honored.
Fortunately, we don’t have to look through quite that many photos to identify those we’ll present in each issue of PhotoMedia, since we cover some of the foremost photographers in the business, with archives full of great work.
The exotic travel theme is one that we revisit every two years. It’s always a crowd-pleaser, since many regard the travel photographer’s lifestyle as particularly adventurous and exciting. These are the kinds of National Geographic-type experiences that we all dream about, but only a few of us dare to realize. Our cover story follows one such adventurer: Ken Ross, who traveled often as a child and later parlayed his experience with exotic locales into insightful editorial and commercial photo projects. As the son of a world-renowned author whose writings focused on the topic of death, Ken gravitated to the other end of the scale, making photos that celebrate life. We are pleased to now celebrate his life’s work in this issue.
Few know the travel photography business like Seattle’s Cliff and Nancy Hollenbeck. For three decades, with Cliff as the image-maker and Nancy as the sales and marketing whiz, they’ve seen the world many times over and have surmounted the challenges of remaining competitive and successful in a rapidly changing photo market. Fortunately for us, Cliff is also an accomplished author; he graciously shares his valuable perspectives on the industry, along with his photos, in his feature, “Solving the Mysteries of Travel.”
Another story of a dream realized is that of Seattle’s Michele Westmorland and Karen Huntt. The two Seattle photographers secured support for their ambitious project, “Headhunt Revisited,” which retraced the path of artist Caroline Mytinger, a courageous American woman who explored the islands of Melanesia more than 80 years ago, making detailed paintings of the natives she met along the way.
Upon the release of his impressive and timely new book, “Women Empowered,” we once again visit with Seattle’s Phil Borges, the recipient of PhotoMedia’s Photography Person of the Year Award in 1997. This latest of his publishing efforts showcases the same humanitarian spirit that prompted us to honor him earlier in his career, and gives us a sensitive look into his “feminine side.”
Our Portfolio on Robin Bartholick of Bellingham, Wash., is one of the more intriguing ones we’ve ever presented. For the first time in our 19-year history, we’ve expanded the Portfolio to a two-page spread. Also, Andy Batt, of Portland, Ore., graces our Shot in the Back with a graceful subject, just in time for spring.
Finally, Richard McEnery’s primer on designing web sites may be one of the most helpful stories you’ll read in PhotoMedia if you’re interested in effectively promoting your images in cyberspace.
As always, please let our advertisers know that you noticed their ads in PhotoMedia. Their support is critical to our continuity and ability to bring you in-depth coverage of the world of photography for free, and they need to know, more than ever, that their advertising dollars are being well spent. We welcome your opinions on our coverage and encourage you to share PhotoMedia with others who love photography.
Sincerely,
Gary Halpern, Publisher
