As we enter our 21st year of publishing PhotoMedia, much has changed.
The skyrocketing price of oil and shrinking value of the U.S. dollar, along with other economic factors, have caused prices to soar. This, in turn, presents everyone with the challenge of keeping pace with spiraling expenses. Few of us have experienced anything close to this, except for those old enough to have lived through the Great Depression.
Against this backdrop is a U.S. presidential election that will produce the first black man, the first woman or the oldest candidate to lead the country. We can only hope that the winner will provide some much-needed leadership and stability; we’re certainly overdue for progressive environmental initiatives.
Photographers also face the challenge of adapting in order to remain viable as expenses escalate. As manufacturers continue to bless us with impressive technological improvements, we must spend as never before to keep up with those advances. And for those whose business involves travel, getting from point A to point B has become even more expensive.
In this issue we cover landscape photography. Our feature on John Fielder acquaints you with an accomplished landscape photographer and publisher who has concentrated most of his work in his home state of Colorado. He is one of a handful of nature photographers who have “cracked the code” of success by diversifying his business, while also raising awareness about conservation.
On the flip side, our story on New Mexico’s Eddie Soloway concentrates on a photographer who interprets the landscape with an impressionistic eye. His philosophical approach makes him a popular educator at workshops throughout the country.
Our cover story on Peter B. Kaplan shares the exploits of the inventor of “height photography,” which involves scaling bridges and skyscrapers to capture unique cityscapes. Though we rarely concentrate our coverage on photographers outside the western United States (or British Columbia), we feel that Peter is a one-of-a-kind artist who deserves special attention.
This is our second issue since moving to a slightly smaller size, and we’re continuing to fine-tune the design. We’re also continuing to improve our website (PhotoMediaonline.com), which hosts almost all of our feature stories from 2004 to the present.
In our next issue, we’ll name our 12th annual PhotoMedia Photography Person of the Year. Please visit our website to nominate someone who you feel is not only a role model as a photo professional but also a contributor to society and/or the industry.
Now more than ever, please let our advertisers know that you noticed their ads in PhotoMedia-our future depends on it. They deserve the utmost appreciation for supporting this publication throughout our history, enabling us to continue bringing you in-depth coverage of the world of photography for free. We welcome your opinions and encourage you to share PhotoMedia with others who love photography.
Sincerely,
Gary Halpern, Publisher
