If you are in New Mexico and have a chance, pick up today’s Albuquerque Journal which has a feature story about my exhibition at  Instituto Cervantes. This is the main reason I’ve been such a slacker about posting work on this blog, and I’ll try to do better in the coming months. Hope to see anyone reading this at the opening for the show!

Opening exhibit on Friday 28th, 5pm-7pm at the Pete V. Domenici Education Center, National Hispanic Cultural Center, located at 1701 4th Street SW (4th Street and Avenida César Chávez).

My smallest and most famous client, The Guadalupe County Communicator, asked me to follow NM Lt. Governor candidate Joseph Campos in a benefit motorcycle ride from Albuquerque to Madrid. Here is to the Media Empire in Santa Rosa!

I didn’t enter any pictures this year, but I’m still fascinated by judging currently going on in Missouri at Pictures of the Year International. If you don’t really love photojournalism, it’s probably like watching paint day. But I do love it, and painful as it is to see some of my friends great work pass by on the way to the “outs” pile, it is an incredible education opportunity for young photographers. I was lucky enough to win a second place in the feature sports (above) category a few years ago, and it is both humbling and inspiring to see all the other great photography. I really need to start entering contests again, not to win, but for the great opportunity they afford to reflect on my own work.

Stacia Spragg-Braude's book To Walk in Beauty: A Navajo Family's Journey Home.

“Looking through Stacia’s initial submission and then later through a larger selection of her photographs, I remember being struck by the beauty, power, mystery and intimacy of the black and white images of a landscape, culture and people I was unfamiliar with. I recall feeling that she’s not only a fiercely  dedicated and determined photojournalist, but must have an intense personal connection and relationship with this family to spend roughly a decade making these photographs and telling this family’s story.”
There is a wonderful interview with my dear friend and former colleague at The Albuquerque Tribune Stacia Spragg-Braude that I found via the APAD blog at photographer Matthew Ratajczak’s blog Eat the Darkness. Buy the book now.

Stacia Spragg-Braude presenting her book "To walk in beauty" at the Old San Ysidro Church in Corrales.

I’m very pleased to announce the launch of a new company called Tortuga Photo Workshops.  Together with  Albuquerque Journal staff photographer Roberto Rosales, we created a company offering photo adventure workshops in Latin America. Our first workshop is scheduled for the remote island of Meanguera off the coast of El Salvador in mid March 2010.  Please have a look at our new website for more information. Also please follow us via our Facebook page.

I also want to take a second to send huge thanks to Ezra at Electrophonic Design, who put this new site together and designed all my web pages. I hope to get back to posting more on Vamos A Ver, now that Tortuga is off and running.

San Antonio Express-News staff photographer Nicole Frugé is leaving the paper under her own terms to pursue freelance work. I’m sure she will do amazing things in the future.

“It’s so hard to say goodbye to so many close friends. But I’m very excited that I have an opportunity to follow my passion and hopefully I’ll produce some meaningful stories in the process. I’ve made the decision to go freelance so I can focus on conflict photography and documentary projects.”

You can follow Nicole’s work through her blog The Last Picture Show.

Also, you can see Nicole present her work with a amazing lineup of photographers at the “best little underground photo conference out there” – GeekFest in St. Petersburg, Florida this September 11-13. If you have the means at all, you’re a fool not if you pass this up.

Currently there’s an eBay auction of  renowned photographer Sam Abell’s latest hardcover photo book, The Life of a Photograph going on until August 22, 2009.

The idea is to raise money for St. Petersburg Times photojournalist Stephen Coddington, whose wife Marian had a debilitating aneurysm last year. They are a couple in their 30s with two children. Abell donated this signed version to help raise money for the Coddington family.

Search for item #260456026357 or click on the link above.

If the signed book gets out of your price range, you should also consider making a donation and learn more here:

http://savestevesfamily.blogspot.com/

While I’m at it, I want to plug my website designer, Electrophonic Design, who have done a wonderful job with all my website design needs. I could not be happier with their work.

Here is the main gallery of photos from the new site.