Biographies
JUNE 2013 BACK ISSUE
Damian Bird
To commission Damian or to request prints of his work: www.damianbirdphotography.com
Damian Bird, is a photographer and photojournalist with many years of experience, working in
war zones and trouble spots around the globe.
He was educated in Photography at the Surrey College of Art and Design and at the London
College of Printing where he studied for a post graduate degree in Photojournalism.
In 2011 he founded Life Force magazine with his business partner and wife of ten years, Alice.
As well as Editing Life Force magazine, he is currently engaged in photographing a series of
photo-essays on English culture and is also preparing to return imminently to Afghanistan.
He continues to have his work published in national and international newspapers and magazines
including The Times, the Telegraph, the Express, the Observer, GQ, Esquire, Dazed & Confused,
George Steinmetz
To commission George or to request prints of his work: www.georgesteinmetz.com
Michael S Lewis
To commission Michael or to request prints of his work: www.michaelslewis.com
Larry Racioppo
To commission Larry or to request prints of his work: www.larryracioppo.com
John Running
To commission John or to request prints of his work: www.johnrunning.com
Raymond Gehman
To commission Raymond or to request prints of his work: www.raymondgehman.com
Raymond Gehman has worked for National Geographic Society since 1986. With three cover
photographs and numerous books and articles, he has been on assignment in Yellowstone,
Wyoming's Bighorn Country, Florida's Sanibel Island Gulf Coast, the Canadian Rockies, the rain
forests of Belize, Icelandic glaciers and icebergs, deep, dark Polish forests, and rural China
during the People's Republic 50th anniversary celebration. He has documented grizzly bears, the
vanishing prairie dog and wetlands, the ecology of fire, the aftermath of hurricanes, hot pools, and
nocturnal Apache ceremonial dancers. Previously, he studied fine arts photography at Northern
Virginia Community College and earned a degree in photojournalism from the renowned School
of Journalism at the University of Missouri, Columbia. He worked for 11 years as a newspaper
photojournalist in Montana and Virginia. Recently he has concentrated on more personal digital artwork, turning the ordinary into
the extraordinary by shooting everything from apples to zebras, flowers to flying light domes, and glass globes to transcendent
trucks, and transforming these subjects into dazzling impressionistic imagery. His photographs have been exhibited across the
country, with recent shows in Houston TX, West Palm Beach FL and Portsmouth VA.
Raymond is currently a contract freelance photographer for National Geographic and an instructor
at Palm Beach Photographic Centre.
Kate Kirkwood
To commission Kate or to request prints of her work: www.katekirkwood.com
I'm a part-time photographer working from a farm base in the Lake District in England. I look for
a found moment in rural spaces where seemingly little happens, in much the way an urban street
photographer might capture a found moment in the frantic maelstrom of cities. When visiting
cities or approaching documentary projects I try to apply the more meditative kind of observation
I am learning in rural situations; to be quiet and respectful, observing keenly, and always a
scholar of other lives lived. I'm an apprentice, slowly learning skills that I hope to use one day to
contribute more usefully to change.
I grew up in South Africa under the apartheid state and moved to the UK in 1987. I studied
English literature, and Film and Drama at university. I earn most of my living working freelance
for academic book publishers and running a small bed-and-breakfast.
In 2007 I was invited to present my work-in-progress to a workshop on street photography at
Photofusion Gallery in London, as an exploration of the possibilities of 'rural' street photography
and later that year I set out to accumulate a serious portfolio after a photograph of mine was selected as one of the finalists in
Tate Modern's 'How We Are Now' competition. That image is the first in 'Light, landscape, lives' on my
website. In 2011 my work was included in an international Street Photography exhibition in the United
States. In 2012 my photo 'FestiveTree, Kings Road', raised £900 in an online auction for the charity
PhotoVoice.
Bill McCullough
To commission Bill or to request prints of his work: www.billmccullough.com
Photographer Bill McCullough was born in 1963, in Dickenson Texas. He graduated with a
degree in Plan II economics from the University of Texas at Austin in 1986. Music and
photography have played important roles in his life, but do to significant hearing loss,
photography has taken center stage. He is a self-taught photographer with work published in
New York Times Lens Blog, Spot magazine (Houston Center of Photography), and Photonews.
The Museum of Fine Arts Houston and the Portland Art Museum both contain his photographs in
their permanent collections. He has received numerous awards and has published two limited
edition books, Technicolor Life, and Tone Poem. He currently resides and works in Austin, Texas.
Albertina d’Urso
To commission Albertino or to request prints of her work: www.albertinadurso.com
Italian photographer Albertina d'Urso (Milan, 1976) is focused mainly on social and humanitarian
reportages. Her dedication to these kind of issues begun in ‘04 when she went to Mumbai with a
charity: her work gave life to a book, Bombayslum, published by Skira, and an exhibition at
Libreria degli Atellani, in Milan and deeply changed her life and her career.
In 2006 she participated in the Kabul mission of the municipality of Milan. In 2007 she won the
Canon Young Photographers Award with her project Welcome to Compton, a reportage about
gangs and violence in Los Angeles. In 2008 she exhibited Spirit of Shekhawati in Trento, Milan
and Rome and was awarded at the festival Orvieto Fotografia. In 2009 Albertina exhibited her
work Bodies for sale, Mumbai in Insa Art Center in Seoul and in Rivus Gallery in Incheon Catholic
University, participated in the traveling exhibition “Abruzzo 2009”, about the earthquake which
occurred in April, and was among the nominees for the New York Photo Awards.
Her book TI MOUN YO, children of Haiti, published by Contrasto was presented with an
exhibition in Forma, Centro Internazionale di Fotografia in Milan. While the exhibition continued to travel the book was voted
“documentary book of the year” at the International Photography Award-IPA. The following year a picture of hers won the second
prize at the Lens Culture International Exposure Award and participated to the connected exhibition at 291 Gallery in San
Francisco, at Speos Gallery in Paris and at VII Gallery in New York. Again in 2010, with her work Nehru Nagar, Albertina was
among the finalists of the “Deeper prespecive photographer of the year” at the Lucie Awards. Her
project ‘Haiti’s generation of amputees’ was exhibited in 2011 at MIA- Milan Image Art Fair and
Festival Fotografico Italiano in Busto Arsizio.
Iva Zimova
To commission Damian or to request prints of his work: www.ivazimova.com
Iva Zimova was born in the former Czechoslovakia. In 1982 she immigrated to Canada and
studied at both the Dawson College Institute of Photography and Concordia University. Iva
contributes to the Czech NGO People in Need Foundation and exhibits her photographs
internationally. She is represented by Panos Pictures
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TRIPTYCHS
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Best known for his exploration photography, George Steinmetz sets out to discover the few
remaining secrets in our world today: remote deserts, obscure cultures, the mysteries of science
and technology. A regular contributor to National Geographic and GEO Magazines, he has
explored subjects ranging from the remotest stretches of Arabia's Empty Quarter to the unknown
tree people of Irian Jaya.
Since 1986, George has completed 31 major photo essays for National Geographic and 25
stories for GEO magazine in Germany. His expeditions to the Sahara and Gobi deserts have
been featured in separate National Geographic Explorer programs. In 2006 he was awarded a
grant by the National Science Foundation to document the work of scientists in the Dry Valleys
and volcanos of Antarctica.
George has won numerous awards for photography during his 25-year career,including two first prizes in science and
technology from World Press Photo. He has also won awards and citations from Pictures of the Year, Overseas Press Club and
Life Magazine's Alfred Eisenstadt Awards.
Born in Beverly Hills in 1957, George graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Geophysics. He began his career in
photography after hitchhiking through Africa for 28 months. His current passion is photographing the world's deserts while
piloting a motorized paraglider. This experimental aircraft enables him to capture unique images of the world, inaccessible by
traditional aircraft and most other modes of transportation. George lives in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, with his wife, Wall Street
Journal editor Lisa Bannon, their daughter, Nell, and twin sons John and Nicholas.
Michael Lewis has worked as a photographer since the early 80s, beginning with newspapers
and migrating to magazines and the book division of the National Geographic Society. After
photographing several books about travel in the U.S. and Canada, he was assigned to shoot the
photos for a NGS book which would accompany an eight-part television series about Africa. He
continued working in Africa, teaching photo workshops for Mango Africa Safaris and participating
in the project "A Day in the Life of Africa."
In 2010, he was fortunate enough to marry a photographer, move to Mexico and continue to
shoot stock for National Geographic Images and to start a business shooting destination
weddings on the Riviera Maya. He and his wife, Jennifer Lewis,
continue to explore Mexico and photograph the happiest day of
most people's lives from their base on the island of Cozumel.
John Running has lived in Flagstaff, Arizona for the past forty six years. He has been making
photographs for advertising, design and editorial clients for over forty years. He specializes in
photographing people either on location or in the studio. His photographs stand out because they
have a style that is personally creative and graphically strong.
Give him 1/125th of a second and he will give you so much more.
Originally from Buffalo, New York, Running studied earth sciences at the New Mexico School of
Mines and then spent four years with the United States Marine Corps, where he served in the
Mediterranean, Caribbean and West Indies. Afterward he studied for a Degree in Anthropology at
Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. Now he shares his downtown Flagstaff
photography studio with his daughter, Raechel Marie.
John Running is a different breed of photographer. He is the rare photographer who approaches his subject person to person
with the openness and respect that encourages true human exchange. John doesn't create images as a mirror of himself; he
allows subjects to retain their own identities. His subjects evolve from acquaintances to friends as John records moments of
their lives with full consent.
Photo assignments have taken him to Italy, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Scotland, Jordan, the West Bank
and the Gaza Strip, and South America. His clients include Eastman Kodak, Polaroid, Nikon, Ilford,
Coors Beer, Lee Jeans, US. West, Sterling Commerce and Canyon Records. He has also published
seven books including Honor Dance, Pictures for Solomon, Dancer and Halo of the Sun
After two years as a VISTA Volunteer In California, Larry Racioppo returned to New York City in
December,1970 intending to become a filmmaker. While working a series of jobs ranging from
telephone repairman, taxi cab driver, waiter and bartender to photographer's assistant, he
completed his undergraduate work at Fordham University (B.A. Communications) and attended
Brooklyn College in the evenings (M.S. Television/Radio Production). After working as a
cameraman on several small films, and directing one of his own, Larry felt more satisfaction in
the still photographs he was making at the same time and eventually concentrated his efforts
there.
He photographed in the Brooklyn neighborhoods where he lived and had grown up-South
Brooklyn and Sunset Park-working in black and white 35mm, and later 120mm film. Racioppo
rented a storefront and set up a darkroom where he made small black and white prints. He had
his first solo exhibit the neighborhood at the f-stop gallery in 1977 and from 1978 to 1980
photographed as a participant in NYC Cultural Council's CETA Artists Project. Scribner's
published his first book Halloween in 1980.
Despite some moderate success he became frustrated with the 'art world' and by 1981 was photographing infrequently and
working primarily as a carpenter. This continued until 1989 when he started working as the Staff Photographer for New York
City's Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Racioppo was hired to document living conditions and housing
renovation and construction. As he traveled throughout the city, his love of photography returned. Racioppo began
photographing several new projects with a panoramic camera and learned how to make large color prints. In 1994 he began
exhibiting again and in 1997 received a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship for a series of large Urban Landscapes.
Using an 8x10 inch view camera Racioppo has expanded this body of work to include interiors of abandoned buildings,
especially movie theaters and churches.
He retired from HPD in 2011 and continues photographing throughout New York City.
The Face, Country Life and Geographical magazine.
He lives with his wife and three children in Devon, England.
Alex Mundy
To commission Alex or to request prints of her work: e: Alex xo
Alex was born in Birmingham, United Kingdom in 1991, she grew a love for photography through
films and influences of Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Hitchcock, David Lynch and Roman Polanski.
Taking inspiration from weird ideas and dreams her work is often based on these. Recently
graduated from University this year, she has had her work exhibited on a number of occasions
including the Light House Gallery in Wolverhampton and Focus on Imaging.
Alex hopes to grow within photography in every aspect now that she can work towards other
ideas and future prospects. Currently working on a identity project named 'Akai' and
experimenting within documentary photography. Her main dream is to work on her photography
in countries such as Japan and South Korea and to also to try working within the music industry
with her skills and techniques.
Aydan Cinar
To commission Aydan or to request prints of her work: www.aydancinar.com
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