A night ago, before going to bed, something told me to look outside into the darkness, and so I did. I turned off my computer monitor and gazed through the nearby windowpane. You can imagine my surprise when in the snow I saw a large, unmoving object. At first I thought it was a neighbor’s old Christmas tree being thrown out that had somehow blown into my yard.

Then I realized it was a large deer, asleep but awake, listening to the woods. It was somehow simple but also extraordinary. I immediately thought of Amy Stein’s Domesticated series, though my photograph is nowhere near as beautiful as are hers!

Here’s a spread from the beautiful Uganda: A River Blue catalogue Josh Gomby is designing.

Uganda: A River Blue

Reception: March 4, 6:30-8:30PM

Exhibition: February 5-March 31, 2010

AnastasiaPhoto is located at 166 Orchard Street, New York, New York.

From the press release:

“Anastasia Photo is pleased to present the first solo exhibition by photographer David Wright: A photographic collaboration with the NGO, A River Blue.

These luminous works were made over two months in northern Uganda where A River Blue is located. The photos depict a school that is funded by the charitable organization A River Blue in a formerly internally displaced persons camp, as well as images of the citizens and landscapes of the surrounding village of Alebtong. This series of photographs was recently selected as 1 of 3 winners in the 2009 Conscientious Portfolio Competition.”

Additionally:

A beautiful A River Blue catalogue designed by Josh Gomby and printed by Booksmart Studio in an edition of 250 will be released at the opening reception. It will be available for purchase through donation (any amount — your choice) and 100% of the proceeds go to A River Blue. Support A River Blue and take home a memorable piece of the exhibition. The picture below is of the booklet cover.

The opening reception and exhibition are open to the public. We encourage you to bring friends, family, and colleagues, and learn about A River Blue, northern Uganda, and AnastasiaPhoto.

I became familiar with Matt Eich’s work in 2006 when he was named the 61st College Photographer of the Year. Two years later Matt applied for Pause, to Begin with his “Carry Me Ohio” series and was selected as 1 of 15 Pause, to Begin photographers. Matt recently began making a series of photographs titled James River Blues.

A little bit about the work from Matt’s blog post:

“It explores the James River in Virginia, which starts in the mountains and cuts 410 miles through the state before emptying into the Chesapeake Bay. I have so many childhood memories linked to this river that I was instantly drawn to it when we moved back here in June. My eventual goal is to start at the headwaters and take a canoe trip to where it empties into the ocean. For practical reasons I began the project around Smithfield which is about 45 minutes to an hour from where we live in Norfolk.”

Matt pitched the project to a hospital being built near the river and was subsequently commissioned to create 27 images. We recently collaborated on printing his stunning images and chose a paper to Matt’s liking (Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Baryta — the same paper all of my exhibition prints are made on) and a comfortable print size for the images.

Here are a couple installation pictures of the stellar finished framed prints:

Matt Eich is a photojournalist and colleague based in Norfolk, Virginia where he lives with his wife and daughter. Matt is represented by Luceo Images.

I’m traveling for the next week or so and may take time away from the blog. I’m looking forward to hitting the road and seeing what the weather brings.

Birds, New York, New York, 2010

Louie Palu is a photojournalist currently based in Afghanistan. I highly recommend watching his Unconventional Warfare podcast series created with the Atlantic as well as his Garmsir Marines series.

U.S. Marine Lcpl. Preston “Bukkake” Calkins © Louie Palu

Powerful. Make sure you watch the entire video.

Maya Lin – Unchopping a Tree.

I have had three remarkable experiences with bald eagles that I can remember, and each one is unique.

The first was when I moved to Maine during the summer of 2006. I was settling into managing the digital services at the Maine Media Workshops (then the Maine Photographic Workshops) and meeting news friends, photographers, and film makers. It was an exciting time as I had just left college and was about to begin a new chapter of my life. One beautiful, sunny, Saturday afternoon a bunch of friends and I went to Megunticook Lake. We dropped our inflatable tubes in the water, paddled away from shore, and moments later a bald eagle flew maybe 15 feet above our heads, so close we could hear the wind against it’s wings.

(Photo by Juli Lowe from that day)

The second was when I was living in a rustic trailer along the St. George River in Cushing, Maine from September 1 – December 24, 2008. It was both romantic and brutal at times; the former because it was very private and literally next to the tidal river, and the latter because there was no insulation. I was fortunate, though, as a landlord friend, Colin, was letting me stay in the trailer free of charge, minus electricity.

In the morning I would walk next door to another house Colin owned, a summer vacation rental. The house had a walkout basement and Colin had given me a key to use the downstairs toilet and tub anytime no one was renting the property. One morning I was walking next door through a small path in the woods that connected my trailer to the house. Above my head I heard a loud tree branch break. At first I had no idea what was happening. Then I saw an enormous bird flying away with a large branch in it’s talons. It was a bald eagle. It flew a hundred feet or so to a tall pine tree that stretched out across the river where it was construction a beautiful nest.

Realizing the nest was there, I started paying closer attention and discovered there was not one bald eagle but two nesting bald eagles. After this discovery I would often see them soaring above the river, spreading their wings and looking for food. I visited the trailer again this summer and had lunch with Colin. He told me the nesting pair went onto have fledglings (baby bald eagles). I still find it wild to think about.

(the trailer after a large snow storm a few days before Christmas, 2009)

The third was just now while riding the Mega Bus back to Syracuse to finalize a book we’re creating for my upcoming Uganda: A River Blue exhibition at Anastasia Photo. We’re driving on Route 17 and crisscrossing the Beaverkill River as the driver navigates bumps, uneven pavement, and everything else needing to be done to keep us, his passengers, safe.

Moments ago I received news from friend I worked with the same summer I saw my first memorable bald eagle in Maine. Right after receiving this news, the bus crested a hill and at the top was a bald eagle sitting on a branch hanging over the road, taking in the landscape on this cloudy but beautiful winter day.

A few months back I had a photograph from my Alebtong, Uganda series featured on Flak Photo. Shortly thereafter, Terri Saul, an artist raised in Los Angeles and now living in Berkley, California, contacted me about creating a painting inspired by the photograph. I was flattered that someone would want to make a painting based on one of my photographs.

Terri and I started exchanging emails and have since become good friends. She and her boyfriend now own a photograph from my Alebtong, Uganda series and I own her painting Stand Back Sibley. It’s a beautiful painting that I identify particularly well with; a man standing on top a mountain examining the wilderness that surrounds, thinking every and all thoughts that come in these moments.

See and purchase Terri’s work here.

Terri’s interpretation of Luggard, Alebtong, Uganda, 2009

Stand Back Sibley by Terri Saul

Photograph Magazine is an terrific resource for current and upcoming exhibitions, private dealers, intriguing writings about contemporary photography, and much more.

Pick up a copy of the January/February 2010 issue and check out the announcement for my upcoming Uganda: A River Blue exhibition at Anastasia Photo.