Web Profiles

www.paulpolitis.com
Paul Politis lives in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and works in digital, 35mm, medium format, and large format black and white photography. His online portfolio (www.paulpolitis.com) contains monochrome photography of people, places, and things, and includes series on Cuba, night photography, ghost towns and abandoned places, and nudes. Nudity advisory: Although Mr. Politis' nude images are tasteful, there are those people who are offended by the undraped female form. I love the directness of the images found in his People section that's enhanced by the use of black and white, leading you to the subject's eyes, wanting to know what they are thinking at the moment the shutter is tripped. Interestingly, his images made in Cuba, for the most part, do not include its people, but reveal aspects of the island untouched by visual political rhetoric. Admire the pictures for what they are not where they were made. Similarly, his Night images show works of humankind without people. It's an odd dichotomy considering how well Politis connects with people he photographs. Students and others who think it requires expensive equipment to make these kinds of beautiful images will be pleasantly surprised to learn that the majority of images on this site were made with Minolta X370 or X370n cameras. I have often said that the most useful photographic tool is the one between your ears. Hardware exists only to fulfill vision and Politis' dynamic monochrome imagery proves that point.

© 2005, Paul Politis, All Rights Reserved

www.billemory.com
Bill Emory's website (www.billemory.com) contains black and white photography of the Chesapeake Bay watershed with photos and essays from Virginia updated daily! I've often decried the lack of caption data on photographers' sites but Emory provides maybe too much text. Fortunately, his warmhearted spirit shows through his words and the equally warm photojournalistic images, so have fun, poke around the blog and make a few discoveries. The site has a linear design, when in fact it is more TARDIS-like (bigger on the inside than it is on the outside) and the more you explore, the more photos you'll find. If you're concerned as I am about photographers' rights make a beeline for "Pocket Litter." In the most jarring sections of this site, Emory recounts his encounter with White House police when making photographs in front of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Even more chilling is his harassment while photographing the Capital Hilton's ballroom before an inaugural ball. Emory recorded this event and you can listen to it in its entirety. I couldn't finish listening to the audio clip because it scared me, but it should make every photographer more than a bit nervous. Emory says, "Photos for me are studies of time, light, loss, longing, and the nature of change. They are my heart and memory." After you visit his site, I think you'll agree.

© 2005, Bill Emory, All Rights Reserved