GQ, National Geo, and New Yorker Win National Magazine Awards for Photography

Award season continued last night, as the American Society of Magazine Editors announced the winners of the 2009 National Magazine Awards.

PHOTO PORTFOLIO (honors creative photography and photo illustration)
Winner: The New Yorker, for "Service," a series of portraits of American soldiers by Platon (above).
Finalists: Bon Appétit (for "A Heritage Feast" by by Tim Morris; GQ  for "Whot It Takes," by Jeff Riedel; Gourmet for "Out of Sight" by Romulo Yanes; and W for "Come on Down to Nawlins" by Bruce Weber; styled by Karl Temper, April.

PHOTOGRAPHY (recognizes excellence in magazine photography over three full issues)
Winner:  GQ  Jim Nelson, editor-in-chief; Fred Woodward, design director; Jim Moore, creative director; Anton Ioukhnovets, art director; Dora Somosi, director of photography, for August, November, December issues.
Finalists: Bon Appetit; National Geographic; T The New York Times Style Magazine;  and W.

PHOTOJOURNALISM (recognizes photographic documentation of an event or subject in real-time)
Winner: National Geographic, for "Who Murdered the Virunga Gorillas" by Brent Stirton (photo below)
Finalists: Harper’s Magazine  for "Life and Death" by Lynsey Addario;  The New York Times Magazine for "A Cutting Tradtion"  Stephanie Sinclair; The New York Times Magazine for "The Children of God" by Stephanie Sinclair; Time for "The Forgotten Plague" by James Nachtwey
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Rediscovering Richard Crump Miller and His Vivid Images of Marilyn Monroe

Some artists are discovered only after they have left us. Richard Crump Miller’s longevity has allowed him to bask in some well-deserved fame.
     Miller, now 97 and living in New York's Hudson Valley with his daughter Jan, recently paid a visit to his former home, Los Angeles, to see his work hanging alongside that of another pioneer of color photography, Paul Outerbridge, at a wonderful exhibition at the Getty Center. The show,
curated by Getty Assistant Curator Paul Martineau, runs through August 9.
     Miller was a practitioner of carbro color printing, a painstaking process that yielded vivid images with saturated colors and glossy black tones. Based in L.A., he also photographed plenty of actors and actresses, including one seductive model named Norma Jean Dougherty. Now Miller’s work is getting the attention it deserves, and the world can see his largely overlooked pictures of the young woman who would become known as Marilyn Monroe.

Don't Sweat the Swine Flu: Picturing Childhood Horror

Swine flu might be a little scary, but at least it's real and something we can deal with. (Memo to Staff: I'll be at home today washing my hands.) Much scarier are the horrors we can only imagine. I was, admittedly, one of those kids who worried about a lot of things. Maybe that's why I liked Joshua Hoffine's depictions of childhood fears. He notes that he does this stuff by staging his sets like movies scenes, with props and makeup, and keeps Photoshop to the minimum.
      When I look at this image, I remember that as a kid I knew as well as the next person that the only thing under my bed were some dustballs and maybe an old comic book, but that knowledge just didn't matter. In the middle of the night I really didn't feel like looking under there to find out for sure.--David Schonauer

Where to Go and What to See

This week, I wish I were in the Windy City so I could check out the Museum of Contemporary Photography's intriguing exhibit on the complexity of urban planning. Edge of Intent presents the concept of the city—and all the associated issues it presents for the public—as seen through the eyes of 10 different photographers. The timing of the exhibit is perfect: This year marks the centennial of the debut of the original Chicago city plans. Thus, with its exploration of the inflexible ideals of urban planning and the oft-overlooked repercussions for city dwellers, Edge of Intent serves as a dubious celebration.

(Photo: © Joel Sternfeld, courtesy Museum of Contemporary Photography)

Click through to read about more events around the country.

Seven Photographers Win Guggenheim Fellowships

The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation has announced the recipients of its 85th competition. Among the 180 Fellowships to artists, scientists, and scholars, seven were awarded to photographers.

Thomas Joshua Cooper, Professor and Senior Reseacher in Fine Art, The Glasgow School of Art. Seen here: Broken Boulder in the Late Afternoon Sun (Remembering Timothy O'Sullivan) Along the Snake River, Pillar Falls Canyon, Jerome Co. Idaho, USA, 2003-2004

Osamu James Nakagawa, Associate Professor of Photography, School of Fine Arts, Indiana University. Seen here: Glory, 2003


Suzanne Opton, Photographer, New York City. Seen here: an image from her Soldier Series

Anna Shteynshleyger, Faculty Member, School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Seen here: City of Destiny (Portrait with Mordechai)

Cheryle St. Onge, Photographer, Durham, New Hampshire. Seen here: An image from her Offerings series.

Brian Ulrich, Adjunct Faculty Member, Columbia College, Chicago. Seen here: An image from his Retail series.

Byron Glen Wolfe, Photographer, Chico, California. Seen here: An image done in partnership with photographer Mark Klett.--David Schonauer

Eyes of History Contest Winners Named

The White House News Photographers Association has released the names of the winners of its 2009 Eyes of History photo contest. Washington Post photographer Andrea Bruce was named the Photographer of the Year, and Charles Ommanney of Getty Images/Newsweek won the Best Political Photo award.
      This is the fourth time Bruce, who learned of her win while on assignment in Iraq, has won the Photographer of the Year award. Her previous awards came in 2003, 2005, and 2006.
      Ommanney's award came for his photo of President-Elect Barack Obama inside the Capital, moments before he walked onto the viewing stand to be sworn in as Commander in Chief (above). Contrast that image with another winning photo made by Ommanney that day showing President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney and their wives waiting for the arrival of the Obamas at the White House (below). What can we learn from these two pictures? (For a complete list of the winners, go here.)--David Schonauer

Conde Nast Shuts Down Portfolio Mag

Magazine publisher Conde Nast is closing another magazine. Go here for details. The latest title to go is Portfolio, the luxe business magazine that unfortunately came of age during our a bruising business slowdown. Portfolio published some very good photography, and it's a loss for the photo community. Some reports said that Conde invested $100 million on Portfolio since its April 2007 launch. The company also shuttered Domino magazine in January.--David Schonauer