TOP TO BOTTOM, from (“Fantasies“)
© Paolo Morales, 2011

Don’t we fall prey to the boundless depths of our fantasies at times? Paolo Morales used the camera as a tool to construct relationships with women, not picking them up from bars but staged events from stolen moments.

TOP, from (“Good Night, Sleepless Night“) © Charles Nikolas Buenconsejo

BOTTOM, from (“In Ramble“) © Arjay Arevalo

Put a bunch of creative types together and you have a nightmare to manage. Egos, conflicting schedules and differing styles. The Every2nd Project is a collective of Filipino photographers who have gathered to spur each other on creatively. Take a look.

TOP TO BOTTOM, from (“Floating Rainbow“)
© Xiong Wenyun, 1999-2009

Starting the year off with some images by Chinese photographer, Xiong Wenyun. Better known for her Moving Rainbow series, she added dashes of color into typical Tibetan landscapes and trucks – creating a metaphorical rainbow that links the individual and the social environment.

Works here, here and here. Artist write-up here.

TOP TO BOTTOM, from (“Circumgyration“)
© Chen Chin-pao, 2004

Chen Chin-Pao taught in an elementary school for a decade (while completing a BFA from SVA, New York) and his series on Circumgyration caught my eye. On first glance, you would think that these were documentary shots of daily school life in a Taiwanese school. Upon closer inspection (or rather, after reading the write up), you would come to realize that these images were staged. Nothing dramatic; just little snapshots of daily life taken out of context.

For more, visit his website. His Heaven on Earth series is also worth a look. Betel Nut Girls remind me of a time when I visited Taiwan as a young soldier. Those were funny days.

TOP TO BOTTOM, from (“UNLIMITXT“)
© Dennis Rito, 2010

In this series, Rito seeks to examine the internal world of text-messaging users. He is compelled to explore how technology affects our society and faced with more virtual than face-to-face conversations, how do we, as a society progress ahead?

I really liked these images, especially the eerie glow that is left one the subjects’ faces. It’s an allusion to how absorbed we have become with our handheld devices. Variety in the subjects also break the possible monotony that such a series is prone to.

For more of Dennis’ works, visit his online portfolio. Incidentally, he writes the Philippine Photography Scene.

TOP TO BOTTOM, from (“??/Looking Afar“)
© Lei Jianyou

Lei is a young photographer from Zhejiang, China. A self-taught photographer with a short history behind him, his works carry a certain heaviness. He infuses elements of melancholy romanticism in his pictures of abandoned objects, often resulting in works that are both beautiful and painful to look at.

This series was produced during a winter period when he traveled to the north of China. The coldness of the weather, coupled with longing for a lost love and the warmth of friends resulted in this set of images. He projected his feelings onto a dejected landscape, as a form of mediation between a conflicted inner landscape and the serene world outside.

For more of his works, visit his portfolio here (in Chinese only, links are on the right of the images).

TOP TO BOTTOM, from (“November“)
© Gloria Chung

I know it’s only the end of January but Gloria Chung’s November series made me think a little about how time flies. Turn one round on the spot you’re standing on and you would be saying goodbye to 2010 already.

This year has been pretty packed and awesome so far (hence the lack of posts). I’m sad to see this month almost over. Sometimes, life moves too quickly for us to truly enjoy every single moment.

Gloria is currently based in NYC and shoots freelance. Hop over to her website to see her other works.

Andreas Heinrich: I’m just a small part of the whole. This will accompany me eternally. I will always only be a part of the whole. This is my fate and destiny.

Aruna Jawahahnnedig: I hope everyone is fine and will be doing fine in the future. I’m the person who could survive in the Tsunami disaster.

TOP TO BOTTOM, from (“The Guilty“)
© Kwon Ji-hyun, 2009

Kwon Ji hyun won the Best Portfolio award at the Bratislava Month of Photography. Her series, The Guilty, engaged the topic of social consciousness and responsibility. Through the series, she tried to reconcile the guilt of being an artist while the rest of the world continues in persistent suffering.

TOP TO BOTTOM, from (“?? (silent and loneliness) world“)
© Noriko Ishihara, 2009

Highly abstruse, the images’ visual references and palette create an ominous and fantastical feel to the entire series. Yet, beneath the abstract layers lie truths kept away from the world.

TOP TO BOTTOM, from (“Menstrual Cycle“)
© Kim Ji-Hye, 2009

For an act as natural as breathing, the topic remains mostly shrouded in mystery for the other half of the human population. Scenes of physical/mental changes, heightened senses and embarrassment are revealed through her images and perhaps bring a little light onto a topic that is usually avoided.