Herb Ritts was considered one of the most important photographers to emerge during the 1980s. He had a distinctive sense of style, and the visual dexterity to stand out for both his personal work (which helped revive the genre of male nudes) and the fashion and portraiture of his commercial photography. From the late 1970s until his death in 2002, Ritts’s ability to bridge the gap between art and commerce was not only a testament to his imagination and technical skill, but also reflected the blending of art, popular culture, and business that followed the Pop Art movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Herb Ritts: L.A. Style (Getty Publications, April 2012) traces the life and career of the iconic photographer through his renowned images, as well as some of his unpublished work. An exhibition will be on view at the Getty Center from April 3 through August 12, 2012; at the Cincinnati Art Museum from October 6 through December 30, 2012; and at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida, from February 23 through May 19, 2013.

© Herb Ritts Foundation. Wrapped Torso, Los Angeles, 1989. The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, 2011.19.12.

On Friday, January 13th, from 6-10PM the LUCEO cooperative is hosting their third annual exhibition at 25CPW in New York City. Titled “Greater Than The Sum”, the exhibition highlights the group’s ability to connect, collaborate and create. LUCEO seeks to engage the audience, making them the final arbiter in the work. Breaking from tradition, their new exhibition “Greater Than The Sum” combines a broad curation of each photographers work into one 163′ run that spans the entire gallery. Rather than selling individual prints, LUCEO is selling CUTS which give guests the opportunity to hand-cut a 24×24″ section of the print they most want. The show also consists of an interactive installation and a soundscape scored by composer Tyler Strickland.

For those that can’t attend in person, you can still reserve a CUT and LUCEO will have a stand-in make the cut for you, or you can purchase a limited edition catalogue from the LUCEO store. The catalogue also includes a download score for the unique soundscape.

-courtesy LUCEO.

The first public exhibition of the Young Photographers Alliance (YPA) 2011 Mentoring Program will take place at the Calumet Gallery in New York City on January 12th. The theme for the program is “Everything is Energy,” which the 60 mentees interpreted in a wide variety of ways to create a compelling collection of photo essays. Natalie Halford, from the University of Westminster, focused on photographing teenagers because “they are full of life and have boundless energy, they represent the now, however, everyone can relate to this energy as it is inscribed in all of us … we were all that age once.”

With financial assistance from ASMP Foundation, YPA coordinated 15 teams, mentored by 25 professional photographers, in cities around the world: U.S. (Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, San Diego and Seattle), Canada (Toronto), China (Beijing), Thailand (Bangkok) and U.K. (London and Glasgow).

The first-ever international exhibition of PDN’s 30 will be opening tonight at Ricoh’s Ring Cube photography gallery in the famous Ginza District of Tokyo, Japan. Each year for a special issue of PDN, the magazine’s editors select “30 Emerging Photographers to Watch”  from a list of more than 300 photographers nominated by editors, curators, gallerists, art buyers and creatives.

The exhibition at Ricoh’s Ring Cube Gallery will include prints from each of the 2011 PDN’s 30 photographers, and will introduce the Japanese audience to PDN editors’ latest selection of talented emerging photographers in the fields of editorial, commercial, fashion, photojournalism and fine-art photography. PDN’s senior editor Conor Risch will be present at the exhibition opening this evening.

All Photos © John Midgley/Stockland Martel.

Photographer John Midgley has lived next to the Brooklyn Circus’ flagship store for the past five years. His fascination with the store’s staff, clothing and clientele inspired him to create a series of images featuring the many characters of the Brooklyn Circus. In these photographs, old meets new with the sort of whimsy and ease that can only happen in Brooklyn. All the models (and non-models) are involved with the company. It’s this sense of community that sets Midgley’s project apart from other retail campaigns.

Though Midgley began with no clear commercial goals in mind, his pictures soon appeared in the store’s windows and in several small advertisements. He and the creatives at Brooklyn Circus now hope to publish a photography book of the series.

Photographer Olivia Beasley collaborated with artist Charles Danby for their “Model Drawing” series. The intimate addition of pencil to the photographs are in contrast to the nature of photographic reproductions.

More images from this series can be seen in the The Look 2010 online gallery. The 2011 Contest is currently open for entries until June 30, but enter today to avoid late fees. A People’s Choice winner will also be selected.

Sabine. Seattle, WA. 2008. © Emiliano Granado

Emiliano Granado’s Time For Print is a series of portraits of aspiring models the photographer met through the online photography community Model Mayhem. “Time For Print” or “Test For Print” or “TFP,” as the communities refer to it, is the practice of unestablished models and photographers getting together for a shoot, each donating their time to further their portfolios. An exhibition of Granado’s series, which he calls “A study of beauty, sexuality and the compulsion to be seen in the Internet age,” opens tomorrow at EYELEVEL BQE in Brooklyn, NY. For more, visit Granado’s Web site for the project: http://www.projecttfp.com/

The Insiders is Brooklyn-based photographer Amy Touchette’s latest body of work. “The photographs are portraits of strangers I made while walking around the city and are an observation of the vulnerability and freedom that exists among today’s New Yorkers,” Touchette says. Her photography has been published and exhibited throughout The Netherlands, China, Australia, New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia, and her series Deborah was recently published in LoudMouth Press’ latest title Why Are You Surprised I’m Still Here?. She is represented by June Bateman Fine Art. To see more of Amy’s work click here.