National Geographic photographer Vince J Musi is an award winning photographer whose unique take on animal photography was recognized in the 2011 PDN Photo Annual. The early deadline for the 2012 Photo Annual is TODAY at midnight PST. The image above  is from a story on wild things bred for their aggressive behavior. Scientists in Novosibirsk, Russia, are comparing these rats to those bred for friendliness to understand the connection between genetics and behavior.

The reception will feature a film screening and slide-show with a discussion moderated by Erika and Sarah Leen, senior photo editor at National Geographic Magazine. The exhibit will run until March 13th. To see a more intimate glimpse of Larsen’s project, watch this short video.

-courtesy Redux.

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.

People have always grown food in urban spaces—on windowsills and sidewalks, and in backyards and neighborhood parks—but today, urban farmers are leading an environmental and social movement with intent to transform our national food system. To explore this agricultural renaissance, brothers David and Michael Hanson and urban farmer Edwin Marty document twelve successful urban farm programs, from an alternative school for girls in Detroit, to a backyard food swap in New Orleans, to a restaurant supply garden on a rooftop in Brooklyn. Each essay offers practical advice for budding farmers, such as composting and keeping livestock in the city, decontaminating toxic soil, even changing zoning laws.

For seven weeks, David, Michael, and videographer, Charlie Hoxie, traveled the country in a short school bus powered by veggie grease (and a minivan after too many breakdowns delayed the production). The trio slept in empty lots overlooking the Pacific Ocean, mall parking lots, and alongside the very farms they were documenting.The images and stories to come out of these farms show that America’s urban landscape is rich with opportunity for fresh local food. Hanson’s book, Breaking Through Concrete : Building an Urban Farm Revival, published by University of California Press, was recently released.

-courtesy Michael Hanson.

Father Luke Nguyen and the Mary Queen of Vietnam Church were the catalyst for the development of backyard gardens that helped resurrect the predominately Vietnamese Versailles community of East New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

Mary Seton Corboy, the director of the Greensgrow Farm in Philadelphia, tends to her bees. Initially, Mary kept bees to deter intruders from entering the farm. Now she has hundreds of CSA members throughout the Philadelphia area and provides produce for restaurants, community members and the farmer’s market.

Children eat mango at the Garden at Westerly Creek Park in Denver, CO. Refugees from countries including Bhoutan, Somolia, and Sudan gather at this community farm where they now grow a city block’s worth of produce.

Annie Novak at Eagle Street rooftop garden in Brooklyn, NY. Her farm provides produce for a CSA, local restaurants, and a farmer’s market.

NASA says that its twin probes are scheduled to arrive on the moon New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. The data they collect may solve some of the mystery that remains about the lunar surface. The mission’s chief scientist, Maria Zuber of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told the AP: ”We actually know more about Mars … than we do about our own moon.”

For her series Moon Studies and Star Scratches,  Sharon Harper photographed the moon over a period of days, weeks and months on a single sheet of film.  Harper says the camera is “a metaphor for the pervasive presence of technology within the landscape, a presence that often interrupts our experience of the natural world. The camera here, however, creates possibilities for re-interpreting contemporary experience as it mediates and records, generating images that cannot be seen without it. In the images from the series…the moon links our understanding of time in terms of a monthly calendar with a celestial realm where time is measured in light years.” Moon Studies and Star Scratches is featured in Daylight Magazine’s current issue, Cosmos. Harper’s newer series, Sun/Moon (Trying to See through a Telescope), is currently on view at Galerie Roepke in Cologne through January 21st.

Wishing you all new perspectives for 2012.

Moon Studies and Star Scratches, No. 12. April 1 – May 30, 2006. Rincón, Puerto Rico; Spy Pond, Massachusetts. 1.25, 2.25 hour exposures; 20, 15, 5 minute exposures; 2, 3, 2 second exposures

Moon Studies and Star Scratches, No. 14. July 1-7, 2006. Middlesex, Vermont, 4 hour exposure; 35, 10, 1 minute exposures; 20, 15, 20 second exposures.

Moon Studies and Star Scratches, No. 6. June – September 2004. Saratoga Springs, New York; Middlesex, Vermont; Johnson, Vermont; Eden Mills, Vermont; Greensboro, North Carolina.

Rob Tringali is a freelance photographer who has specialized in sports for over 20 years. He photographed the last 22 Super Bowls, 14 World Series and numerous Olympic games as well as major golf and tennis championships, and World Cup soccer. Tringali’s clients often hire him to not only get the winning shot, but also capture the spirit of the moment through a unique perspective.

Tringali says, “I love shooting sports for a variety of reasons: I appreciate the competition and what an athlete or team has to endure to become the best, how they push themselves to limits most people couldn’t grasp. Capturing the essence of sport from such a close proximity never gets old. I’ve escaped near misses on NFL sidelines, have had hockey pucks and baseballs whiz by my head at ridiculous speeds, climbed with bulky, heavy lenses up snowy mountains—all experiences I would never trade.”

Above: Cameron Maybin #24 of the San Diego Padres poses during their photo day at the Padres Spring Training Complex on February 23, 2011 in Peoria, Arizona.

The sunlight beams through the windows down onto the field as Tony Romo #13 of the Cowboys passes to Jason Whitten #82 during the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the St. Louis Rams at Cowboys Stadium on October 23, 2011 in Arlington, Texas.

David Freese #23 of the St. Louis Cardinals rounds the bases after hitting a walk off solo home run in the 11th inning at Busch Stadium during Game Six of the 2011 World Series on October 27, 2011 in St Louis, Missouri.The Cardinals defeated the Rangers 10 to 9 to force a Game Seven.

Rafael Nadal of Spain reacts with a fist pump after a point in a match against Novak Djokovic of Serbia  during the Men’s Final on Day Fifteen of the 2011 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 12, 2011 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.

Jockeys walk out of the Jockey room between races during opening day at Saratoga Racetrack on Friday July 22, in Saratoga, NY.

Yohan Blake of Jamaica races in the 100m mens final at the IAAF Track &Field meet in Kingston, Jamaica on May 7, 2011. Blake won the race recording a wind aided 9.80 time.

Juan Agudelo #9 of the USA reacts after scoring a tying goal in the second half against Argentina in a Soccer friendly on March 26, 2011 at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Asante Samuel #22 of the Philadelphia Eagles is introduced before the game against the New England Patriots at Lincoln Financial Field on November 27, 2011 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Patriots defeated the Eagles 38 to 20.

Portrait shoot of Power Lifter Chuck Vogelpohl attempting to squat over 1200 lbs at the Lexen Extreme Gym in Columbus, Ohio for Muscle & Fitness magazine on January 29 in Columbus, Ohio.

The Baylor Bears take the field before a game against the TCU Horned Frogs at Floyd Casey Stadium on September 02, 2011 in Waco, Texas.

Spearfishing is a type of hunting done with underwater guns, harpoons and strong line. Freediving is a type of breath-hold diving in which divers descend for the duration of one breath, without SCUBA tanks or any breathing apparatus. The best freedivers can hold their breath for over five minutes and go deeper than 100 feet. The combination of both these skills makes a high adrenaline sport done by only a few brave souls. All of the images made were also on breath-hold dives – no SCUBA.

Eyeconic Images is the partnership of DJ Struntz and Logan Mock-Bunting, two photographers with a passion for story-telling, image-making and the ocean. Their photographs have appeared in National Geographic, Outside Magazine, Time Magazine, Newsweek, New York Times Magazine, Surfing, Smithsonian Magazine, Wall Street Journal, Mclean’s, and Men’s Health.

Captain Lindsey Shuford watches as Kenneth Kelly and Kelsey Albert prepare their spearfishing gear, including guns, spears, tips and lines before freediving off the coast of North Carolina.

Ashley Futral descends for a final dive as dusk falls and the moon rises over the ocean near Wrightsville Beach, NC.

Kelsey Albert “brains” a hogfish after spearing it while freediving and spearfishing, as a bait-ball of smaller fish sweep in, looking for leftover scraps of meat. Often after a fish is shot and captured, the hunter will stab it in the head to make sure the animal is dead.

DJ Struntz wrestles a large Grouper he shot into a waiting boat. Groupers are a skittish fish,  dwelling on the bottom of the sea-floor, so divers must descend deep and stalk them slowly.

Ren Chapman prepares for a dive with a loaded and ready speargun while another diver rests, holding onto a dive-line to stay in position against the current.

Kenneth Kelly “brains” a barracuda after spearing it while freediving and spearfishing off the coast of North Carolina. He was competing in a spearfishing tournament when this catch was made.

All photos © Jake Price

The six-month anniversary of the March 11 tsunami that struck northeastern Japan came and went with little attention in the Western press. But New York-based photographer Jake Price, who has spent a total of ten weeks in Tōhoku since March, believes the environmental devastation the disaster wrought will be a story for a long time to come. While the media has focused on nuclear contamination, he says, “Walking past overturned boats, cars, trucks, I realized that their oil, gas and other chemicals emptied into the soil and groundwater.” He photographed mounds made from the bulldozed debris of entire towns, which contain insulation, fiberglas and chemical contaminants.

The salt water and oil that washed into farms has made the land unusable for five years or more. ”Many elderly farmers will never see growth on their land again. Still they work diligently to hand it off to future generations, an issue that is filled with uncertainty because so many young people have left for the big cities.”

Price shot many still images, video and audio in the region, and the BBC showed some of his images in an audio slide show.

Of the limited press attention paid to the crisis, Price notes, “I think the perception … is that the Japanese have everything figured out because it is such an orderly society.  But that is simplistic at best.  People are still coping with enormous stress and loneliness after losing everything.”

Though assignments to cover the story are rare, Price is planning to return to the region soon. “The more I get to know about Tōhoku the more interested I become.” He wants to donate his images to libraries and community centers to help the region begin restoring the visual record lost in the tsunami.