Winter Stories #6, 2007 © Paolo Ventura/Courtesy of Hasted Hunt Kraeutler, NYC

Paolo Ventura’s Winter Stories are narratives set in a small fictional Tuscan village in the early 1950’s; an imagined place full of dream-like memories. A reception for the artist will be on Wednesday, December 9th, 6–8pm. Winter Stories will be on view December 10, 2009–January 23, 2010, at Hasted Hunt Kraeutler, 537 West 24th Street, New York City. The exhibit is in conjunction with the release of a new monograph Winter Stories, published by Aperture.

© Ben Fink

This photo, taken in Claryville, N.Y., is part of a series by Ben Fink titled Shadow Realms. View more at www.benfinkphoto.com. Fink is represented by Hennessy Represents.

© Billy Weeks

Boys play baseball in a cow pasture in San Gregorio, Nicaragua. Major League Baseball teams scout villages in Nicaragua and other Latin countries to find young players. See more images of Central America by photographer Billy Weeks on his web site.

© James Walker

This image, from James Walker’s series of pictures of his dogs, was honored earlier this year in the Animal category of the PDN Faces contest. See more winners in the PDN Faces gallery.

Hey animal photographers: PDN is now accepting entries in the Best Friends Photo Contest. Every entry includes a $2 donation to an animal welfare charity: Your choice of the Best Friends Animal Society, Kids Saving the Rainforest, or the ASPCA. The deadline to enter is December 22. This contest is sponsored by Kodak and the PDN Photoplus International Conference + Expo.