© Logan White

The group photography exhibit The Pleasure Is All Mine recently opened in Chelsea to a packed house. Organized by the curatorial duo Finch & Ada, the show is a direct response to a scarcity of happiness the curators had observed in the contemporary fine art photography landscape.  “We felt that at its core, an emotion such as happiness was not viewed as a serious topic. We set out to find artists with artworks that would create a “happy place” and illustrate happiness and pleasure in a variety techniques.”

Two satellite events hosted this week add to the festive mix, Wednesday evening’s emerging collector’s symposium Instant Gratification – The Pleasures of Art Collecting and an Afternoon with the Artists on Saturday from 3 to 5 pm. Full details are available on the Finch & Ada Web site.  -Jill Waterman

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© Jill Waterman

On December 31, 1983 Jill Waterman began a long term project to photograph New Year’s celebrations in cities around the world. For more than 25 years her documentation has spanned many countries, cultures and events: from waiting for midnight in Paris; to religious observances on the beach in Brazil; to the Millennium celebration in Bethlehem; to this image of fireworks over Scotland’s Edinburgh Castle from 1999.

Shooting from an adjacent window that offered a panoramic view, Jill made this image within seconds of the firework’s first burst, before the scene became polluted by smoke accumulating in the air over time. For more tips for success when shooting fireworks, as well as many other nighttime subjects, check out Jill’s book Night and Low Light Photography.

And to see more of her New Year’s Eve images, visit NPR’s The Picture Show blog , or click here.