TOP TO BOTTOM, from (“Enticement.Solitary“)
© Tanmoy Nayak, 2011

I particularly liked this set of diptychs by young and talented photographer, Tanmoy Nayak, from Calcutta. More on his flickr stream.

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 TO BOTTOM, from (“Creatures of Habit, A Race Divided, Marked“)
© Veejay Villafranca

Filipino photojournalist Veejay Villafranca tackles serious social issues with a keen eye for dramatic compositions. Check out his portfolio here.

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, © Ch’ng Yaohong, 2011

Hello, I’m back.

Lost my soul somewhere along the way but I think it’s time I reclaim something that’s mine. Lots of life changes this year and I’ve been busy adjusting to things.

Seems like the blogosphere has changed somewhat with the proliferation of Tumblr, Twitter and even Facebook. I can’t possibly compete with all the awesome content aggregators out there. A new approach has to be taken; at least one that is not too time consuming for me.

So, how have you been? I hope you missed me!

TOP TO BOTTOM, from (“Any“)
© Masashi Ohata

Daily observations of life, light as a feather. Masashi Ohata trains his eye on familiar everyday scenes, imbuing them with a dream-like quality.

Do you dream in technicolor?

More on his portfolio.

TOP TO BOTTOM, from (“Stages“)
© Shen Chao-Liang, 2006-2009

“The stage is a concrete physical place which asks to be filled, and to be given its own concrete language to speak.” – Antonin Artaud, The Theater And Its Double

Taiwanese photographer Shen Chao-Liang documented elaborate stages often found in his native country. These stages are bewildering and startling to behold, perhaps more bewildering than the entertainment acts played out on them.

Other works can be found on his portfolio. For more images for the series above, visit Aki Gallery.

It did strike me though, after these years of running this blog, what kind of value have I contributed? And what do I foresee ahead?

I didn’t have much of a plan when I started writing, I just wanted a platform to share some of the amazing works I came across and hopefully allow these artists to reach a wider audience. Obviously back then, I was still in the industry and everything in my life revolved around photography. I had lots of opportunities to meet new people, had enormous amounts of drive and energy. These days, life seems like a panel from Dilbert. Perhaps that’s why I couldn’t see or find any interesting stuff to share lately. I would like to believe that my relative was wrong about the state of staleness.

Hence, I am now looking for contributors to the blog. You need to be passionate about photography (obviously), write well (I’m a grammar nazi), preferably based in Asia. There will be no deadlines, no screaming editors and obligation of any kind. Well, if you’re interested, do drop me a mail or leave a comment here.

TOP TO BOTTOM, from (“Kee Lung“)
© Michio Yamauchi, 2007

Call it wanderlust but the mere sight of Michio Yamauchi’s street documentary incited a deep yearning to explore the world. When looking at his images, the viewer senses the photographer’s presence, exposed in stark black-and-white or muted monotone.

For more: visit Michio Yamuchi’s portfolio or join his page on Facebook.