Issue No. 4

1. The Big Picture

   The French photo fair Recontres Internationales de la Photographie, held annually in the provincial town of Arles in the south of France, has become something of an institution. This year, on the occasion of its thirtieth anniversary, Mark Edward Harris packed his cameras and guide books and made the trip from Los Angeles to this Mecca of photography. His report will make you want to visit next year — 2000.

2. Portrait

   Frederick Sommer’s career spanned the better part of sixty years. Among the cognoscenti, he is thought of as one of the most remarkable artists of his era. Yet, his work is virtually unknown to the larger audience. The reason is the work itself, not easily understood, and the man himself, not eager to be noticed. Leland Rice, who knew Sommer well, sketches a portrait of the artist — who died this year at the age of 83 — and his work, which he continued to produce until just a few months prior to his death.

3. Jack Spencer

   A fine-art photographer for 20 years, he held many jobs and lived in many places, until the yearning for his roots became too strong, and he returned to the South and its unique culture and rich traditions, the world he now portrays so masterfully.

4. O Winston Link

   To capture for posterity the last breaths of the mighty steam giants was his obsession. It also became the measure of his life’s work.

5. Dmitri Kessel

   Escaping Soviet oppression, he eventually landed in New York, where talent and hard work earned him a rewarding career as a globe-trotting LIFE staff photographer.

6. Patrick Jablonski

   Still a young man, he has already forged a unique relationship with the objects and scenes of nature he so eloquently helps us discover and appreciate.

7. Bill Perlmutter

   Shooting on the streets of early postwar Europe, still shattered by conflict, it was the uncritical joy of children that caught the attention of his camera.

8. Lisa Spindler

   She photographs botanical subjects and portraits, but the female form is her forte. She looks beyond eroticism to capture a pure beauty and sensuality.

9. Curtis Salonick

   He is not satisfied with seeing the world as most of us see it. He has to create his own. His is many-faceted, multi-layered, filled with mystical objects, populated by angels and demons.

10. Russ Marshall

    With memories of a childhood spent in the shadows of coal hills and smokestacks still vivid in his mind, it is no wonder that Marshall has become a passionate portrayer of the gritty industrial landscape and its poignant remnants, all rendered in the dark shades of his inner vision.

11. Paul Kozal

    Guided by his superb eye, Kozal challenges camera, film and paper to precisely express his powerful sense of drama and composition.

12. Shannon Fagan

    Staying late after class one evening, Fagan discovered the decorative qualities of scribbles and smudges on a blackboard he had long looked at but never really sen. His images are both pleasing and provocative. Chalk up yet another point for art by accidental design!