With the end of 2017 around the corner, the editors at PDN glance back at ten of the most popular Photo of the Day articles of the year. PDN Photo of the Day showcases work from photographer’s personal projects, unpublished works, commissions and assignments, exhibitions, and published books.
Chosen by you, the viewers, this year’s gallery has a strong showing of classic, minimalist portraiture, a celebration of the human form, reckoning of the Internet, and the enduring following of Robert Frank’s “The Americans.”
The slideshow above presents one image from each of the top ten posts. Links to each full gallery and accompanying article are below.
1. Underwater Muses
Ed Freeman’s underwater photography features the lithe bodies of dancers and models interacting across the picture plane, each image made with less than a minute per dive.
2. Cory VanderPloeg’s Figure Studies
New York City-based fashion photographer Cory VanderPloeg’s own projects are often quick studies of the body akin to figure drawing.
3. Take a Picture, Sweetie–Prince’s Lost Photo Archives
“Picturing Prince: An Intimate Portrait,” a book by Steve Parke, collects images dug up from “old hard drives from long-dead computers” and taken during Parke’s 13-year tenure at Paisley Park.
4. Before the Selfie
The difference between snapshots uploaded by the millions, and carefully produced self-portraits of earlier times, is the subject of the show, “This Is Not a Selfie: Photographic Self-Portraits from the Audrey and Sydney Irmas Collection.”
5. The Stories Behind 100 Great Street Photographs
“100 Great Street Photographs,” a book edited by David Gibson sorts through street photography living on the Internet to present the best photographs emerging from the so-called internet generation.
6. Robert Frank’s American Contact Sheets
The contact sheets from 81 rolls of film–out of 800–shot for “The Americans” offer a glimpse into Robert Frank’s working methods.
7. Avedon in Texas
In 1979 Richard Avedon began shooting his celebrated series “In the American West” in Texas, photographing a Rattle-Snake Round-up, truckers, oil field workers, and factory workers, among others.
8. Portrait Photographers at Home and on the Road
Michael Joseph and Rachael Dunville, both portrait photographers, offer a look into two distinct American communities, one as an insider and the other as an outsider.
9. Inside New York’s Indie Theater Scene
Kent Meister captures the life of New York City Off Off Broadway theaters showing the camaraderie and hard work that goes on backstage.
10. Photographing the Dark Side of the Super Bloom
In the wake of a record rainfall, Stuart Palley documents the destruction of abundant wildflower reserves by overenthusiastic selfie-seekers in the California desert.
