IF YOU’RE IN MOTION, you’d do well to be captured by Chris Vultaggio. From world-class athletes to whirling children, globe-trotting ex-presidents to pop stars, men who make the news to women so powerful they catch air and scale sheer cliffs – Chris captures them all with a unique mix of respect, simpatico and a sense of kinship.
THE KINSHIP comes from having photographed on 5 of the world’s 7 continents. Very little is “foreign” to Chris and few people fail to capture his interest – or his eye. Whether on assignment with the first President Bush in Korea and China…in the high, dry, hill country of South Africa…chasing the world’s most famous Tiger on a recent PGA tour…backstage with Sonny Rollins, Phish or funnyman Jerry Seinfeld, Chris has the instincts to grab the perfect slice of time – and put it into your hands.
HE IS ALSO A SERIOUS ATHLETE who loves to shoot his fellow athletes. Chris has done ice climbing and competitive downhill mountain biking, snowboarding in the Alps, and rock climbing just about everywhere. So when he photographs people smack in the middle of the conquest or the competition, he is doing more than taking an exciting shot. He is putting an f-stop on boundless energy and doing it with a big piece of himself in every frame.
AS A SYMPATHETIC PHOTOGRAPHIC STORYTELLER, he is a careful portraitist of children and families. As a photojournalist, his pictures talk of our shared planet and the people who move the world. And as an athlete still in his prime, he is a co-participant in the unpredictable world of high energy sports and outdoor adventure – one who loves to capture the moment, and share it with as many people as he possibly can.
www.chrisvultaggio.com
Peter Scheer
PETER SCHEER (PS), filmmaker, photographer and visual artist, lives in Dix Hills, New York. He is the president of PILOTLIGHT Films, a media development and production company. Peter received a BA from Long Island University, followed by a Pratt Institute Fellowship in Art. His art and film works have been covered by Newsday, the New York Times, Life magazine, and other major media.
As a documentary filmmaker, he has shot around the world, having been to Liberia, Somalia and Ethiopia, including photojournalistic excursions through the Middle East and Europe. More recently, working for the W.H.O. and UNICEF, he shot and edited presentations which dramatize the fight against TB, still a major global initiative.
His work has aired on The HBO Series, The Ali ‘G’ Show, NOVA, A&E, Bravo, Rainbow, Nightline, ABC, CBS, NBC, MTV, Sesame Street, Nickelodeon, Canadian and European television.
Regarding his approach to photography, Peter enjoys the dance of light, shadow, and landscape. His work is alternately spontaneous and deliberate, often with a hint of playfulness. His Fantasy Faerie collection, an evolving project for over 20 years, combines a dual love for nature photography and natural feminine allure. Here, women and landscapes are melded carefully together with a mix of surprise, awe, vivid color -- and the unique eye of a painter, filmmaker, and artist.
www.pilotlight.tv
Jane Awad
Canadian-born Jane Awad has modeled for print ads, magazines such as TIME, Energy and Nitro, and has been shot by Juan Carlos Lopez, John Stutz and other accomplished photographers. Yet Jane’s own accomplishments come not so much by the beauty she was graced with, or even the well-toned physique she has maintained, but from her varied athletic achievements. She was once the youngest player on the Ontario Regional Volleyball Team – a team that went on to win the silver medal in the Ontario Summer Games. She then set several regional records in javelin throwing, but wound up accepted to Marist College on a full basketball scholarship. Switching colleges, Jane become team captain at the University of Waterloo in her senior year. In the fall of 2002, Jane completed the NY City Marathon in 4 hours and 40 minutes, an event that she describes as a mental challenge as much a physical one. Two years later, Jane began competing In Figure Competitions and in her first year, September 2004 to be exact, was the Overall Champion at the North American Championships. Today, she still trains, competes, and models. A dedicated achiever, an athlete who has worked energetically in every sport and in each personal endeavor she has ever engaged, this is a women of strength -- not to mention a strong inner compass. Jane Awad is more than an attractive individual, she is a special individual, worthy of admiration. But then Jane likes to say, “Respect yourself and others will show you great respect in return.”
www.janeawad.com
Blaine Michioka
Blaine Michioka is a Master of Photography and a PPA Certified Professional Photographer. Native to the island of Kauai, Hawaii, his accomplishments include five Kodak Gallery Awards and three Fuji Masterpiece Awards for photographic excellence. One of his finest achievements is his intimate collection of hula images, which can be seen on both sides of the Lihue Airport Terminal on the island of Kauai. Blaine says: "My passion in life is to create, share, and leave an impression that I have done something of a positive nature with my artistic expression. I pray my images will touch you in a positive manner and inspire you."
www.yogaphotography.com
Jim Furness
Jim Furness of Dundee, Scotland started photographing nudes quite early on, often asking friends to volunteer as his models.
Most of his subjects are female nudes, surrounded by dramatic landscapes, waterways, hills, and countryside. These women -– unlike the classic indoor nude in repose –- seem to be both emboldened and empowered by the great, raw elements and the natural environment they inhabit. They are unclad in a wild world, and so a part of it.
According to Jim: “Our bodies are God’s beautiful creation. Therefore how can they ever be considered as pornographic objects? We are children of God and inhabit His universe and the world He created. We belong to the earth, and the earth belongs to us... My summer holidays were often spent with my wife and son on naturalist beaches in the south of France. Lying on the beach, seeing all of the wonderful naked people, I began to imagine them gracing the Scottish landscape. I thought: we come from the earth, and ultimately our bodies return to it. No less so in Scotland than in France.”
You can see Jim Furness’ bold, imaginative and compelling work on www.jfphotography.net
