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The craft of photography is like a finely mixed martini. Each person’s recipe reveals a unique vision of the world, and of the inner workings of the artist’s mind.
As the photo editor at Hooksexup, I see so much amazingly diverse work every day. Some of it is a perfect fit for our galleries. Then, some doesn’t scream “Hooksexup,” but goes its own way, to beautiful effect. I wanted to find a home for this work, and highlight some photographers who are working on amazing ideas but don’t have a platform to develop and showcase them.
Slice gives these artists a platform and a blog of sorts, to have as their own for thirty days. It’s a chance to bring their time, their voice, their style, their visual ramblings to the world. Each month we will turn over the section to a selected artist, and let them have at it. Bookmark it and come by each month. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Slice 01/09
“Party Like It’s 2008”
A look at the past year through the lens of M. Sharkey.
To kick off Slice in style, we’ve given the megaphone to the crazy-talented M. Sharkey. (No relation to our new photo blogger, believe it or not.) What better way to start off 2009 than with a look at M. Sharkey’s wild, wild life in 2008.
M. Sharkey is a New York City-based portrait photographer and a snarkily amazing individual. He shoots for all the big names; Best Life, Blender, Bust, Interview, Newsweek, New York magazine, Out, People, S magazine, SPIN, NY Times Style, Trace and Vibe. But he also has a multitude of personal projects underway, including a series documenting gay youth in America. In between all the commercial jobs, he documents his life and the lives of his friends, creating a visual biography of his adventures.
While his life is filled with action, he takes his craft very seriously. Sharkey’s approach to photography is grounded in the moment and the person on the other side of the lens. “A photograph needs to communicate on several different levels in order to be vital,” he stresses. “A portrait should suggest intimacy with the subject, and peel away the layers of veneer that most of us project. The subject becomes a mirror for better examining ourselves. When — miraculously — all this comes together, the photograph lives in memory long after the subject and moment have passed.”
Follow M. Sharkey as he takes you through a year chock-filled with romps in NYC, work in the studio, beach time in Montauk, and much, much more. — Agatha Wasilewska
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