Duwei, drummer for the Nanjing-based punk band Overdose, rests in a park with friends before a gig at the small YuYinTang rock club in Shanghai, China.

Just a reminder that a print of Duwei (above) from the China Punk story is up for bid in the Daniel Cooney/iGavel Emerging Artists Auction until Feb. 4. Get it while the gettin’s good.

Our monthly posting of dvafoto’s deadline calendar. The calendar can be accessed in a web browser, or with ical or xml applications. If you know of any upcoming deadlines not on the list, please send them to deadlines@dvafoto.com or use the submissions page.

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Following Matt’s lead, I’ve collected a few of my favorite photos of mine from 2009. It was a relatively good year, with a few assignments, corporate shoots, other gigs, and an award and exhibition or two. Always room for improvement in that respect, and 2010 seems to be off in full swing. The work here is mostly from China, with a little bit from the northwestern United States thrown in. These aren’t necessarily the best photos I took, or representative of everything I photographed, but they’re favorites nonetheless for various reasons.

Sand dunes rise above Dunhuang, Gansu, China, as tourists walk down the city's main tourism district.

After a whirlwind shoot in Shanghai yesterday, I’m leaving today for a few weeks to far western China to pursue some personal projects. Internet connection will be a problem for much of the trip, so please contact me by phone at +86-13770324102. I intend to photograph a few stories including: Tibetan New Year, snow in Xinjiang, development in Xinjiang, a Hui minority wedding, and other subjects. When I return, keep watching dvafoto for pictures. Editors, let me know if you need any pictures.

Must see, especially if you’re into good design. The Society of Publication Designers and their wonderful blog Grids interviewed The New York Times Magazine’s Design Director Arem Duplessis in December about the magazine’s redesign, which launched last June. As with many people the NYT Mag is a beacon in the industry for me, though I don’t get to see the print edition much abroad. It is great to catch up with their smart presentations and ideas.

Post-redesign covers of The New York Times Magazine

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A young man in the Stara Gazela camp. "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere". August.

Girl at scene of arson, "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere". August.

The famous black birds of Kosovo in flight over Mitrovica. February.

Rally for President-Elect Obama, Wilmington, DE. January.

Victim of human trafficking, Albania. For the New York Times. June.

Morning of Obama's Inauguration, parade route. January

Souvenirs at Obama Inauguration. January.

The Washington Monument, Obama Inauguration. January.

Mill in Bosnia. May.

Northern Kosovo. August.

Inside the Stan Trg mine in Mitrovica, Kosovo. August.

Rally for national handball team, Sarajevo BiH. March.

Jasmin in Sarajevo. March.

An elderly man aboard a free public bus from Sarajevo to Srebrenica, 14th anniversary of genocide. July.

Families of Srebrenica victims gather at the Potocari memorial to bury the remains of their loved ones. July.

Children at the scene of a mining disaster, Zenica BiH. March.

Miners at the Zenica hospital following an explosion that killed a colleague. March.

The bus from Kosovska Mitrovica to Belgrade. February.

On the road from Prishtina to Mitrovica during large snow storms in Kosovo. February.

Reshat Zatriqi in his home in Mitrovica Kosovo with his son. February.

Kosovars celebrate the one-year anniversary of independence along Mother Theresa Street in the center of the capitol, Prishtina. February.

Bowring on my birthday. June.

Cat on my birthday. June.

Port of Durres, Albania. For the New York Times. June.

My friend Stojan and his crew, Nova Gazela camp. "Nowhere". July.

A boy climbs on to the roof of his family's home in the Stara Gazela camp to jump into their inflatable swimming pool. "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere". July.

Boys play on top of a garbage pile behind their home in Nova Gazela. "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere". August.

A young man along the train tracks in Nova Gazela. "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere". August.

Smoke from a trash fire looms over the Nova Gazela settlement. "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere". August.

Mourners of Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch Pavle in Belgrade. November.

2009 was my first real year of living and working in Serbia and it was wrought with more questions than answers. I’m still trying to figure out what last year was and what the next will bring, in terms of life and my photos. But I think these pictures may show some of what this was about for me, my relationship to friends and strangers, places and stories. These are not just my “best” pictures but include many more personal. A visual taste of my year. And I’m ecstatic to be back for another take.

Of course, I am a month past due with this in part to recovering from the holidays stateside and setting up everything here for 2010. I’ll have much more to share in the near future on what’s new these days, including projects, collaborations and websites. As always you can see my work at www.mattlutton.com and dig through my archive (and buy pictures!) at archive.mattlutton.com.

Thanks for keeping up with my work and supporting us here at Dvafoto. Happy New Year!

Oliver Weber wrote in to tell us about Michael Werner’s interesting interview project, Two-Way Lens. Weber wrote:

Two Way Lens is a project of interviews with international, contemporary photographers. Their answers to three simple questions about their career paths, presented in this project, should help, inspire and inform emerging photographers. The tips and advice provided will be of value to every young photographer. A new photographer/ interview is added to the project every month.

The interviews are short and sweet, but have some good information. Among those interviewed: Zoe Strauss, Richard Renaldi, Martin Parr, Lori Nix, Alec Soth, and Amy Stein.