Donald Weber, photographer with VII Network and next-in-line DVA interviewee, has just had his first book published: Bastard Eden, Our Chernobyl.
The book has come about after his selection in the Photolucida Critical Mass Prize 2006, which grants its winners the publication of a project. The pictures in this book come from over three years of work in the areas surrounding the Chernobyl disaster, and many can be found on his website. I adore the work (all of it, frankly) and covet a copy of the book… Congrats to Don. Show your love and purchase a copy!

Just found out that I’ve been named a Finalist for Critical Mass 2008 from Photolucida down in Portland, OR. I submitted eight pictures from my Kosovo projects.

Raising the new Kosovo flag above Shtime, a city where devestating violence took place during the war in '99.

Always nice to see the effort (and expense! I think $275 total for this review) are amounting to something. Now we wait to see if I’m voted (by this list of 200 or so jurors/reviewers) in to the ‘Top 50′, or even the top two or three who will have their books published by Photolucida. In the past two years, two photojournalists have won this top award: my comrade Donald Weber (expect a DVA interview with him soon!) and new Magnum nominee Peter van Agtmael.

Thanks are due to our friend Eric Kayne who was a tremendous help in editing down the work to the final 8. Be sure to check out the DVA interview with him if you haven’t seen it yet. Also, congrats to fellow young photog Matt Eich, the only other person that I know on the list of finalists.