Ariel Zambelich

Ariel Zambelich (pictured above) started out shooting still photography for her high school yearbook. By the time college rolled around, she decided to focus her lens on motion pictures instead. At San Francisco State University, Zambelich was an aspiring documentary filmmaker. But she “soon realized it wasn’t a good fit.”

“After talking to a high school friend's older sister, I changed majors to journalism with a focus on photography, and I haven't looked back,” she said. “I fell in love with photographing people, and was amazed it was possible to make a living through meeting strangers, listening to their stories, and photographing their lives.”

Now, she’s a California-based freelance photographer who is doing just that.

World-renowned photographers – Eugene Richards, Donna Ferrato, Larry Towell, Robert Frank, James Nachtwey – inspire her work. As do her peers.

“It's definitely inspiring to see the photographers I went through school with grow so much. They're all starting collectives and small agencies, figuring out ways to fund their personal projects, and really making names for themselves,” Zambelich said. “We're always trading stories and editing each others pictures; it's an incredible support system, especially in a time when the industry is on such shaky ground and a lot of people are flailing as they try to make heads or tails of it.”



Zambelich is currently following the transition of a 53-year-old man into his new life as a woman. “The issues surrounding the transgender community have always been interesting to me,” she said. “My foster brother was transsexual, and was always really open about his lifestyle. It's been interesting to shoot because the story touches on a lot of psychological and emotional issues beyond the generally-publicized ‘man wants to be woman and is now happy’ mentality, and it's really opened my eyes to the complexities of life in transition.”

It’s not easy, she said: “There have definitely been days where I went home totally drained or confused or frustrated, which often happens on a long-term project. But there have also been some really incredible moments that make me grateful for the opportunity to do the job I do, and to be privy to the intimate moments in these people's lives.”

Under where?

"Under the Glass Bell, A Dream" is a photo show by New York artist Grace Kim. It opens tonight at Brooklyn's Melanie Flood Projects. The title is plucked from Anaïs Nin’s short story, “Under a Glass Bell.” The black and white series depicts just-emptied beds and rooms at love hotels in Seoul, South Korea.

"Lovers are known to use the hotels for secret affairs," Kim explains on her Web site. "I photograph the beds just after they have departed. My photographs are personal reflections on the passage of time and the ephemeral nature of love."

The dirt on photography in the desert

Cheryl Diaz Meyers: Photography without borders, via apple.com.

Wish List

My day just got a little brighter. The Lomographic Society International is offering a 25th anniversary edition of the quirky little Lomo. This analogue camera was created in the Soviet Union initially, but the line is now manufactured entirely in China. (Surprise, surprise.)

I don't mean to be greedy. After all, I just indulged myself with a Holga at B&H this past weekend. But holy cow. These anniversary packages are snazzzzzy!

Via Hypebeast.

Quiet please

The delicious photography from Le Rin Mok of Los Angeles depicts a quiet kind of stillness that seems to whisper "serenity." She was born in Seoul and shoots for an abundance of magazines, including Bust, Monocle, Nylon, Spin and one of my favorites, Seed.

A book of her work is available on Etsy. She also has a photo blog.

Globe trotting

Vinh Dao is a funny, funny man and a darn good photographer. When he's in the U.S., Dao calls California home. But more often than not, he can be found in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where he rides the baddest motorbike in town. Va-room.

More than just OK

The Camera Club of New York is featuring a mesmerizing collection of work by Rian Dundon and Wayne Liu. The black and white series is based on the artists' recent travels in China. The show, called OK China, runs through August 12.























Don't live in New York? Check out Time Out's slideshow of some of the photos.

Home sweet home

Maybe it's all the great interior design ideas. Maybe it's that it's just a wee bit voyeuristic. Regardless, I thoroughly enjoy Todd Selby's Web site, which depicts creative minds at home, in their own spaces. (Plus, he wears fabulous glasses.)

Selby's latest installment features fashion designers Susien Chong and Nic Briand in their home in Sydney, Australia. The couple runs the label LOVER. Loved — not just liked — it.

Snaps

Bonnie Tsang does gorgeous photography work from Los Angeles. Browse her lovely Flickr, or learn more about her and what she's all about at projectwedding.com. That's Bonnie, pictured hard at work below.