These are ten photographers who owned it this month

A good photo has the ability to transport you into a moment, where the feeling, the smells, the sounds, are practically tangible. Therefore, it’s no surprise that Fotografia magazine spend all their time searching out the best visual stories – and the visionaries behind them – to share with the world, and us, each month. Below, they take us from Africa to Paris in their pick of the most captivating stories from November. Below, founder and editor Graziano Ferri guides the way.

FLURINA ROTHENBERGER

“Africa is a poor, hopeless continent, right? Wrong. Flurina Rothenberger, a Swiss photographer raised in Africa, has recently released a great book of photos taken over the last ten years across several African countries. Her images capture an energy and vitality that is generally absent from the common representation of Africa portrayed by Western Media – Rothenberger does not think it’s accidental: ‘Western representation of Africa is for sale’ (read the full interview).”

PETROS KOUBLIS

“Inspired by the interpretation of dreams and Neoplatonism, Greek photographer Petros Koublis’ new series “In Dreams” is absolutely stunning. With these photographs of pristine landscapes, often featuring an animal at the centre of the composition, Koublis seems to travel back to a time when humans weren’t even born yet. They convey a mythic, even mystical reality that has nothing to do with logic and everything with imagination.”

SHAE DETAR

“American photographer Shae DeTar started hand-painting on the photographs she’d find in magazines as a young teenager; it took her a few more years before she’d begin painting her own photographs with the bright hues that she loves. While young nude girls are the subject of most part of her personal, very imaginative work, DeTar assures that ‘I’d like to work with older and plus-size women too, but they rarely contact me. I want my subjects to be more diverse’.”

ALINE SMITHSON

“If you’re a photography connoisseur, you’re probably already familiar with the work of American photographer Aline Smithson. This year, Smithson is out with a new book that looks in retrospect at her career thus far –  starting from her early black-and-white work to continue with the hand-painted pictures of her mother, and the Hollywood-inspired colour portraits. ‘A good portrait is the celebration of a person, no matter their status or age,’ says Smithson.”

ALAIN CORNU

“Paris roofs are as romantic as the rest of the city. If you don’t believe us, see these breath-taking photographs French photographer Alain Cornu shot from the top of the city’s buildings over the cover of the night. We published these images just a couple of days before the tragic terrorist attacks of Friday 13 November, and we hope Paris will soon find again the peace we can feel in the pictures.”

RON JUDE

“A beautiful set of photographs and one of the best photobooks of 2015, Lago by American photographer Ron Jude is a look at the Salton Sea desert in Southern California, the region Jude was raised in from the mid-1960s. He defines the loosely related subject matter of the book as ‘incomplete archeological puzzle pieces – inconsequential mysteries that resist rational interpretation’ (full interview). Here’s a curiosity: Jude acknowledges Canadian rock band Godspeed You! Black Emperor as an important source of inspiration for this body of work...”

SERGEY NOVIKOV

“Did you know there are 41 closed cities in Russia today? The first of these cities were established in the late 1940s when the Soviet Union was still a thing, and were entirely secret back then – no one knew about their existence. After the URSS collapsed, the secrecy was removed but the cities remained inaccessible. Russian photographer Sergey Novikov created a series about this incredible modern-day reality and how those who still live in these closed cities really prefer to keep the barriers up and stay inside…(find out more here).”

JONNA KINA

“Foley objects are the props used in film post-production to create the secondary sound effects that enrich the audio and make the film more life-like. It is often the case that the desired sound is produced with quite unrelated objects – a bag of cereals for waves, a belt for champagne, balloons for pigeons. Finnish photographer Jonna Kina had the simple but winning idea of photographing these objects and adding the name of the sound they’re used for beneath the picture. Curious to see more?”

JOS JANSEN

“‘Do we still control technology – or does technology control us?’ It’s the dilemma at the center of much of Dutch photographer Jos Jansen’s photographic practice. His series Battlefields in particular, consists of ten close-up photographs of mobile device displays: the choreographies created by our fingers on the devices become a visual metaphor of our ever so strong relationship with technology – check out more about this project here.”

SIMON DEADMAN

“Although lately he has been trying his hand (and camera) at portraiture, Australian photographer Simon Deadman has been crafting an excellent stream of landscape photography so far, which he shares with the world through his Tumblr blog. Be it the rural nature of the Australian countryside or a city's empty street, what counts for Deadman is driving and becoming inspired by the landscapes he comes across as he explores the places near him.”

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