Matthew Wakem / Aurora Photos

Aurora Photographer, Matthew Wakem was recently awarded the cover of Asia Spa Magazine for the May/June 2011 issue.

To view Matthew Wakem’s Select Portfolio, visit Aurora Select.
To view more work from Matthew Wakem, visit Aurora Photos.

Aurora Select photographer, Corey Rich is featured in the March 2011 issue of Outdoor Photographer magazine in an advertorial for Nikon. Corey sits down with Nikon to talk about his experience shooting with the D7000.

“My equipment needs to be light, durable and reliable. My “studio” is typically in harsh outdoor environments, so I need a DSLR that can take a beating, and it needs to deliver excellent image quality. With a rugged magnesium chassis, the D7000 handles everything I throw at it, and its compact form factor allows me to have the camera with me no matter how precarious the situation. Adventure sports are dynamic and unpredictable. Whether it’s a skier launching off a snowy cornice or a rock climber falling from a steep route, I can shoot at 6 fps and the D7000’s incredible 39-point AF system never misses the action. Most exciting is the D7000’s ability to shoot 1080p full HD video. More and more, my work is capturing both still and video in adventure environments, and the D7000 has become a DSLR that I want to have in my bag all the time.”

To see work from Corey Rich, visit his portfolio on Aurora Select.

AURORA PHOTOS agency founder, Jose Azel announced that Anh Stack will join AURORA SELECT as Assignment Director. AURORA SELECT is a division of AURORA PHOTOS, founded in 1993 and headquartered in Portland, Maine, remains one of the premier, independent photo agencies. From SELECT’s New York City offices, Stack will oversee all assignment opportunities. In addition to representing over 100 elite photographers for the commercial and editorial sectors, AURORA also creates cutting edge multimedia through AURORA NOVUS.

Anh Stack brings more than 30 years of experience to SELECT. She has worked closely with award-winning photographers on projects ranging from magazine assignments and corporate jobs to books to contests. Before joining SELECT she held the position of editorial director at Black Star where she also held research and sales roles.

“Anh’s experience with both corporate sales and world-class photojournalism will be invaluable to SELECT’s continued growth,” states Azel. “Their photography not only informs, but inspires editors and readers alike.”

“Representing such a unique roster of photographers who have exceptional vision and story telling skills for magazine and commercial clients is a very exciting opportunity,” exclaims Stack, “In addition, together with AURORA NOVUS, we can provide something many other agencies cannot, great multimedia and video post production. Still and video will be the future of many assignments and we can help lead the charge.”

To review the work of SELECT photographers go to auroraselect.com.

Congratulations to Blake Gordon, Aurora Select photographer, for his 2nd prize wining entry in the 68th Annual Pictures of The Year competition! Gordon’s, “With Traumatic Brain Injuries, Soldiers Face Battle For Care,” a piece done for NPR in June 2010, took second place in the ‘Issue Reporting Story-Multimedia’ category, documenting the story of Sgt. Victor Medina- an American soldier who suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2009 while on a tour of duty in Iraq.

To see more work from Blake Gordon, visit his portfolio on Aurora Select.

©Stefen Chow

Aurora Select photographer Stefen Chow has been chosen as a featured photographer by Nikon Asia for their latest campaign, ‘Through Asia’s Eyes.’ Stefen’s particular campaign focuses on his industrial work through the years.

To view other work from Stefen, visit his portfolio at Aurora Select.

Stefen Chow/ Aurora Select

Aurora Select photographer Stefen Chow photographed Stellar Megamedia Chairman, Qin Hong for the February 2011 cover of Forbes Asia. We sat down with Stefan to discuss the shoot and get his strategy for making a good portrait under pressure.

Aurora Photos: You do quite a few portraits throughout the year, what’s it like to do a sitting with someone influential like Qin Hong?

Stefen Chow: There is usually quite a bit of tension in the air with influential people, and this is no different. Qin Hong was a very nice gentleman, but you can also sense his aura and confidence around him. Qin Hong came in the room with a 8 man entourage, and the first thing his assistant said to me was ‘Can you do this in 5 minutes?’ As a photographer, it is important to control the situation and yet be affable and professional to everyone. I personally love being in situations like this.

A.P.: As a photographer, how do you go about trying to draw out who the person is in the photograph while still accurately capturing their persona?

S.C.: I will do my research on the person if I can, and you can find out about these people based on what they say as well as how they look in pictures. I form a mental picture of them, so when I meet them I felt like I have already met them once. The key to capturing their persona for me is not to direct too much, and to allow them to feel as relaxed as possible.

A.P.: What can we expect to see from you in this new year? Any new and  exciting projects you’ve got in store?

S.C.: Lots of work I hope! I still have an existing exhibition at the International Center of Photography, called “Moment of Recognition” on show in New York, while there are plans to have exhibitions in 3 different cities over the next 6 months. There is also a chance for me to be back in the mountains again for some adventure photography so we will see how the year goes.

To see more work from Stefen Chow, visit his portfolio on Aurora Select.

Mike Mathwin dropping off "The Spout" at Great Falls of the Potomac near Washington D.C. Trevor Clark / Aurora Photos

Aurora photographer Trevor Clark’s photo of Mike Mathwin kayaking “The Spout” on the Potomac is featured today on the Photo District News “Picture of the Day” blog.

To see more work by Trevor Clark, see his stock archive at Aurora Photos and assignment portfolio at Aurora Select.

Aurora Select photographer Jonathan Kingston’s images of Mauna Loa Observatory on Big Island, Hawaii were featured on the home page of the New York Times on Wednesday morning. It was the visual centerpiece in the morning until it was bumped for the official repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

The New York Times published an audio slide show and more photos from Jonathan’s shoot at Mauna Loa Observatory online. The story also appeared on the front page of the December 22 print edition of the newspaper.

To see Jonathan Kingston’s assignment portfolio, visit Aurora Select.

Aurora photographer Jen Judge won first place in the Photojournalism category of the Images of the Year awards given by American Photo Magazine for her portraits of survivors of the earthquake in Haiti. “So much press had been focused on the physical destruction, individual tragedies were being overshadowed,” Judge told American Photo. “People had lost their homes and families. The empty background seemed symbolic of everything that had been stripped away from them.”

Aurora photographer Tyler Stableford also won runner-up in the Personal Project category for his image of an F-16 fighter pilot flying in Colorado.

To see more stock photography by Jen Judge and Tyler Stableford, visit Aurora Photos.

To see Tyler Stableford’s portfolio, visit Aurora Select.