Click image to view the portfolio.

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In December 2010, Michael Wirth spent a week in Tokyo, observing the city through his camera. “I went on my own, and the first few days were quite lonely,” he recalls. “Sometimes it felt as though doors were closed to me. People were polite and helpful, and I always felt safe, but there are some things that it seems impossible to become part of if you are a visitor.”

By the end of the week, Michael says, he slowly began to comprehend Tokyo. The portfolio “Tokyo,” which you can view at issuu.com, contains some of his favorite images from his time there.

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Is there any other time of year that feels as uplifting and free-spirited as those splashy, sunshiny months from June to August? Dive into “Summer”—which features photos by Kwaku Alston, David Drebin, Uwe Duettmann, Lauren Greenfield, Ruedi Hofmann, Steven Lippman, Jeff Lipsky, Michael Muller, Tom Rafalovich, and Luca Zordan—and tell us what you think…

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Some highlights…

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Photo by Kwaku Alston.

Photo by David Drebin.

Photo by Uwe Duettmann.

Photo by Lauren Greenfield.

Photo by Ruedi Hofmann.

Photo by Steven Lippman.

Photo by Jeff Lipsky.

Photo by Michael Muller.

Photo by Tom Rafalovich.

Photo by Luca Zordan.

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Click image to view portfolio.

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How does Michael approach his superheroic work? American Photo recently found out:

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Download a PDF of the article here.

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“‘Le Blanc Noir’ is a personal project featuring portrait landscapes of my daughter Piper. Each landscape plays on the most intrinsic of colors, black and white, to explore the isolation of adolescence while capturing the beauty and innocence of youth. By stripping my landscapes down to those two basic colors, I created a study of how she could coexist within each ‘black’ or ‘white’ landscape. While shooting the portraits, we wanted to put these concepts into motion. In the video, Piper runs a seemingly endless distance into adulthood, while still effortlessly blending into her landscapes.”

You can view the project at issuu.com by clicking on the image below:

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An image from the series "Le Blanc Noir," by Liz Von Hoene. Click photo see more.

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Meghan also created a short film to accompany Liz’s photos:

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To commemorate the announcement, Matthew curated a portfolio of his recent entertainment portraits. You can view it as a slideshow, complete with music, on YouTube or portfolio-style here, on issuu.com. We hope you enjoy.

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On Sunday night, millions of people around the world will be gathering in front of their TVs to watch the 83rd annual Academy Awards on ABC. And while Tinseltown’s biggest stars will be nervously waiting to hear their name called, Art Streiber will be backstage documenting the moments that would otherwise be witnessed by only a privileged few.

Art has been photographing the Academy Awards—the rehearsals and backstage on the big night—for 10 years now. Last week, I spoke with him about his Oscars photography. He explained that at first, he shot the story for Premiere, and when that magazine folded, the project moved over to InStyle, and he began shooting the Oscars for them. Rather than publish the images after the awards ceremony has aired, however, InStyle holds them for an entire year and uses them during the run-up to the next year’s Academy Awards. They form a sort of preview/look back.

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A gallery of Art Streiber's backstage Oscar photos at InStyle.com. Click to view.

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Art is one of the top celebrity and entertainment photographers in the business, and he is celebrated for his portraiture. But shooting backstage at the Oscars offers a very different perspective on the famous people whose images are otherwise so carefully managed. Through his photographs, we can experience the magnitude of the event and relate to the simple humanity of it as well. These photos also give Art a chance to look at things differently.

“One of the things that I really like about this work is that I’m not talking to the celebrities. I’m not directing them. It’s reportage,” he says. “At rehearsals on the day before the Oscars, the stars are arriving every 15 minutes to figure out their blocking, their lines, where they’re supposed to look, where their seats are. In the tradition of Phil Stern or William Claxton, these are real moments. They’re unscripted.

“The opportunities to do that kind of photography with these kinds of actors doesn’t exist anymore,” he continues. “Ninety-nine percent of celebrity portraiture in magazines and on billboards is completely managed and micromanaged. So when I’m shooting backstage at the Oscars, yes, the celebrities are dressed and look amazing, but the moments are all real.”

Over the years, Art has been interviewed many times about his Oscar photos—this year, TheAtlantic.com, for example, ran a feature about this body of work—and in 2006, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hosted an exhibition titled “All Access at the Academy Awards: Photographs by Art Streiber.”

“Since I was a kid, I have been fascinated by the Academy Awards,” Art notes. “I remember when I was about 12 or 13, noticing that everyone was in tuxedoes and asking my dad, ‘Does everybody backstage have to wear a tuxedo?’ And it turns out that they do. All the grips, the security guards—everyone, including me, is in black tie. I’m fascinated by what goes on behind the scenes there, so being able to photograph at my favorite annual event is just a dream for me.”

Here’s a look at some of Art’s Academy Awards photos from over the years:

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Click image to view portfolio.

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Related:

• “And the winner of the best backstage photos award is… Photographer Art Streiber shares intimate moments with the stars behind the scenes at the Oscars,” The Guardian, 2010

• “Catching Oscar With His Guard Down: Official Academy Photog Specializes In Behind The Scenes Shots,” CBS News, 2006

• “Behind the Scenes at the Oscars: A Photo Gallery,” TheAtlantic.com

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The Oscars are on Sunday, and Art Streiber will be documenting the rehearsals and backstage at the big event for InStyle magazine. (I’ll be posting an interview with him about that on Friday.) In fact, he’s been shooting reportage of the Academy Awards for a decade, which has given him the opportunity to indulge his obsession with the larger-than-life statues of Oscar created for the event.

“One of my favorite things to do is not necessarily photograph the celebrities,” Art explains. “I have some kind of a sick crush on Oscar himself. To me, he is regal, majestic, quiet, noble, and proud, regardless of whether he is laying on his side or being hauled out of a truck or being shoved into an elevator. So I have an amazing collection of photos of the statue.”

Here’s a look at Art’s photos of Oscar, most of which have never been published or exhibited.

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Click on the image to view "Oscar," a folio of photo of Hollywood's favorite statue, by Art Streiber.

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Photo by Michael Wirth, from the collection "Shanghai."

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Michael Wirth made his reputation as a beauty photographer, shooting for clients like Clairol, L’Oreal, Clarins Paris, and Nivea. But his passion for his art is more than skin deep. With “Shanghai,” he returns to what he describes as the basics of photography, immersing himself in a place and reporting on it with his camera.

In the introduction to the portfolio below, Michael says he approached this work with the idea of shooting “not for beauty but for poetry.” But, as you will see, the beauty is there too.

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Click image to view portfolio.

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I just added a new “book,” if you will, to the Stockland Martel library at issuu.com, and if any part of you still carries the torch for film, you’ll definitely want to check it out. It’s called Polaroids: Selections From the Archive of Photographer Walter Iooss and features landscapes, hand-altered images, behind-the-scenes shots, swimsuit models, and portraits of many of the world’s greatest sports stars, from Marion Jones to Yogi Berra, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Michael Jordan. The photos are a mix of Polaroid SX-70s, Polaroid 55s, 4×5 film, 8x10s, and 20×24 Polaroids. (Special thanks to Walter for sending me such an abundance of images.)

Click here or on the image below to have a look:

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Click on the image to view the portfolio at issuu.com.

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Jon Hamm. Photo by Jeff Lipsky.

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…a werewolf, shot by Nino Munoz…

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Joe Manganiello. Photo by Nino Munoz.

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…and one of the few leading men to make facial hair work (think about it), also photographed by Nino…

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Jake Gyllenhaal. Photo by Nino Munoz.

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For your viewing pleasure, I’ve put together our own gallery of sexy men, featuring photos by Kwaku Alston, Matthias Clamer, David Drebin, Jeff Lipsky, Roxanne Lowit, Michael Muller, Nino Munoz, Matthew Rolston, Art Streiber, and Timothy White. It includes photos of Kevin Bacon, Christian Bale, Eric Balfour, Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Don Cheadle, Hayden Christensen, Daniel Craig, Tom Cruise, Eric Dane, Patrick Dempsey, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Dillon, Robert Downey Jr., Aaron Eckhart, Colin Farell, Matthew Fox, James Franco, Richard Gere, Neil Patrick Harris, Ethan Hawke, Dennis Haysbert, Hugh Jackman, Lenny Kravitz, Kellan Lutz, Gilles Maarini, Joe Manganiello, Matthew McConaughey, Hunter Parrish, Joaquin Phoenix, Brad Pitt, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Mark Salling, Rufus Wainwright, and Paul Walker. Click on the image below to have a look:

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Click on the image to see more.

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The Joe Manganiello photo that’s in People, incidentally, is from a feature that Nino shot for the current issue of Vanity Fair Italy. Here’s a look at the photos VF ran. (Prepare for eye burn—these pics are extra hot.)

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Joe Manganiello, who plays werewolf Alcide Herveaux on the HBO series "True Blood." Photo by Nino Munoz for Vanity Fair Italy.

Photo by Nino Munoz for Vanity Fair Italy.

Photo by Nino Munoz for Vanity Fair Italy.

Photo by Nino Munoz for Vanity Fair Italy.

Photo by Nino Munoz for Vanity Fair Italy.

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Click here to view the “Sexiest Man” gallery at People‘s site.

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