A synonym for awe-inspiring: JAVIER ARCENILLAS

I have many heroes in the world of photography. But, once you see Javier Arcenillas's work, you would have to place him near the top of the list if not at the very top. With each image, I react. Arcenillas's photography, regardless of location (Bangladesh, Northern Africa, North America, South America), is so powerful and so riveting that we can't help but respond. It would be virtually impossible to ignore a single shot.  So firm is the grip that you can't look away from what he is showing us.

I urge you to view his work (click here). My enthusiasm is so great that if I could accompany him on a shoot, even if just to fetch coffee, it would be like swimming in a pool of inspiration, the immersion would be so all consuming and life altering.

I don't think Arcenillas is capable of capturing the mediocre, unless it were of course to mean a compelling image that shouts the message of mediocrity. His imprint is so strong and his ability of stripping down a scene or a person's soul into a simple but moving statement is his signature. Every single image is as if signed by a master.

But, his images speak more emphatically than I can describe, so here is but a small sampling:

Smokin' Hot Photography

(Disclaimer: This in no way implies that I endorse smoking.)

Newsha Tavakolian (of coffee shop in Tehran, Iran, 2007)

Jeanloup Sieff

Photographer Unknown (of Marine on island of Saipan during fight to wrest the island from Japan)

Cecil Beaton (of Countess Bismarck, 1959, for Vogue)

Uwe Ommer

Irving Penn

Photographer Unknown

Mary Ellen Mark

Brett Walker

Helmet Newton

Helmet Newton (portrait of his wife, June Newton, a/k/a Alice Springs, a photographer in her own right)

Nick Knight

Toby Melville (Cigarette Hat at the Royal Ascot)

The Pirelli Calendar

The coveted Pirelli calendar has it's match! Well, almost. I know that is hard to believe, but for every Yin there is a yang. But, first ........

For those unfamiliar with the Pirelli calendar, it is a promotional calendar for the Pirelli Tire company and it is given to a limited number of special clients and as a corporate gift. It is not sold retail. Highly touted photographers are commissioned to produce the imagery that graces the pages and consistently, the theme celebrates feminine beauty.

The entire premise, in my opinion, honors and elevates the classic and iconic garage mechanic's "hot chick on motorbike" calendars. While those are campy, they still have merit -- they're just hidden from the customer's glare. Of course, the Pirelli calendar employs more than titillation -- the depictions contain a sophisticated fashion edge packaged in an artful delivery.

An excellent reference for the calendars is found here -- this chart shows the year of the calendar, the photographer commissioned, the models featured, and the location. I encourage you to peruse this chart and look up the photographers.

And, while the Pirelli calendar doesn't disappoint, its counterpart attempts a likewise outcome but utilizes male beauty instead. The Dieux du Stade is the French Rugby team and they now put out a calendar that uses a similar marketing approach and plays on a similar aesthetic consideration. I'm not sure it ranks up there with Pirelli, but it is notable.

While the Pirelli calendar is for the guys, the Dieux du Stade is apparently also for the guys. : )

Dieux du Stade Calendar Imagery: