Virtual Education Targets Rise of Autism About a month after visiting DC for portfolio meetings, I got an email from Charlie at Education Week with my first assignment for the publication. For a story in a package on the use of technology in education for students with special needs, I photographed Jack Ursitti, a seven-year-old with autism who uses an iPad for language learning and leisure activities. I spent a couple of hours with Jack as he worked with a therapist and teacher at his home outside of Boston. The story is behind Education Week's paywall, though you can see an excerpt here: Virtual Education Targets Rise of Autism You can see more pictures from the shoot at my archive: Education Week - Jack Ursitti - Virtual Education Targets Rise of Autism or at the recent work section of this website: Outtakes: Education Week – Virtual Education Targets Rise of Autism

I was happy to get a phone call a few weeks ago from Nicole at Education Week for an assignment in Rhode Island as part of the publication's September 11th coverage this year. You can read the story online at Education Week's website: For Muslim Students, Life Changed After Sept. 11 More pictures from the shoot can be seen in my archive: Education Week - Shayreen Izoli - For Muslim Students, Life Changed After Sept. 11 or in the recent work section of my website: Outtakes: Education Week – For Muslim Students, Life Changed After Sept. 11

Right before my recent travel across the US, I got a call from Erica at The Chronicle of Higher Education for a couple of assignments in New Hampshire for a story on the increasing role of online degrees at traditional universities. In the past few years, Southern New Hampshire University has increased its online offerings, and it has been a boon for the school. Now the school has students worldwide, earning fully-accredited degrees primarily online. For the shoot, I spent an evening at home with the Fiore family, two full-time-working parents and their young child, as Dan and Jennifer finished coursework for a mathematics course at SNHU. The next day, I met up with SNHU president Paul LeBlanc for portraits at the university's College of Online and Continuing Education offices in downtown Manchester, New Hampshire. It was a fun shoot, and you can see the photos used by the publication and the story online at the Chronicle's website: Online Venture Energizes Vulnerable College You can see more images from the shoots at my archive: Chronicle of Higher Education - Online Venture Energizes Vulnerable College - Study at home and Chronicle of Higher Education - Online Education - SNHU President Paul LeBlanc

I couldn't be more excited that the two pictures below from Harbin's Siberian Tiger Park appear in a new documentary for Current TV's Vanguard television series (view the trailer above, or here if you can't see the embedded video). The episode, "Tiger Farms," focuses on the illegal trade of tiger parts and products with footage from China, India, and Burma. It's an issue close to own interests--see my work on China's zoos and an extended take of pictures from the Harbin Siberian Tiger Park--and I'm glad to see it get such an in-depth treatment. How the pictures came to be in the documentary is an interesting story. More than a year ago, I received an email out of the blue from a Vanguard producer asking if I could share any information about tiger zoos. They'd seen my work on my website and wanted to get video of some of the things I'd photographed. I let them know what I knew (which wasn't much...they got much better access than I ever had) and wished them well. But, early this summer I got another email from a producer asking if they could use my pictures. When their crews traveled to the Harbin park, the vat of tiger bone wine, seen in my pictures below, was nowhere to be found. They wanted to show evidence of the wine being displayed in a public place in China, and I had it. A little back and forth negotiation on fees and terms, and voila, my pictures showed up on television. Check your local listings for when the show will be broadcast in your area. They've been playing it on Current TV at least once a week lately.

I'm very excited to announce my first book cover. An image I shot very early in my time in China (shown above on the right) was licensed to use as the basis for the cover of Ha Jin's forthcoming "Nanjing Requiem" novel. Ha Jin's work has been quite well regarded, though I haven't read any yet. This will give me a reason to do so! In case you have any other books that need cover images (or you want to buy a print), this one is available for licensing and purchase at my archive.

I'm happy to announce that I have a full page in the newest issue of Longshot Magazine, a publication produced over 48 hours from 3 p.m. July 29, 2011, through 3 p.m. July 31, 2011. The theme, "Debt," was announced, and all contributors and editors worked for the next 48 hours to produce a full print publication. A small army of editors and designers worked behind the scenes to make the magazine, its web presence, and a radio and podcast component. And all of the magazine’s content was created by another army of writers, graphic artists and photographers. Many of the contributions are available online, but some (including mine) are reserved for the print issue alone. It was an open submissions process during the 24 hours after the theme was announced at noon on Friday, and there are plans to publish online all 672 submissions made to the magazine over the weekend. The magazine has been getting some good press mentions. There’s a huge list of sponsors for this issue, which includes money from a a kickstarter campaign that raised more than double the desired amount of money. Best of all, through these sponsorships, contributors to this issue, which was primarily a labor of love for all involved, will be paid. Here is a selection of my work for the magazine.

Along with Dominick Reuter, I was hired by MIT's News Office to provide coverage of the 145th Commencement at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A small selection of images were published in a slideshow at MIT's News Office website and as the background for MIT's homepage. Sadly, I don't have any screenshots of the homepage. I've also posted a few favorites from the day at the recent work section of my website. More pictures are available in my archive.

I was hired in May to photograph the graduation of Nick Culbertson from Harvard University for the New Jersey Star-Ledger. The story was the culmination of years of reporting on Nick and his sister and grandmother, who were homeless and living in a motel in New Jersey. Through the determination of the family and a handful of community supporters, both children graduated from college. Read the story here: On graduation day, grandmother's toil pays off. Thanks to Chris at the Star-Ledger for hiring me for the shoot. Unfortunately, the story didn't get quite as much play as everyone had hoped, so I've also posted a few outtakes in the recent work section of this website.

My project We Chinese was featured on the China-focused blog China Hush. My thanks to Key at China Hush and all the commenters on the blog for some good discussion on the project.

A couple of months ago, I submitted We Chinese to Burn Magazine for consideration for publication. I've submitted essays in the past, and never gotten a response, so I was quite pleased to hear that Burn would publish a selection of images and interviews from the project.