We met some excellent artists during the portfolio reviews at Les Rencontres de la photographie d’Arles; some were just finishing their studies and some were long-time creators. They were all new to us, and that was exciting. Here’s a little taste of what we saw on this week’s installment of Curious Photo Blog…

Emilia Martin combines history, science and obsession to create a darkly enchanting project on meteorites. Through her imagery, she manages to take rocks that have fallen from space, and somehow make them even stranger.

A slow search for a mysterious golden turtle guides us through Anais Lopez’s project The Turtle and the Monk. It’s hard to accurately convey the poetic expansiveness of the project, which also includes delicate inked imprints of animals who died in a typhoon. After applying a thin layer of ink, Lopez then presses them into paper, in an attempt to create a silhouette of their souls.

Johanna Schlegel has a new way of looking at old things. She has a natural instinct for expanding photography beyond a print on the wall and into thoughtful and meticulous installations.