It’s September, which means we’ve just sorted through 200 photographers from Critical Mass. Trends surface, revealing what has collectively been on the minds of photographers (isolation, covid parenthood, climate change, family history, questions of gender, to name a few.) And fantastic projects rise to the surface as well. Over the next couple of weeks, Mia and I will be sharing some of our favorites from this year’s crop of great work.


Gary Emrich | All Consumed

Gary Emrich’s project All Consumed packs a gut punch. He photographs the plastic packaging surrounding bottled water, with its ubiquitous imagery of natural springs, mountains, and trees… that all go straight into the trash. The symbolism is hard to ignore. With crystal clear economy, Emrich’s photographs implore us to understand and look past the advertising, to keep a watch on our consumer habits, and to crave accountability for the companies who turn water into a plastic commodity. — Lisa Woodward