A few years ago, while walking on the Plaza, I realized that Santa Fe was a great place to live. It was amazing to me, this epiphany and its timing, as I had been living in Santa Fe for over eight years at that time. I had a desire to photograph (and snowboard) and Santa Fe seemed like a great place to be and little did I know how important this state was to the history of photography. In learning more about New Mexico’s photographic history, some of which Kate Ware mentions in her personal essay for this issue, I also realized how contemporary work in this region can be neglected, overlooked or simply not marketed in the area where many of these artists live and work. Thus, the idea of Finite Foto was born thanks to the help of Jonathan Blaustein, David Ondrik and Jennifer Schlesinger.

Although there are other organizations in New Mexico that promote photography, we felt that we had something different to offer — a local knowledge-base and frequent interactions with the much larger photo community outside the state. Finite Foto is about the intersection of this medium and New Mexico and how this influences the external art community and vice versa. Looking to other regions of the nation and world who have established an aesthetic identity in photography associated with their location - The Netherlands, Japan, and Brooklyn come to mind- we at Finite Foto wanted to magnify the communal voice speaking about the rich history of photography in New Mexico while addressing photographers and photographic organizations currently working in the state.

In one short year, this collective has struggled with many issues. Longevity in the time of the internet can be short-lived, but we hope that Finite Foto will continue to produce quality content for years to come. The images in this, our First Anniversary Issue, are a mix of shoot-from-the hip snapshots and well-rounded portfolios about each artist’s notion of their idea of home as place. Many of the artists have supported us throughout the year with interviews, articles and portfolio features and a few are new contributors to our magazine. Welcome to our First Anniversary Issue, we hope you enjoy. — Melanie McWhorter

IN ISSUE ELEVEN:

Oh Give Me A Home, Where Photographers Roam: A Commentary on Photography and Home by the Curator of Photography at the New Mexico Museum of Art, Katherine Ware

The Great Plains by Antone Dolezal Darby Photos in New Mexico Homework by Dan Milnor

The House at Dove Bush by David Bram Details of Home by Kelly Root

Three Portfolios Selected by Finite Foto’s Jennifer Schlesinger: Iscah Truijillo Micaela Butts

Wendy Young

Work by Two Finite Foto Founders: iPhoney Polaroids by David Ondrik

15 photos in 15 minutes by Jonathan Blaustein