American Photography 33

Red, White and Collude?


With the presidential election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton dominating the news in 2016, so too does it command the cover of American Photography 33, celebrating the best photography from the year, in a mash up of two moody portraits by photographer Will Mebane, shot for Bloomberg Businessweek, that seem to have caught the campaigning candidates at the exact same moment - and state of mind.

The story of the Trump presidency continues with investigations into his campaign’s possible involvement with Russia to throw the election in his favor, so the allegations are insinuated on the cover and opening pages by the use of Cyrillic type, called out through a red vinyl jacket that simultaneously mocks, obscures and reveals the pending charges of collusion and obstruction against the president – with a declarative reminder of what we believe in as Americans.

The jury is still out on Trump, but the AP33 jury of top photo and design experts decisively selected only 317 images from over 8,000 submitted to the annual competition to represent the most powerful images from 2016.

It’s not all about Trump (or Clinton), with a collection of images that covers the breadth of world events and society’s triumphs and tragedies that, through the skilled eye and mind of the masterful photographers, transcends the image’s original journalistic or commercial objective to something of art and beauty, to covet and behold.

American Photography 33 is under the creative direction and design of Michele Outland, creative director of Gather Journal. AP33, at 392 pages, is produced in a one-piece printed hardcover with foil stamping and red vinyl jacket. The images are produced on luxurious, glossy art paper, and uses lightweight parchment for the front and back pages, with a red metallic gilded edge. 

Through the insightful and exacting point of view of the selected photographers and the curatorial wisdom of the jury, the American Photography 33 winning collection, a time capsule in the making, shows us who we are, and where we may be headed.

American Photography 33 at 392 red-gilded pages and vinyl jacket, is a hardcover time capsule in the making of the year 2016. Discount quantities limited. Order your copy here.

See the complete winning image collection in The Archive. Order discount copies - while they last here.