In just two weeks the photo world will converge on DUMBO, Brooklyn for The New York Photography Festival. Founded by Daniel Power of powerHouse Books and Frank Evers of VII Photo Agency - both based in the creative media center of DUMBO - the festival has proved to be recession proof: the third annual event has expanded, with more locations, more programming and extended hours.

Highlighting the five days of exhibitions, live events, slideshows and book signings are four exhibitions in the festival's main pavilions organized by Vince Aletti, Erik Kessels, Fred Ritchen and Lou Reed. These curators will bring their personal vision of the most intriguing developments in contemporary photography to the festival. Click to read their bios.

Photographs left to right by: Alice O'Malley (Hidden Books, Hidden Stories); Sharon Core (Object Lesson); Chantal Rens (Use Me, Abuse Me); Marc Garanger (Bodies in Question). Courtesy New York Photography Festival.

Vince Aletti approaches contemporary still life through a historical lens, noting that from photography's beginnings, virtually every important photographer has contributed to the genre, creating work that covers an immense range of imagery and approaches. With this long tradition in mind, he re-examines still life being created today in Object Lessons, which according to Aletti "pays homage to one of its masters, Irving Penn, whose work sets a standard few can match." Participating artists: Jeff Bark, Adam Bartos, Sharon Core, Sally Gall, Bill Jacobson, Richard Learoyd, Laura Letinsky, Andrea Modica, Yamini Nayar and Jiro Takamatsu.

In Use Me, Abuse Me, Erik Kessels follows his observation that easy access to technology has resulted in quicker, more facile modes of image production, consumption and dispersal - and that photographers in huge numbers have been using found images in their own work. Through this exhibition he asks, "Where will image-making take us? Will all existing photography be endlessly recycled? Will we soon see more photographers taking fewer photographs?" Participating artists: Linus Bill, Lucas Blalock, Marcel Gahler, Osang Gwon, Paul Kooiker, Eva-Fiore Kovacovsky, Renato Leotta, Thomas Mailaender, Sanja Medic, Chantal Rens, Claudia Sola, Asha Schechter, Joachim Schmidt, Batia Sauter and Ruth Van Beek.

Fred Ritchin considers the ways that constantly increasing surveillance and ever-expanding virtual media places people in compromising situations. The artists and image-makers comprising Bodies in Question - residing in Canada, China, Denmark, England, France, Korea and the United States - comment on these transformations in media and society, and on the identities and struggles of people who may be left behind. Participating artists: Benjamin Busch, Robbie Cooper, Luc Courchesne, Raphael Dallaporta, Tina Enghoff, Marc Garanger, Jessica Ingram, Alexandre Maubert, James Pomerantz, Joseph Rodriguez, Linn Underhill, Deborah Willis, Michael Wolf and Lim Young Kyun.

Lou Reed takes a multi-directional approach to the making and use of visual narrative today, with a series of events, exhibition and installations that include projections, artist books and an original musical score created by Reed for the program. Hidden Books, Hidden Stories explores - and creates - and compelling visual narrative of its own through work by Morton Bartlett, Sergey Bratkov, Carl de Keyzer, Oto Gillen, Naoya Hatakeyama, Naoki Ishikawa, Scott Irvine, Osamu Kanemura, Ken Kitano, Paul Kooiker, Michael Macioco, Doug and Mike Stern, Ed van der Elsken and Nicholas Wormull.

The New York Photo Festival 2010 runs from May 12-16 in DUMBO, Brooklyn. Please visit the website for detailed information, and to read comments by bloggers who have already begun speaking with curators and photographers represented in this year's festival. Click to order advance tickets.

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