It's Our War, at Fovea Editions/Beacon Gallery, presents work by Todd Heisler, Chris Hondros, and Suzanne Opton. Their penetrating views of war from different vantage points - inside Iraq and at home -- offer a powerful perspective that is intensified by proximity. The exhibition runs through August, with an opening reception for the photographers on Saturday, July 14 from 4:00 to 8:00 pm.

Todd Heisler's series, Final Salute, chronicles a year in the life of Major Steve Beck, a Marine casualty assistance officer, as he guided several families through the grief and ritual of saying goodby to loved ones lost in Iraq. Published as a special feature in the Rocky Mountain News on Veteran's Day 2005, it won a 2006 Pulizer Prize for Heisler, who is currently on staff at The New York Times.

Since the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, Chris Hondros has made ten trips, embedded with the U.S. military. On contract with Getty Images, he is one of the few Western photographers who still returns; the work of covering the conflict is now done mainly by Iraqis. His story on the shooting of civilians in Tal Afar earned the Overseas Press Club's 2006 Robert Capa Gold Medal. A new edit of these images is presented as four mural-size triptychs; also included is a QuickTime movie of Hondros' entire coverage of the incident.

Suzanne Opton made portraits of military men and women who had spent at least 100 days in Iraq and were waiting to be redeployed. Shot as extreme close-ups, her subjects were posed lying on their sides looking straight ahead, some with eyes wide open. The pose is unsettling, with references to injury or death; the larger-than life size prints create an almost unbearable sense of stillness that alludes to the transformative experience of war.

The exhibition was curated by Fovea Editions directors Stephanie Heimann-Markham and Sabine Meyer. In considering the gallery's location, not far from West Point Military Academy and Stewart Air Force Base, the curators worked with the photographers on new edits of their work to focus on the effects war has on communities as well as families.

Fovea Editions was launched this year, with the purpose of creating an alternative forum to advance public understanding of important issues through the eyes of photojournalists. The gallery participates in Beacon's Second Saturday series of art events, with August 11^th scheduled for a panel discussion on the media, the military, and censorship to include the photographers in the current show. For directions and details, please check Fovea Editions website.

Photographs, top to bottom, by Todd Heisler, Suzanne Opton, Chris Hondros. Courtesy of Fovea Editions.