Shaolin: Temple of Zen

Shaolin monks, the guardians of the "vehicle to zen," are the subject of talented and determined photographer Justin Guariglia's new book, Shaolin: Temple of Zen. Having once made the two-day trip from Beijing to the birthplace of Zen Buddhism, the Shaolin Temples of central China, where Guariglia shot the series, I know these images were not easy to get. Walking the grounds as a visitor …

Jackie Nickerson: Faith

Taking on the hidden world of Irish Catholicism, photographer Jackie Nickerson's latest body of work, called "Faith," visits the hallways, libraries, kitchens and dining rooms of Catholic institutions. Shot over two-and-a-half years, her resulting portraits of priests and nuns, architectural details and still-lifes (such as an image of the waste from communion wafers) are touched with intimacy and absurdity. The series offers a rare glimpse …

Jill Greenberg: Ursine

The latest subject to get photographer Jill Greenberg's black-belt photoshop treatment are members of the Ursidae family. Known for her images of crying babies and more recently for her portraits of monkeys, the bear series continues to explore themes of humanity, emotion and duality seen in her previous work. Like with her other subjects, the bears express a range of often contradictory feelings, running the …