Tim Simmons is focused on an appreciation of nature and the connection between man and his environment. His large-scale artworks capture the feeling of a place within landscape, natural or urban, interpreting contour and texture in a way that alludes to its deeper, more elemental presence. He creates a haunting sense of atmosphere with lighting in a way that invites people into the space, into a room for reflection. He likes to communicate his ideas and is passionate about sustainability and balanced living. In 2011 his compelling images were shown on billboards along expressways across America.

Tim Simmons was born in London in 1955; he now lives and works in rural Norfolk. During his 25-year commercial career he shot for BA, Virgin Atlantic, Sony, BMW, Volvo, Ford, GM, Hewlett Packard, Harvey Nichols, Reebok, Nike and Adidas. For the past decade he has turned his attention to personal, environmental projects. Tim’s recent work has been published in Esquire, Exit, 125 Magazine and Centrefold. His photographs have been exhibited internationally, including solo shows at Galerie Christa Klubert, Berlin (2008), FAS Contemporary, London (2009) and a Public Art Commission in Philadelphia and Los Angeles (2011).

Photographer Sharon Boothroyd is the founder and editor of the photography blog Photoparley and is a visiting lecturer. She is represented by Lensky Gallery and lives in Oxford with her husband and two young daughters. Of her series, Edelweiss, Boothroyd writes:

‘Edelweiss is an ongoing series conceived as a visual lullaby using my daughter Anais. I began using the child as a means of portraying feminine grace, pain and suffering with all the trouble it brings. I am also interested in everyday moments where pain and routine events give way to some deeper point of connection; an enlightenment of sorts.

I based the project loosely on the lullaby because of the arresting clash between innocence and a sinister component which often occurs and leads to a deeper reading. Rather than being an illustration of the song, Edelweiss, in it’s repetition, emotion and simplicity, seeks to disarm the viewer by using childhood troubles as a correlation to those of the adult world.’

Jessica Rosen is an American portrait and fashion photographer living in Sao Paulo, Brazil. About her series, The girls from Avenida Mem de Sa, Rosen writes:

‘I have spent the past three years working closely with a community of transgender sex workers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. All of the subjects of these photos were born biologically male and have since taken steps toward feminizing their identity. They have created their notion of the ideal woman and then move towards performing that role as naturally as possible. These photographs are an exploration of the performance of gender and identity’.

Photographer Alice Smeets was born in the German speaking part of Belgium in 1987 and currently divides her time between Belgium and Haiti. Fascinated about documentary photography, she learned her skills by assisting the Magnum photographer Philip Jones Griffiths. She received a distinction for her MA (Photojournalism at LCC) in 2010. She is focused on photographing social and cultural issues, at present concentrating on Haiti and spiritual religions. This work is from her series, Modern Witchcraft. This is her statement:

Modern Witchcraft is practiced across Europe, the USA and the rest of the Western World. It is extremely diverse; with beliefs that range widely from polytheism to animism, to pantheism and other paradigms. The largest movements of this self-termed Neo-Paganism are Wicca and Druidism; the followers of which call themselves Witches or Druids, sharing beliefs of Magic, Witchcraft and Nature’s Power. They respect their environment and celebrate eight Sabbats in the Wheel of the Year where they praise the divinities of nature. They often hold rituals – called Esbats – on the Full Moon. In part, they return to some of the old Celtic traditions.

While Wicca is a very young religion – formed by Gerald Gardner not more than 50 years ago, its roots are much older than Christianity. It has no relationship to Satanism, which is one of many misconceptions held by the public. Ancient pagan beliefs have begun to make their way into the Neo-Pagan community in many ways, making our spiritual path a very deep one, rooted and grounded in the very earth that supports us. From its origins in England it is now widely spread across Europe, America and the rest of the world. At the present time, Neo-Paganism is a large network of small communities with its own organizations, festivals, magazines, shops, workshops, gatherings and ceremonies. Witches can be found everywhere: in the supermarket, in the streets, as well as in our own neighborhood. And you would not know these Witches unless you were told who they were or were one yourself.

Photo by Roberto De Riccardis

Photo by Albert Bonsfills

Photo by Andrea Smith

Photo by Brian Tortora

Photo by Lidija Hauck

Photo by TwoLight Photography

Photo by Ellen Yeiser

Photo by Jenny Aborn

Photo by Jo-Ann Chaus

Photo by John James

Photo by Karolina Karlic

Photo by Lallaine Santos

Photo by Cale Kehoe

Photo by Damon Loomis

Photo by Daniel Fisher

*This show was curated from reader submissions.

Originally from Lima, Peru, fashion photographer Mariano Vivanco now divides his time between London and New York, regularly shooting for magazines such as, Dazed & Confused, Vogue Nippon, Numero, Another Magazine, Details, GQ Italy, L’Uomo Vogue and 10 and 10 Man. Recently Vivanco shot model Dario Tozzi aka Buck N Evermind for the cover of  DSECTION, a men’s fashion and cultural magazine from Portugal.