We just re-discovered the letter which accompanied Jeff Hawe’s first submission to us in 2007. In it, he stated, “I am a big aficionado of your magazine…I work at World Boards here in Bozeman and everybody in the shop was excited how your photobook came out. Keep up the good work.” Now, after a stint in Santa Barbara, Jeff has no fixed address except the mountains for the winter. And, it is safe to say, we are big afioconados of his work.

It is a powerful feeling when dreams become reality.

I fired up the Dodge this morning and drove out to storage to grab my copies of Photobooks past. I thumbed through them page by page, read intros and captions, studied the diverse selections of photos, the unique style of each photographer. Looking for a little inspiration, I realized that being a part of this annual presents some large shoes to fill—photographers like Gallup, Curtes, Zimmerman, Blotto and Yoshida, to name a few. I started to wonder: “how do I fit into the mix?”

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