Paris Photo LA Preview, Exquisite Images from Russia, Winning Photographer's Projects

We're getting an overwhelmingly positive response to the 31 winners and finalists we announced last week for the LensCulture Portrait Awards 2014 — if you haven't seen them yet, please dig in to discover some amazing, new and unique approaches to the 21st Century Portrait from photographers in 17 countries. True inspiration! Plus, here are eight new articles and essays that are trending high this week. Enjoy!   Shadow Within This "up close" series of portraits, made in the wild with packs of wolves, explores man's relation to the wolf and ultimately to himself. By Christian Houge   A Lamb Named Beauty Portraits over seven years: Twin sisters, red heads, surrounded by animals and nature, love and beauty. By An-Sofie Kesteleyn   Strange Days: Woods Bay It's real, but it could be the site of a David Lynch story: An odd little border town in the middle of nowhere, population 660. Creepy, strange, and everyone knows your name. By Lauren Grabelle   The Key is Not to Blink Ultra-rapid technological advancement and globalization in Ghana threaten extinction of centuries-old traditions and lifestyles. At this turning point, individuals may choose to embrace dreams of a rising middle-class and pop culture. By Ulrik Tofte Paris Photo LA 2014 Preview A full-screen slideshow preview of 68 photos that will be featured at one of the largest and most influential photography fairs   Epitaph Elegantly lit portraits try to restore a bit of dignity to the animals that nourish us and work for us but that we almost always view simply as a commodity. By Cally Whitham   Diptychs 40 sets of images and an excellent essay exploring the syntax of space, the construct of language, borders, connections, and what is in between. By Nikita Pirogov   Days of Night/Nights of Day Daily life, work and play, in the northernmost city in the world, Norilsk, Russia (also the 7th most polluted city in the world) — a fascinating, detailed photo report with 45 exquisite images. By Elena Chernyshova   Photography Events Worth Knowing About   PARIS A Liminal Square: Portraits from Kiev Tatiana Grigorenko's first solo exhibition is a series of portraits of people from all walks of life that participated in the recent revolution in Ukraine. (Selected as one of the LensCulture Portrait Awards 2014 Finalists) Showing at the American University Fine Arts Gallery  April 10 – May 19, 2014 LONDON Deutsche Börse Prize Each year the Prize celebrates the best in photography, whether a publication or exhibition. This year's edition highlights work by Richard Mosse, Alberto-Garcia Alix, Jochen Lempert and Lorna Simpson. Showing at the Photographer's Gallery  April 11 – June 22, 2014 NEW YORK Bill Cunningham: Facades The legendary New York Times street photographer set out to explore the idea of fashion as cultural history in a photo essay titled "Facades." More than 40 years later, 88 original prints from the project bear testament to his life-long achievement. Showing at the New York Historical Society April 15 – June 15, 2014