Untitled, by Alison Grippo

Welcome to our special Black + White Friday edition of 20x200. The internet seemed sleepy as everyone prepared for holiday travel earlier this week, so we figured we'd wait and lay this week's photo edition on you today, now that you're back at your keyboards and revving your holiday shopping engines.

Today's edition comes to us from Alison Grippo, a Hot Shot, an Ultra, a gallery artist and one of the people who, with her wicked organizational skills, helped make the 20x200 dream a reality.

We've created this edition in three sizes. All are printed with archival pigment inks on 100% cotton rag paper.

8.5"x11"
Edition of 200 each $20.

17"x22"
Edition of 20 each $200.

30"x40"
Edition of 2 each $2000.

Alison is a native New Yorker in fact and in spirit - she's bold, ambitious and pretty intense. She has pursued her photography with incredible fervor and focus while juggling a million other things, and to good end. She explores a broad range of styles and subjects, but her street photography is what caught the attention of the Hey, Hot Shot! panel last year.

It's hard to be a street shooter in NYC - it requires a level of bravery that I can't muster personally, but apparently lots of people can and have been for years. There's a lot of epic, classic and iconic photography out there straight from the sidewalks of New York. Classics aside, in case you haven't noticed, there are a whole lot of photographers shooting right now and some of them are really freaking great.

I like Alison's street stuff because it's personal and has a warmth to it, without being overly sentimental. (She saves the edgy work for her Friday Night Fights series.) This particular photo appeals to me because it captures Chinatown, a place typically swarming with tourists, in a very non-touristy way. The rain gives everything a sharpening sheen. The street funnels the umbrellas, and the people under them, off into the horizon in a way that feels random and orderly at the same time. It's quintessential New York without being dramatically gritty or cheesy, and that's a pretty great accomplishment. It's a photo you'll enjoy living with, whether you're a New Yorker or not.

We are back with more, more, more next week. The tech elves are hard at work on our gift certificate program, which I am counting on to save my hide this festive season. I have been known to have strokes of brilliance in gift giving, but it's generally something that knots my stomach with anxiety. This year my holiday shopping is shaping up to be quite simple: art for all my friends, without having to make a specific choice they may or may not love. Yay!

Enjoy your leftovers and your long weekend and keep our archives in mind as you start to tackle your holiday shopping.