Wednesday greetings, collectors. We're at the mid-point of what's been a great week so far @ JBP HQ. We're queuing up lots of great editions and adding a lot of amazingly talented people into the mix of our already stellar but over-burdened staff. I'm pleased as punch. (What will I talk about if I can't talk about how busy I am all the time? Be on the lookout for my favorite mai-tai recipes and tips for how to tan evenly.)

This week's photography edition, MOO COW, is a fitting match for the sunny disposition I am sporting today. It's a funny photo, made by a funny guy by the name of Andrew Hetherington, someone I've know for, like, ever.

Andrew bopped into my gallery in its earliest days, flush with enthusiasm and energy. He'd recently been selected for the prestigious PDN 30. Not only was he selected, but this here cow was the cover image of the issue announcing the winners. That's bound to put a spring in any photographer's step.

Andrew and I didn't end up working together then, but we did stay in touch and later reconnected more regularly via our respective blogs, What's the Jackanory? and Personism. (He's done a better job than I of sticking with it, lately at least. These newsletters are demanding, people!)

About a year ago, a dog-friendly cafe in the neighborhood became a regular morning destination for Ollie and me, and it turns out that it's a local haunt for Mr. Hetherington as well. This primarily means that he sees me looking like a hot mess most days, in aged spectacles and dog-covered loungewear. A hidden benefit of this is that he always comments extensively about how great I look whenever we run into each other out and about at photo-related openings and events. The more significant benefit of our haphazard coffee klatsching is a steady stream of photo gossip for both of us, and even a bit of valuable advice once in a while.

As Andrew will tell you his own self, he was quite skeptical of this whole 20x200 thing when I was getting it rolling. He dodged my entreaties to do an edition with us for a while (ever so politely, of course) but you shouldn't be surprised to hear that I'm not one to take no for an answer. I'm quite pleased that we've won him over, but I doubt it was solely on the basis of my powers of persuasion.

He was a bit hesitant to do this particular image, not wanting to reinforce his reputation as the cow guy, but I did employ my powers in earnest to get a yes out of him to do it. In part it's for sentimental reasons, since it's an image I've loved for so long. And also because it's funny and charming and it makes me smile, just like Andrew does. I didn't want pass up an opportunity for it to make 222 other people smile for many years to come.

Most importantly, the fact is that I don't think of Andrew as the cow guy. I think of him as, you know, the funny and charming guy. This particular photo is a good example of the humor, irreverence and engaging nature of all his work. And his charm is evident over morning coffee, or out at openings, or via his blog. He's someone who contributes a lot to making the NYC photo community feel more like a community, so it's pretty great to welcome him into the 20x200 community as well.

And with that bit of sappy sentimentalism, I'll take my leave for now. I'm back next week, when there are likely to be some special additions to our regularly scheduled programming.