The online universe is awash with images of titillating, air-brushed flesh, but one thing you can never have too much of is tender affection, according to Lindley Warren, founder of photography platform The Ones We Love. A space for up-and-coming photographers to share the nuances of the people they love and cherish, the project has so far attracted the work of over 170 image-makers from far-flung locations, including Daniel Gebhart de Koekkoek, winner of the 2014 PDN Photo Book Award, two of whose photos in today’s extended series feature in The Ones We Love. “He has the ability to make the most mundane things appear deeply fascinating,” says the Iowa-based curator of the breezy images, a selection of which are included in a forthcoming book and touring gallery show. Paying due to the power of the written word, she encourages the site’s participants to pen a valentine to accompany their loved-up portfolio. “When I curate, I focus on emotion,” says Warren, who was in part drawn to web-based ventures due to the immediacy of the internet. “This project was a way for me to peek into the lives of talented photographers and see the people that they love and are inspired by.”  

The Ones We Love Volume 1 launches at Atelier de Koekkoek, Vienna, on August 14; Viaduct Gallery, Iowa, on August 15; and Kunstler, Brisbane, on August 15. (While the three exhibitions share the same name, the work is different in each location.)