My photo Lady of Antigua will be one of 38 featured photographs by 36 different artist to be exhibited at the Mitchell Museum in Mt. Vernon, Illinois at part of the 2012 Shrode Photography Competition. The judge of the competition is well-known photographer, writer, and educator William Sawalich.
If you're in the area, here's the information for the show:
The top award winners will be announced at the Opening Reception, Saturday, October 27, 2012, 5:30-8:30 p.m. Everyone
is invited to attend! Cedarhurst members are admitted for free,
non-members $5 admission. Exhibiting photographers will receive free
admission plus one additional ticket for their spouse or friend. Tickets
will arrive in the mail in the following weeks. The evening will begin
with a live glass blowing demonstration outside the Mitchell Museum by
students and faculty from SIU-C! This special event is in conjunction
with the opening of The Joy Thorton-Walter and John Walter Collection of Contemporary Glass Art
in the Main Gallery at Cedarhurst. The photography awards will be
announced in the Mitchell Museum at 7:00 p.m. We will gather at the
Shrode Art Center shortly thereafter to present the checks and
certificates. Complimentary hor’devours are provided; alcoholic
beverages are available for purchase.
You might also be interested in Mr. Sawalich's judge's statement:
FOR SHRODE ART CENTER PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION
BY WILLIAM SAWALICH
Great photographs frequently make the common appear
uncommon, and that is certainly the case with my selections for this
exhibition. I’m especially drawn to simplicity, graphic strength, and a clear,
concise visual statement. But I’m also particularly drawn to photographs that
are uniquely about the medium itself; motion blurs, time lapses, patterns of
light and shadow… compositions that are inherently “photographic” in nature are
sure to impress me.
This also means that I give preference to images that are
primarily made “in camera” rather than via a peculiar post-processing effect.
That said, clicking the shutter is only part of the challenge, and good
post-production refinements—processing, retouching, contrast, color correction—are
integral to a photograph’s success. When these simple technical elements come
together with a strong composition, at the perfect moment and with just the
right light, it’s the perfect storm that creates a tremendous photograph. Add
to that a bit of artistic vision and the results become truly special.
Because of the democratization of photography (easy access
to improved tools has spawned tremendous growth in the medium) it’s no longer
enough to simply create a technically correct photograph. To stand out in the
sea of images we encounter every day, aesthetics, composition and vision matter
more than ever. And with so many great photographs in the world—and in the entries
to this competition—technical perfection becomes a relative baseline.
In the end, I found the photographs that elicited my
strongest response drew some connection—intentional or not—to the masters of
the medium. Whether it’s the cinematic drama of Gregory Crewdson, the
documentary portraiture of Steve McCurry, or the simple beauty of an Aaron
Siskind abstraction, the standout photographs in this exhibition are directly
connected to the larger history of photography. These photographers are clearly
working deliberately, and their photographs are exciting, inspiring and simply
very well done.
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