Call for Entries: FOUR by FIVE

[Thom Bennett]

Deadline is two weeks from today!
Steve Simmons, publisher of View Camera Magazine will jury:

http://neworleansphotoalliance.org/CFE/callEntry.php?CFE=5

Since the inception of photography, 170 years ago, techniques have changed and processes have evolved but the one constant has been the view camera. From the age of the Daguerrotype to the present age of digital imaging the view camera has been the instrument of choice for discerning image makers.

The New Orleans Photo Alliance is seeking contemporary imagery from photographers using large format view cameras. Steve Simmons, publisher of VIEW CAMERA MAGAZINE (www.viewcamera.com) and author of USING THE VIEW CAMERA will choose four images each from five different photographers. The five photographers chosen will also be published in a future edition of View Camera Magazine.

The deadline for submissions will be midnight Monday, February 1, 2010 and notification of accepted artists will be Monday, February 8, 2010. Deadline for delivery of accepted work (matted, framed and gallery ready) will be Friday, March 26, 2010. The opening reception will be Saturday, April 3, 2010.

[Jeffrey Sipress]

Hmmm... a contest with entry fees but no prizes?

[Thom Bennett]

We normally have our jurors select First, Second and Third and give some cash awards but for this one we thought that since it will be a small group show (Five photographers) that we wouldn't do that. The prize will be getting your work published in View Camera Magazine for each of the five photographers. And the entry fees help support the New Orleans Photo Alliance, a non-profit arts organization.

[Thom Bennett]

Deadline is one week from today! A great opportunity for large format photographers to exhibit their work in our beautiful Garden District gallery in New Orleans and get published in View Camera magazine.

http://www.neworleansphotoalliance.org/CFE/callEntry.php?CFE=5

[Mark Woods]

I just sent in some of my work.

[Thom Bennett]

48 hours til the deadline! February 1 @ midnight.

http://www.neworleansphotoalliance.org/CFE/callEntry.php?CFE=5

Any questions? "Thom Bennett" <51deardorff@gmail.com>

[Thom Bennett]

Deadline is in 24 hours!

[Thom Bennett]

We had a great turnout from the Large Format Forum community and some great work was submitted. Next step is the jurying process which will take about a week. I'll keep you posted on the results.

[Toyon]

Results? Decisions?

[Thom Bennett]

Actually, we are going to be delayed in the notifications. I will send an email out later today to all the entrants but basically we had over twice the submissions than we expected so it is going to take a bit longer to go through them. The reason we initially wanted to have an exhibit showcasing large format work was to show that view cameras are as relevant in today's image making as they ever were and that was proven, not only by the number of submissions but by the quality as well.

Who Dat! Our team won the Superbowl!

[John Powers]

The prize will be getting your work published in View Camera Magazine for each of the five photographers.

Is that the good news or the bad news?

John Powers,
a former subscriber

[srbphoto]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Thom Bennett
The prize will be getting your work published in View Camera Magazine for each of the five photographers.

Is that the good news or the bad news?




OH SNAP!!!!

[Thom Bennett]

FYI, I emailed this to all the entrants last night. We were very happy with the number and quality of the submissions. Our initial idea in having this exhibit was to showcase the interesting work large format photographers are doing in this digital age and we were pleasantly surprised by the response we got. We have five juried shows a year on various themes and for this one we received over twice as many submissions as we do for our other calls to artists! The large format community is very much alive and creative.

"Dear Four by Five entrant,

On behalf of the New Orleans Photo Alliance I would like to thank you for entering your work for consideration in the exhibit "Four by Five". We had a record number of entries (over twice what we expected) that our juror, Steve Simmons, needs to look through and choose the four images from five photographers to be exhibited in April and May in the New Orleans Photo Alliance gallery and to be published in an upcoming issue of View Camera magazine.

Unfortunately, because of the number of entries, the notification of acceptance will be delayed. We apologize for the delay but not only were there more submissions than we anticipated but the quality of the image making was especially high and Mr. Simmons wants to give them all careful consideration. We anticipate it will be later in the week that the final choices will be made. We will let everyone know the results as soon as possible. In the meantime, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask.

Sincerely,

Thom Bennett
VP of Programming
New Orleans Photo Alliance"

[tom north]

Man, I'm exhasted from not getting anything in the last juried show I entered.

[Mark Woods]

It's not over yet.

[Thom Bennett]

O.K. the results are in! This letter went out last night to all entrants. The exhibit will be up in April and May in our gallery in New Orleans. April and May are a good time to visit New Orleans; the weather is great at that time of year and the Jazz and Heritage Festival takes place the last weekend of April and the first weekend of May. We are also going to have a film series featuring films about large format photographers (mid-May) and a moderated panel discussion with view camera photographers during the run of the show as well as a workshop by Steve Simmons on opening weekend. And, for those of you who cannot see the exhibit in person we will feature it on our website during the run of the show. I'll keep you posted as things progress.

"Dear Four by Five entrant,

Thank you again for submitting your work for consideration in the New Orleans Photo Alliance's "Four by Five" exhibition. One of the reasons we wanted to have this exhibit was to showcase the creative and varied contemporary work being done with large format view cameras and we were overwhelmed, not only with the number of photographers submitting but, more importantly, with the high quality of work being done. Steve Simmons, our juror, was quite challenged in making his final selections. Not being accepted into this exhibit is certainly not a comment on the quality of your work and we encourage you to continue to submit to various exhibits.

Now, without further adieu, the five photographers selected for exhibition in the New Orleans Photo Alliance gallery in April and May as well as being published in View Camera Magazine are:

Michael E. Gordon from California
Euphus Ruth from Mississippi
Laura J. Bennett from Texas
Susanna Gaunt from Michigan
Charles Mintz from Ohio.

Congratulations to you all and we look forward to seeing your work on the walls of our gallery and in the pages of View Camera magazine! You will be contacted soon by our Exhibitions Coordinator for further information about the particular images selected for the exhibit and by Steve Simmons about publication in View Camera magazine.

The exhibit opens Saturday, April 3 and will hang until May 23. I hope you will be able to attend. Mr. Simmons will be at the opening.

Sincerely,

Thom Bennett
VP of Programming
New Orleans Photo Alliance"

[Vaughn]

Laura is one our ex-students (undergraduate) from Humboldt State University -- we are quite proud of her achievments since she went off to grad school. It could not have happened to a better person!

Congrats to all!

Vaughn

[Thom Bennett]

Vaughn, That's great to hear! We're hoping she can make the trek from Texas for the opening.

[Toyon]

Laura is one our ex-students (undergraduate) from Humboldt State University -- we are quite proud of her achievments since she went off to grad school. It could not have happened to a better person!


Vaughn

How do you know?

[Vaughn]

I'm psychotic, whoops I mean psychic!

But this is a person who started college while she had ten nine (kids from two families married together), got two degrees from HSU, and then moved with her family from the Left Coast to Texas to go to Grad school.

And she could probably beat me up if I was stupid enough to give her a good reason to.

What's the matter, Toyon, you enter and not win? ;)

Vaughn

[Toyon]

I just don't like statements that make assumptions that the author cannot possibly know. Not having seen her work I couldn't compare my work to hers. Try to be thoughtful instead of aggrandizing.

[Vaughn]

I just don't like statements that make assumptions that the author cannot possibly know. Not having seen her work I couldn't compare my work to hers. Try to be thoughtful instead of aggrandizing.

Toughy toenails, my little sourpuss. :p

"It could not have happened to a better person!" is a colloquialism. It is the equivilent to saying that she very well deserves the award...which is not aggrandizing, but merely stating my informed opinion. An opinion derived from knowing both the photographer and her work.

Vaughn

PS -- re-reading my earlier post I saw a typo. She has nine children.

[Toyon]

Toughy toenails, my little sourpuss. :p

"It could not have happened to a better person!" is a colloquialism. It is the equivilent to saying that she very well deserves the award...which is not aggrandizing, but merely stating my informed opinion. An opinion derived from knowing both the photographer and her work.

Vaughn

PS -- re-reading my earlier post I saw a typo. She has nine children.

Right, your "informed opinion" is based on seeing her work, and none of the other entrants. I think you are confusing "informed" and "opinion" with mere solipsism. As for being a mother of 9 - are you thinking that is a good thing?

[Vaughn]

If you wish to take offense so quickly from what people write, you should take the time to read more carefully. I wrote earlier that she has a blended family -- she did not give birth to nine children, but instead is a great mother to nine. So, yes, it is a very good thing. As a father and principle care giver to a set of triplet boys (now almost 13 yrs old), I admire her ability to produce such great work and raise a family at the same time. She has not produced her work is spite of her family, but instead, her family is an important part of her work -- the joys and tribulations of raising a family, and the interconnections that arise between people in the same family, all inform (is part of) her work. Something that might be difficult for most men to understand and appreciate.

Many of the entrants who did not "win" undoubtably also deserved to win. But not all who deserve to win can win. Too much good work, not enough wall space. But Laura's work is of high enough quality to have deserved the honor -- and I do not need to see the work of the other entrants to know this.

I never stated that her work was better than all the other entrants -- that was your assumption. Winning such competitions always contain a bit of luck -- having one's work spark the interest of the judge(s) at the right time. On a different day the judge(s) might have picked a different set of five winners from the same group of entrants. Such is the subjectiveness of art.

Vaughn

PS...I thought of entering, but decided that by the definition of the contest, my work would not be "contemporary" enough to be a good fit. I am just an old Left Coast landscape photographer in love with the light. I do a little that might be considered a little more contemporary, if one relaxes the definition a bit, but it is all 8x10 work. Maybe they will have an EIGHT by TEN contest some day...LOL!

PS #2. Please excuse me, I read your question of whether a family of nine is a good thing as a negative comment against large families (overpopulation, etc). I am sorry if that is not what you meant -- and I hope I answered your question sufficiently above.

[Toyon]

If you wish to take offense so quickly from what people write, you should take the time to read more carefully. I wrote earlier that she has a blended family -- she did not give birth to nine children, but instead is a great mother to nine. So, yes, it is a very good thing. As a father and principle care giver to a set of triplet boys (now almost 13 yrs old), I admire her ability to produce such great work and raise a family at the same time. She has not produced her work is spite of her family, but instead, her family is an important part of her work -- the joys and tribulations of raising a family -- and the interconnections that arise between people in the same family -- all inform (is part of) her work. Something that might be difficult for most men to understand and appreciate.

Many of the entrants who did not "win" undoubtably also deserved to win. But not all who deserve to win can win. Too much good work, not enough wall space. But Laura's work is of high enough quality to have deserved the honor -- and I do not need to see the work of the other entrants to know this.

Now that is a thoughtful response.

I never stated that her work was better than all the other entrants -- that was your assumption. Winning such competitions always contain a bit of luck -- having one's work spark the interest of the judge(s) at the right time. On a different day the judge(s) might have picked a different set of five winners from the same group of entrants. Such is the subjectiveness of art.

Vaughn

PS...I thought of entering, but decided that by the definition of the contest, my work would not be "contemporary" enough to be a good fit. I am just an old Left Coast landscape photographer in love with the light. I do a little that might be considered a little more contemporary, if one relaxes the definition a bit, but it is all 8x10 work. Maybe they will have an EIGHT by TEN contest some day...LOL!

[Vaughn]

Toyon, sorry about all my post-posting editing. It probably makes things harder to follow.

[Toyon]

The middle line of the quoted paragraph is mine. Don't know why it ended up "in" the quote.

[Kirk Gittings]

Vaughn,
Having had students who went on to critical acclaim, I can understand your pride and enthusiasm. Congratulations to your program also.

[Thom Bennett]

Just to add to a few points that Vaughn has made:

Many of the entrants who did not "win" undoubtably also deserved to win. But not all who deserve to win can win. Too much good work, not enough wall space.

That is so true, especially for this competition. We have a small, intimate non-profit gallery space that can comfortably hold about 30 framed prints. For this exhibit we wanted to showcase work that was being done with view cameras and decided, rather than have one image each from thirty photographers, we would have four images each from five different photographers (Four by Five) in order to have a strong, small group show. Each photographer will be given plenty of wall space where their work can really be appreciated. On top of it, Steve Simmons agreed to jury and to publish the work of those particular photographers. We were pleasantly surprised by the amount and quality of the work submitted. There is a ton of great work being done out there and I wish we could show it all. If we were looking for an exhibit that showcased strictly landscapes - we could have had that. Or portraiture - we could have had that. Or urban landscapes - we could have had that. Or conceptual - we could have had that. Believe me, Mr. Simmons had quite the job choosing only five bodies of work out of the 108 that were presented to him.

Winning such competitions always contain a bit of luck -- having one's work spark the interest of the judge(s) at the right time. On a different day the judge(s) might have picked a different set of five winners from the same group of entrants. Such is the subjectiveness of art.

Yes, so true. Mr. Simmons juried strictly on the images, not on the photographer. Our system assigns a number to each entry and he choose the images based strictly upon what appealed to him visually. We offer our jurors two options: they can look at artists statements, names, etc. along with the images or they can jury purely on imagery. Mr. Simmons chose the latter which is what I personally prefer.