*sip* ahhhhh.... Would you like some? Oh please...by all means.
Ok let's begin!
So if you've been reading this blog (which I hope someone other than my mother does), you know that although my wife and I run a photography business and consider ourselves to be professionals that I am also formalizing my skills and training at Northern Virginia Community College. Once completed with my associates I'll probably advance to a more legitimate college institution and complete my four year degree. I'm doing this 1. to set myself apart from all the other "professional" photographers out there by having an actual degree in photography and 2. to practice other forms of photography, from fine art to documentary and find ways of putting those skills in the mix and coming out with our own unique style. BUT I DIGRESS!
Once a year NOVA puts on a juried, student gallery show. This means each photography student can enter up to four photos and somebody who is in the photo community but in no way associated with the school selects which of these will make it into the gallery and then award a few of them actual prize money. I was considering it, but then one of my professors strongly encouraged me to enter two of my photos that I did recently. She even convinced me to print them 24x36in for the show. I've been excited for this for weeks and yesterday the gallery was opened for the students to see who made it in. I got to class early, ran into the gallery aaaaaannd... neither photo made it in! :-(
So I decided to look around at who DID make it into the gallery. Maybe I'll be inspired by the work of the other students. I was NOT impressed. This is nothing against the students, really, because they each submitted what they thought were their best photos and each photographer is going to be at different levels and I can't hold that against them. The person who I AM upset with is the "secret" juror, whose I identity is still unknown to us. A lot of the photos were not what I would consider to be "gallery ready" prints. They either weren't great photos or some of them were decent photos but the print quality was bad. Having taken a darkroom film class already, I know what makes a good print and what mistakes are made (cuz I've made them all). One of the photos that jumped out at me was one that actually had the photographers water mark in the corner. A WATERMARK?! In an ART GALLERY?! Don't get me wrong I water mark our business' photographs before posting them online, but not when I submit to a gallery and what curator or gallerist actually SELECTS that? Another photo was taken of what appears to be a sunset and some trees. It was taken probably an hour after the time of sunset commonly referred to by photographers as the "golden hour". You can also see the headlights from their car in the corner of the picture which were very orange and distracting. Plus, it was horribly grainy. Probably was very underexposed and then tried to make it brighter in lightroom or photoshop. I later found out from another student was taken with a point an shoot camera. I could go on and on. There were only about four photos that I looked at for more than a few seconds and actually liked and to those photographers I say CONGRATS! You really deserved it and I hope you win the cash prizes.
I spoke with my professor about the show and she stated that with this show, it depends on the juror and even SHE wasn't too impressed with the jurors choices. She also told me sometimes people will win a cash prize one year and then the next year not even make it into the show at all! She has encouraged me to enter actual art galleries around town instead. I ended up tweeting about my disappointment to Lori Esque a fellow photographer at our studio and dear friend and supporter of our business. She immediately tweeted back this picture:
It's a letter to famous artist Andy Warhol from the Museum of Modern Art in New York telling him thank you for his submission, but turned down his offer and told him to come pick up his art. What a slap in the face! He obviously over came that and I'm sure the person who turned him down kicked themselves in the butt for quite some time. When we make it big I'll look back at this moment and laugh I'm sure!
So what have learned today blogees? (did anyone else just have a veggie tales moment?)
1. ART IS SUBJECTIVE!!!!!
2. When you have no idea who the juror is or what their profession is (i.e. fine art, commerical, documentary photographer) it's hard to say what their taste level is and it's kind of a gamble/crapshoot on what you should enter.
3. Being rejected doesn't mean your work is bad. It's just the wrong audience sometimes.
4. I'll probalby take millions of photographs over my lifetime. Some of the ones I like the most, nobody will like except me and thats ok. I'll keep them in my private collection and move on to the next photo that will hang in the National Portrait Gallery in DC...ok maybe not but who knows!
5. When it all boils down to it I do what I do for my clients. Would it have been nice to be in the gallery...yeah...but the model in the picture LOVES the picture and that means more to me than a silly gallery show at a community college.
6. WINNING!
Thanks for reading!
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Providing Northern VA, DC, and MD with all your portrait needs! From family photos to Wedding photography. From Senior photos to newborns and maternity! We capture your special memories on film!
Providing Northern VA, DC, and MD with all your portrait needs! From family photos to Wedding photography. From Senior photos to newborns and maternity! We capture your special memories on film!
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