Juror's Statement
In photography, we know light sets the mood, highlights a subject, creates depth, or gives us the gift of a few seconds of ethereal glimmer when it, say, hits water at a certain angle. Nature gives us light in so many forms – and various types of light carry different emotions. In jurying the imagery for this exhibition, in addition to the usual elements that make a strong image, I was looking for images that gave forth some kind of poetic angle or imagined story. The light had to illuminate details that made me wonder, that made me wish for a short story of sorts to accompany it, or to make one up in my head.
Oh, boy! So many visual gems were to be had – stories of love and loss and optimism and sweetness and the grandeur of nature and the sometimes smallness of man. Thank you to all those who submitted to this call for entries – do you know the importance of your work? It transcends any competition, category or exhibition – you are recording life!
- Laura Moya
In the beginning the light
And the first hour,
when lips still in clay
try out the things of the world
Green blood and things golden in the earth
And the sea, so exquisite in her sleep, spread
unbleached gauze of sky
under the carob trees and the great upright palms.
- The Axion Esti, by Greek poet Odysseas Elytis
About the Juror
Laura is the Director of Photolucida, in Portland, Oregon. She organizes Photolucida’s biennial Portfolio Reviews event, Portland Photo Month, and is project manager for Photolucida’s Critical Mass book award publications. She has juried for Critical Mass, Blue Sky Gallery’s Northwest Drawers, Newspace Center for Photography, Photo District News, United Photo Industries/The Fence and PhotoPlace Gallery, and has written pieces for Finite Foto, Griffin Museum’s Critic’s Pick, and Photo-eye’s blog.
Laura co-curated an independent project, The Early Works Project, which was shown at Newspace Center for Photography, Rayko Photo Center, The Center for Fine Art Photography, and the Photographic Resource Center, as well as The Elevated Selfie: Beyond the Bathroom Mirror, which exhibited at LightBox Photographic Gallery and the Griffin Museum of Photography. She has been integral in Reviews events including the National Society for Photographic Education and LensCulture in Paris, and has participated in talks and panels at international festivals such as Pinyao International Photo Festival and GuatePhoto Festival. Most recently she curated photography + science for the Yixian International Photography Festival, and Hypermedia in Critical Mass for the Lishui International Photography Festival in China.
Lenscratch published a "Mixtape" on Laura Moya - you'll find it here.
Call for Entries
Photographers understand that the subject of every photograph is the light it reflects, and that the specific quality of that light can profoundly affect the power of the photograph. In essence, intentional mastery of light, both in the “taking” of the photograph and the “making” of the photograph, determines the strength and spirit of an image.
For this exhibit, we seek images whose success depends on the quality of the light. Whether light or dark, bright or dull, natural or artificial, the subject of these images is the magic, the possibilities, and the nuances of the light itself. Give us some thoughtful visual interpretations illustrating the word ‘luminosity’.
Any capture or process is welcome.
Juror Laura Moya will select approximately 35 images for exhibition in the gallery, and 35 for our Online Gallery Annex. The recipients of the Juror’s Award and the Director’s Award will each be entitled to a portfolio review by Laura Moya.
Additionally, five copies of Amy Friend’s book Dare Alle Luce (Italian for To Bring to the Light, published by Photolucida) will be distributed to five finalists.
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