Personal Narrative

Juror's Statement

Perhaps the most challenging, yet rewarding element in self-expression is the ability for artists to peel back the layers from within and convey intimate details about their lives, perspectives and experiences in the world. Whether an artist expresses these attributes via vast landscapes, minute details in ones life or happenstance findings, the result conveys an authentic universality that connects every viewer on some level.

It was an honor and pleasure to act as juror for Personal Narratives, as it’s a theme that is immensely close to my heart. But selecting a mere 75 images from a large and impressive group of photographers was an immense task. In the end, the chosen images revealed the artists experience both outside and inside of themselves, thus allowing viewers to experience their own unique emotional catharsis. I applaud every photographer who submitted work and congratulate the selected exhibitors.

- Susan Burnstine

About the Juror

Susan Burnstine is an award winning fine art and commercial photographer, originally from Chicago and now based in Los Angeles. Susan is represented in galleries across the world, widely published throughout the globe and conducts workshops at Maine Media and Santa Fe Workshops.

Susan’s first monograph, Within Shadows, was published in 2011. Her second monograph, Absence of Being, is currently being released. Both are available on her website and through Amazon. Her prints are available through a number of galleries in the US and abroad.

Susan Burnstine is one of the few photographers today avidly pursuing alternative processes to create an idiosyncratic and deeply personal visual landscape. Initially, Burnstine sought to find a way to portray her dream-like visions entirely in-camera, rather than with post-processing digital manipulations. To achieve this, she has created twenty-one handmade film cameras and lenses that are frequently unpredictable and technically challenging. The cameras are primarily made out of plastic, vintage camera parts, and random household objects, with single-element lenses molded from plastic and rubber. Learning to overcome their extensive optical limitations required Burnstine to rely on instinct and intuition—the same tools that are key when attempting to interpret dreams.

Learn more about Susan Burnstine through her website.

Call for Entries

Photographic images are by their nature deeply rooted in personal emotion, regardless of whether they are found or created, and regardless of genre. As photographers who strive to convey our visions in a true and honest manner, we establish an emotional connection to each image we create. We hope, in turn, to share that connection with all who view that image. In so doing, we reveal something of ourselves.

For Personal Narrative, we seek images that, through symbolism, metaphor, and personal stories, are ultimately an exploration of self. All capture methods and processes are welcome.