Portals

Juror's Statement

It was a complete privilege to juror the exhibition, Portals. Huge congrats to all who submitted, as the photographic offerings were not only totally on point, but there was so much excellent work to consider, you made my job very, very difficult. I was appreciative of image makers who considered all approaches to the idea of portals—spaces that transport us into the future and into the past, thresholds that divide space, and devices that change our perspective. Photographers shared images of arcades and doorways, new worlds created in Photoshop, stunning landscapes with natural portals, and humorous conceptual responses to entering alternative spaces.

As a juror, the first consideration is always “does this image fit the theme”. Then I look for a level of excellence—was the photograph created as a fine art image or simply a snapshot. As the work ends up in a gallery space, the concern of quality is critical. Is the image in focus (or blurred with intention), have the dust spots been removed, is it well framed, has the photographer avoided over sharpening and over saturating? I consider if the work challenges, transports, and delights, and I also consider the show as a whole. In this case, I had to forgo hundreds of images of long arched arcades as I could only select a few to round out the show. Keeping this in mind, when submitting to a call for entry, think outside the box and consider submitting photographs that are not a literal interpretation of the them. For example, I loved the image of the boy on the couch looking at a Viewmaster, transporting him to new worlds.

Congratulations to those whose work made it into the exhibition in the gallery and online, but for those I sadly could not include, thank you for sharing your work with me. You have no idea how difficult you made my job and how close your work came to being selected. Thank you to PhotoPlace Gallery for this wonderful opportunity to spend time with so much good work.

- Aline Smithson

About the Juror

After a career as a New York Fashion Editor and working along side the greats of fashion photography, Aline Smithson discovered the family Rolleiflex and never looked back. Now represented by galleries in the U.S. and Europe and published throughout the world, Aline continues to create her award-winning photography with humor, compassion, and a 50-year-old camera.

Aline Smithson, by Dudik

She has exhibited widely in over thirty solo shows including the Griffin Museum of Photography, the Fort Collins Museum of Contemporary Art, the Lishui, Pingyao, and Shanghai Festivals in China, the Tagomago Gallery in Barcelona and Paris, and the Wallspace Gallery in Seattle and Santa Barbara. In addition, her work is held in a number of public collections. Her photographs have been featured in publications including The New York Times, The New Yorker, Photo District News, Communication Arts, Real Simple, Eyemazing, Visura, Slate, Artworks, Shots, Click, and Silvershotz magazines.

In 2012, Aline received the Rising Star Award through the Griffin Museum of Photography for her contributions to the photographic community. In 2014, Aline’s work was selected for the Critical Mass Top 50, the PDN Photo Annual, and Review Santa Fe. In 2007, Aline founded LENSCRATCH, a daily photography journal that has featured the work of thousands of photographers. She has been the Gallery Editor for Light Leaks Magazine, a contributing writer for Diffusion, Don’t Take Pictures, Lucida, and F Stop magazines, has written book reviews for photo-eye, and has provided the forewords for artist’s books by Tom Chambers, Flash Forward 12, Robert Rutoed, Nancy Baron among others.

Aline has curated and juried exhibitions for a number of galleries, organizations, and on-line magazines. In 2014, Aline received the Excellence in Teaching Award from CENTER. She is a founding member of the Six Shooters Collective and is currently teaching and curating for the Los Angeles Center of Photography in Los Angeles. The Magenta Foundation recently published her monograph, Self & Others: Portrait as Autobiography. Aline lives and works in Los Angeles. Learn more about Aline here.

Call for Entries

For our purposes, a portal can be an architectural feature: a gate, a doorway, a window, a mirror, or a tunnel, that frames or isolates or adds a new dimension to the image. In a fictional sense, a portal is also a magical doorway that connects two locations in space or time.

For “Portals,” we’re looking for images that use these devices in intriguing ways. All capture methods and processes are welcome.

Recipients of the Juror’s Award and Director’s Award will each be entitled to a portfolio review by Aline Smithson.