Danella Photographic

” Why didn’t my work get accepted at the KAC Show ? “

This is a popular question lately, and, while there is no absolute answer, there certainly are some reasons why a photographer’s work may not get accepted for exhibition.

Following is a partial list. Everyone’s comments are welcome. Please post your opinion. We need to establish a dialogue.

Reason 1

POOR TECHNICAL EXECUTION

The photograph is unintentionally out of focus, blurry, or poorly exposed. The operative word here is unintentionally - an accomplished photographer may present an out of focus, blurry, poorly exposed photograph. Actually, an accomplished photographer will often break the rules to his/her advantage. A photographer should only break traditional technical rules of quality after the rules of conventional photography are thoroughly understood.

Reason 2

SUBSTANDARD PRINT QUALITY

Even before the popularity of personal photographic printers, print quality was a major presentation issue. Now with ink jet, dye sublimation and other forms of personal printer technology available, photographers have many more options for presenting terrible prints of dynamic photographs. The print is the vehicle that takes the image to the show. Don’t submit prints that aren’t as perfect as they can be. Colors should be normal and neutral. Prints with raster lines ( stripes in the print ) should never be exhibited - unless they are part of the overall artistic intent. Prints should be free of mechanical defects such as bubbles, scratches and folds. Make a great print of your image ! And, while we’re on the topic, mats should be clean and cleanly cut so that they enhance the quality of the photograph.

Reason 3

THE SUBJECT IS TOO SPECIFIC TO YOUR LIFE

So it’s a great photo of your grandson or a rare photo of a purple breasted rock hawk. When your photo is hanging on the wall by itself, it needs to stand on its own merit and speak to a wide audience. It can’t be a photo of your baby. It needs to be a photo of your baby that metaphorically reminds every viewer of their baby, neice, nephew, grandbaby, or themselves when they were a baby. Photographs of rare animals, that only you know are rare, rarely get accepted. If the photograph needs an explanation by you - leave it home.

Reason 4

THE JUDGE DOESN’T LIKE IT

Plain and simple - some judges like people and some don’t. Some judges like black and white photos while some like color photos. Some like waterfalls and some like tool boxes covered in rust. The judge’s decision is subjective and based on his/her opinion of what is good. Don’t take it personally. As long as you like the photo, and it isn’t handicapped by obvious flaws as mentioned above, then it’s worth entering.

Reason 5

TOO EDGY (NOT EDGY ENOUGH) FOR THE VENUE

Sponsors and venues develop reputations as show sites for experimental or conservative photography. This preference can be compounded by the judge’s particular taste, but the judge is chosen by the gallery or sponsor so usually there is not a contradiction of viewpoint.

Comments are requested - Voice your opinion.

Gale R. Farley has been a highly respected member of the Central NY photo community for many years. He holds a B.S. in Photography from Sam Houston State University and an M.F.A. from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. He has been a teacher and professional photographer in this community for twenty-six years and currently teaches at Herkimer County Community College where he helps to prepare a new generation of professional photographers, as well as to help a wide variety of students attain a higher level of visual literacy.

According to Farley, ” I believe that photography has the power to help people explore, understand and enjoy their world and their place in it to a much fuller extent than if they had not investigated photography beyond the everyday snapshot. By teaching photography, I help people see things they would have not noticed, experience more from other visual media, and by practicing it, express their unique connection to life, their own creativity and humanity. ”

Following are Gale R. Farley’s selections and critical comments from the Kirkland Art Center Photography Show. Thank you to Gale Farley, Annette J. Clarke, the Director of the Kirkland Art Center, and Niel Chowdhury of Cazenovia College who juried this exhibit.

Your comments are requested regarding this critique. Comments are also requested regarding the KAC Show or photographs that you feel deserve mention from the show that are not mentioned here. Use the “Leave a Reply” box that is located at the end of the critique.

The works that follow are presented in the order of merit:

“Sand Pattern, (Death Valley)” © Nancy Oudheusden www.viewfindphoto.com/

The strong light and shadow creates a three-dimensional feeling in these forms that reveals the strong undulating pattern created by the sand. The nature of the light also creates a surface alive with tactile texture, not like soft sand, but more like granite that was molten and cooled flowing into these ambiguous organic shapes. These shapes could be the fingers of a stone sculpture or an aerial photograph of a barren rocky landscape. Careful composition and strong print quality also contribute to the success of this image.
The photograph is compelling in its movement and formal elements and open to many rewarding interpretations.

“Distressed Patriotism” © D Shadowman

This color photograph has what I call a “sense of place.” Athough I have never been there, I can feel its nature in the image and wonder what was its purpose before it was abandoned. We can see the refrigerator is from another era, adding to the idea that time has stopped in this place. Below the surface reality of this picture is a substructure of inter-related rectangles and squares of red, white, blue, and black. It is not a far stretch to invoke the term “Mondrian like.” The composition is crucial to the success of this image and is well handled by the placement of the brightest rectangle with the red fabric in a key position within the frame. The muted primary colors also contribute to the mood and mystery of this photograph. Even though the photograph is composed of red, white, and blue it is for me a stretch to give it any political, national, or patriotic connotation.

“Behind Bars” © John Vriersema

This photograph is a good example of the figure used not to shock or titillate, but presented in its pure natural state as a form and surface on which light and shadow may work to exemplify the beauty of human form. The comparison and contrast between the hard-edged shadows, textured wood and the soft, smooth, rounded figure are formal elements that always interest the eye. The shadows create a dramatic geometric pattern and as they wrap over the figure, they create movement and an interplay of light and shadow not unlike what we experience in the previously discussed “Sand Patterns” of the Oudheusden piece. Although the photograph is crafted in the well established tradition of twentieth century nudes like those of Edward Weston, Paul Strand, and Imogene Cunningham, I do not feel it is clichéd or trite. The print quality is well handled to support the image. This photograph is overall a classic nude study, well printed, and composed to explore the formal elements of art and the beauty of the human form.

“Three Girls, Mashhad Iran” © Roset Khosropour

In this engaging photography we see the faces of three beautiful young girls looking back at the photographer and us, with some wary shyness and also delightfully flattered in the attention being paid to them. We see in their eyes the beauty, innocence, and promise of every child. This is a photograph that speaks to a universal humanity. The interest here is not about the nationality or difference in dress, but in a moment of unpretentious human interaction that reminds us all we are part of a greater human family. The composition is wonderfully effective as it creates an asymmetrical balance between the larger child and the two smaller figures. The three heads form an inverted triangle that holds us firmly in the photographs and brings us into the compelling eyes of the central figure.

“Shadow Invaders” © Jan Coffin

This photograph is interesting on many levels. First it is a fabrication of unseen figures casting shadows to interact with markings made by the photographer on what appears to be a concrete surface. They have the playful quality of a Keith Haring piece and also the mystery of what could be glyphs left by some forgotten people on stone walls or boulders that mark some ritual or event. The figures move diagonally rising from lower left to upper right in the frame. Their postures suggest a dance of some kind as their limbs create a visual rhythm.

For a complete list of accepted artists and their entries click this link: kirkland-photo-show-07.pdf

Your comments are requested. Use the ” Leave a Reply” box below.

Many people have asked for information regarding the proper set up of camera and flash to take advantage of wireless through the lens controlled Nikon flash photography. First of all, only the D70, D70s, D80, D200, D2x and D2xs are capable of through the lens exposure control in a wireless mode. Also, the SB800 and SB600 speedlights are the only Nikon Flash units that can be used in this set up.

Many older Nikon flash units ( Nikon likes to refer to all flash units as speedlights ) will work in a slave capacity, but they will not use TTL ( Through the Lens ) metered technology. With some experimentation and creativity however, these older units are capable of producing incredible multi-light effects. If you’re confused about the difference between remote slave flash and TTL flash, post your questions at the end of this explanation and hopefully we’ll be able to provide good answers.

A Nikon produced PDF file is attached below. Read the directions and give these techniques a try. The instructions are written using the D70 as an example, but all of the cameras listed above will work in the same manner.

d70-and-i-ttl-article.pdf