June 28th, 2010
Every art form has, and — if we are lucky — will continue to have, an ongoing discussion about what differentiates artistry from craftsmanship, about what works characterize the current movement and what emulations are merely defined by it. At the center of this debate, the green behemoth lounging between the two camps, is the notion that artistic values somehow logarithmically decline with an equivalent increase in commercial success, leaving a grumbling bevy of frustrated artists wishing they had enough money to pay bills and create art flanked by a legion assiduous professionals dreaming that someone would appreciate their contribution to the arts.
The Professional Photographers of America, the world’s largest nonprofit association for professional photographers, every year offers its 20,000 members in over 54 countries an opportunity to compete for such recognition in a print competition that is widely considered the gold standard for international judging of photographic images.
According to the PPA guidelines, photographs are judged against the following twelve elements (all of which must be addressed for an image to merit): impact, creativity, technical excellence, composition, lighting, style, print presentation, center of interest, subject matter, color balance, technique, and story telling. The specific criteria for each may be found here. PPA describes the use of these 12 elements as a way to connect “the modern practice of photography and its photographers to the historical practice of photography begun nearly two centuries ago.”
Camera Obscura Journal would like to offer a huge congratulation our photography editor Kate Parker who has been awarded 2010 Silver Photographer of the Year by Professional Photographers of America for demonstrating “excellence in her craft and earning tremendous achievements in PPA’s 2010 International Photographic Competition.”
The silver award is achieved by having three merit prints accepted into the PPA General Collection and one print selected for inclusion in the prestigious International Loan Collection, which is a traveling exhibition that exemplifies the finest work in the current world of professional photography.
-MEP
March 2nd, 2010
We were excited by the overall quality of the submissions in the amateur category. One of these images even made the cover. Thanks again for all who entered. Check the guidelines for the next competition already underway.
Outstanding Amateur Photography Award
Jan Luit for Free Floating
Editor’s Choice Award for Amateur Photography
Catlin Harrison for Self-Image (green)
Amateur Competition Finalists
Mary Brown for Embrace
Mark Harary for Grand Central Terminal
Hugh Jones for Reunion
Carrie Wendt for Hidden Frog
Shannon West for Transformation
March 1st, 2010
We are happy to announce the winner of the first Camera Obscura Photography Award. We received some great entries and narrowing down the finalists was a tough call. The winner’s photograph as well as those of some of the finalists will appear in the journal in April. Many thanks to all who entered.
Winner: (Selected by our Judges)
William Horton for I’m Here
Editors’ Choice
Tom Chambers for The Goatherd
Finalists
Jennifer Adams for Hero’s Son
Holly Bown for A Farmer’s Peace
Sandy Edelstein for Keppela Kiss
Mindy Harris for Kissable
Chieko Tanemura for Knitting
Hao Tran for My Best Friend
Chuck Uebele for Father Daughter
Caron Van Orman for Double Dimple
Maria-Mihaela Vass for Bond
Rachael Waller for Mustang 42
Featured Photographers
Robert Alvarado
Cheri MacCallum
Non-professional announcement coming soon…
October 28th, 2009
When I started this journal, the first thing I did was round up as many talented, reliable people as I thought I might need to do the job right. Their bios can be found in the darkroom, and they will be blogging here as often as I can get them to. Add all the great work that’s already coming in and Camera Obscura, only in its infancy, is already taking shape.
Before we even got started, with the help of our talented photography editor Kate, we had already lined up a great collection of judges for the photography competition, all of whom I will probably pay tribute to as well at some point in the near future. And a week ago, when Jacklyn Patterson joined the judging panel, Camera Obscura added decades of experience in judging print competitions, an impeccable eye, and an intangible prestige to the competition that might not otherwise be afforded an unproven venue.
Since we are a Literary and Photography Journal, story is our mission, and Jacklyn Patterson’s story begins in Oklahoma during a time when the roles of women were still being defined by men instead of women themselves. Growing up bound by the expectation that she had no need for a “profession” in the place of a husband to provide for her, she did not own a camera until much later in life than would normally be the case for a photographer of her standing.
The journey from her first camera through her acclaimed career, including her account of the photograph not taken, is documented in her thesis “One Woman’s Journey,” written for her fellowship to the highly regarded American Society of Photographers, one of the most prestigious honors in photography.
Here is a link to One Woman’s Journey by Jacklyn Patterson, currently available on the ASP website.
“…a photograph is not complete until someone else looks at
it.” – Jacklyn Patterson
Jacklyn also holds the designations of Master Photographer, Master Artist and Photographic Craftsman from the Professional Photographers of America. She is a truly gifted photographer and a remarkable person.
-M.E. Parker, Editor
Camera Obscura Journal
October 19th, 2009
Words and images often serve the same master – the story. They reveal something about the world, not only about what it means to be human, what it means to exist. The inaugural print issue of Camera Obscura is slated for Spring 2010, anchored by equal measures of the best literature and photography we can obtain. Though the photographs will not necessarily relate to the stories specifically, their presence in the journal will not be incidental to the stories but inseparable from them.
Along the way to the first issue, we will post some work, select writing and photography that will also appear in the print issue, on the website, and this blog will serve as an outlet for the editors, photography judges and contributors to the Camera Obscura. The $1000 writer honorarium will be selected from those stories we have chosen from publication and announced just prior to the release of the first issue.
The photography competition officially opens November 1, 2009 with $1500 in prizes at stake. The theme: “bond.” Bonds exist in countless forms. There are bonds between people, animals, atoms, plants, mountains. There is even the monetary variety. All forms and interpretations both creative and literal are welcome with the following caveat: any interpretations of the theme that relate in any way to a British secret service agent with an assistant named Moneypenny will receive additional, and quite possibly harsh, scrutiny. The professional category is open to everyone. The non-professional category is reserved for those who earn no more than 25% of their income from photography. We have lined up a highly decorated board of photography judges for this competition.
Thanks for your interest. More updates coming soon.
