Well I really do neglect this blog. I think it is a procrastination issue. That combined with being a Libra that ends up with a tortured, deadlocked mind on just about any decision I guess. But if I am not attentive here, it certainly isn’t because I haven’t been busy! I’ve had several projects in the works. One of these projects I shot the photographs in the fall and most of the work is in post-production (Photoshop.)

I met several area photographers on Friday night at the Beloit Fine Arts Incubator. This year I was asked to judge the 4^th Annual Photography Show with the theme of, “People, places, and things.” Judging another photographer’s photos is a tough gig! As a photographer I know everything that went into capturing the photo, editing it, and then making a decision to submit that photo to a juried photo competition. The harsh reality is: juried photo competitions are going to be absolutely honest with what they think of your photos! Let’s face it, photographers are passionate about their art and are encouraged by family and friends—people that want to be supportive and who don’t necessarily know anything about photography. So, for many, this is the first time they might actually receive honest feedback on their work.

The competition received well over 200 photos! We could only take 100 photos so quite a few photos did not make it into the show. Of the photos that made it in, every one of them was amazing! The theme, “peoples, places, and things,” was quite broad, which made the judging all the more difficult. The top three winners were totally different in their themes and styles. Neither I nor the other judge had any knowledge of who the photographers of these photos were. The names were revealed to us only after all of the judging was done. We awarded the winners at the Beloit Fine Arts Incubator reception on Friday night. The third place winner won with a photo of the Rockford Times building. Yeah, I know that seems kind of simple but the photographer only photographed a portion of the building and framed in such a way that geometry grabbed the viewers’ attention and held it! Second place went to a 17 year girl still in high school! She captured an image of a dancer in an ally and framed it in such a panoramic style that juxtapositions the dancer with a missing brick in the wall behind her. Words really fail to convey this here. The 1^st place winner went to Bill Eklund for his image, “Peaceable Kingdom,” which was taken at the Belvidere Park. Several of Bill’s landscape images made it into the competition and I enjoyed chatting with him and learning how he captured them.

All of these images will be on display at the Beloit Fine Arts Incubator for some time. This is definitely a gallery worth checking out. I believe this is an annual competition that is starting to build nicely as well—the reception was packed should to shoulder Friday night. This is yet another feather in the cap for Beloit’s arts community. If you are a photographer that submits to contests such as these, keep this one in mind next year.  

My next blog posting will include some specific comments about pictures and what makes a good picture—at least in my humble opinion. 

Jay