The exhibit not taken
I've had a pretty remarkable run of success entering photo exhibitions, contests, and festivals so far this year. Not every contest I enter, however, leads to my photos being selected. The hardest part about this is not knowing the reasons, because knowing could help improve my photography going forward. I'm sure in many cases it's just that my photos didn't match what the exhibit organizers were looking for, and that's perfectly fine of course. Other times I'm sure it's that my photos just weren't as good as the competition.
Looking at the photos that were selected I'm usually extremely impressed by the quality of art that exists out in the world. But it would be nice, once in a while, to get feedback: the winning photo employed the golden ratio, while yours was poorly composed; this photo was crystal clear while yours had a slight blur around the eyes; that photo, while technically imperfect, captured a sense of emotional power while yours, while technically perfect, was static and less compelling.
I completely realize that there's no way most competition judges have time to provide such feedback. All I can do is to look at the photos of mine that have been accepted and rewarded over and over, and look for the common elements that make them successful... and, conversely, look for common elements in those that weren't accepted to find common features to avoid, going forward. All while understanding that it may have nothing to do with the quality of the photo, and more to do with just not matching what the curator was looking for in their assembled exhibit.
Here are four calls for art that I entered in the past six weeks for which none of my photos were accepted:
- Black and White (F-Stop Magazine)
I was able to submit twelve photos for this publication, but none of them were accepted. Looking at past photos that were accepted, it appears that the magazine is looking for photos that convey a story or impression more than images that are perfectly processed. I tried to choose images of my own that match this style. I could see my images fitting with the photos that were selected, but their choices are pretty fine without them.
- Celebrating the Sacred Feminine: Honoring Women's Herstory Month (Ludington Area Center for the Arts in Michigan)
It's always hard to know, with these local exhibitions, exactly what they're looking for. Even though they are ostensibly an "international" call for art, will they favor local artists? Will they favor non-photographic work? Will they shy away from figurative images in a "family-oriented" gallery? I always try to look at the work they've featured in the past to get a clue about these things, but still, it's a crap shoot. I loved the theme, however, so I couldn't resist entering, and contributed two photos from an amazing photoshoot with Dominique Zuniga back in March 2016 at Valley of Fire State Park, a shoot that truly embodied the idea of the "sacred feminine," whether its images were selected or not. As of this writing, the gallery of selected art isn't posted on LACA's website yet (the physical exhibit is March 3-31), so I'm interested to see the works they did choose.
- Figures in the Landscape (Aplomb Gallery, Dover, New Hampshire)
How could I not enter an exhibition focused on figures in the landscape? That's my primary theme! And they allowed for five entries. I was pretty confident about this one, but alas, it was not to be. I entered a combination of wide sweeping vistas and more intimate images; color and black and white; and photos that have been highly successful (including "Rest and Upheaval," far and away my most awarded image) along with ones that I personally love but have not been as widely recognized as I'd like. This exhibit opens March 4 and closes April 30, twice as long as most exhibits seem to run these days, but there are no images posted on the website yet. I look forward to seeing what I'm sure will be a collection of amazing work when photos appear online.
- Black and White (ReFocus Awards)
Another Black and White contest, this one wanted a set of photos on the same theme. So I submitted one of my most reliable collections, five photos from my photo shoot with Queen Dandelion on Rialto Beach at the end of July 2018. The actual winners are very good, so I'm not put out that I wasn't selected at all. In fact, I enjoy browsing the winning photos, because they give me a lot of great ideas about what to do next in my own photography!
