Vision & Viewpoint
Annual Open Call Exhibition
Jurors: Amanda Smith and Kevin Tully
Directors of A Smith Gallery, Johnson City, TX
An Exhibition from IPHF’s Annual Open Photo Competition
Photo Credit: Investigation, © Anna Homburg, Berlin, Germany
Vison & Viewpoint
Juror’s Roundtable
A behind-the-scenes conversation with Amanda Smith and Kevin Tully, jurors for Vision & Viewpoint, the IPHF Annual Open Call photography competition.
Jurors Statement from Amanda Smith & Kevin Tully
We, as jurors, are fond of “Open” calls for entry. This one did not leave us wanting. Our first views of the images, black and white, color, experimental, emotional, whimsical, of various subject matter, portraiture, telling a story, and on and on, kept us engaged and anticipating the next image.
Photography has grown tremendously over the past sixty-plus years, influenced by and influencing the other arts. The manner of capture ranging from handmade pinhole cameras to 100mp digital cameras. The magic of the darkroom and the camera has drawn artists from other disciplines into photography and has also been a vehicle opening doors for photographers into the other arts.
For us, as gallerists that have seen thousands and thousands of images, we are always looking for something that surprises us, images that display creativity or innovation or a well-made, deeply beautiful image achieved in traditional forms. We want to thank IPHF and all the photographers that entered for allowing us to be surprised and moved.
GRAND PRIZE
Plastic Bottle Recycling
Steve Dinberg
Chamblee, GA
Jurors’ Statement
This image immediately evokes a response -- the vibrant colors, the perspective, and the mystery as to what we are looking at. Is it someone repairing a magical fishing net or preparing fantastic fabric for the wedding of Giants? The play of light on the red and orange amidst the sea of blue is stunning. There is something both of Caravaggio and Eggleston in the image.
Artist’s Statement
The sense of adventure that comes with exploring new places and meeting new people is what keeps me interested in street photography. There are two reasons people travel. “The first is to see something new, the other is to experience something old”. I have long been a passionate photographer. Someone once said, "In photography, vision is the power of observation, it’s how you notice things that are worth capturing." I am always looking for that decisive moment, and constantly in search for that magical light, the texture of skin, interesting faces, and amazing eyes, but most of all, I try to capture that brief moment of interaction. I spend extended time getting to know the natural light, colors, shapes, textures and motion a defined area, that being a street, alleyway or even the face of a person who has grabbed my attention. . These images are all first printed on a clear acetate film then transferred to a Vietnamese Rice paper, (see Image #2).
FIRST PLACE
Exit Strategy
Roger Archibald
North Quincy, MA
Jurors’ Statement
Fighting fire with fire. Forest fires have become common in the era of climate change. Men and Women firefighters risk their lives every day in order to control and mitigate forest fires. Sometimes they have to destroy and burn areas in order to control existing fires.
Artist’s Statement
I like to think that my photography is simply an illustration of my life. In the fifty years or so that I’ve been serious about it, I’ve pretty much always been accompanied by a camera, now especially true in the era of mobile phone cameras. I first became intrigued by the possibility in pictures as a sailor in the Navy assigned to an aircraft carrier serving in southeast Asia. Photographs seemed the best medium to explain to people back home what I was experiencing overseas, and also as a means of creating visual notes that I could refer back to down the road. Once out of the service, I pursued the same interest back in college on the GI Bill. And later during years of struggling to build freelance success, I worked nights in a photo lab, while trying to land photo assignments during the day. Eventually I came to realize that it was the things that I enjoyed most doing that I enjoyed most photographing, and that pretty much has been the story of my photographic life ever since.
SECOND PLACE
Los Olvidados Guatemala
Harvey Castro
Oakland, CA
Jurors’ Statement
The big industries in many countries, industrialized or not, produce greenhouse gasses, contributing to global warming increasing the power of destruction of this natural phenomenon. The indigenous communities are the most integrated into the ecosystem that surrounds them. In the case of “The Olvidados” an indigenous community of Guatemala, they are the victims of global warming.
Artist’s Statement
On November 5, 2020, Hurricane Eta caused a landslide that destroyed the village of Queja, leaving 58 people dead and the survivors with nothing. Within days, the mayor of San Cristobal Verapaz declared the area a camposanto, a graveyard, and ended all rescue efforts due to the persisting danger. In 2018, I photographed the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico. During the first six months after the storms, 135,000 climate refugees relocated to the mainland United States. When I arrived in Guatemala a few days before the bicentennial anniversary of independence from Spanish rule, I saw parallels to what I had experienced in Puerto Rico, where marginalized communities were left without agency and forgotten. This tragedy is not unique to Queja, but it is a familiar story for many communities in Guatemala, particularly those in the highlands. Poor infrastructure, deforestation, and inadequate resources leave them highly vulnerable. The destruction of crops and homes leads many to migrate for survival, often at a significant risk.
THIRD PLACE
Urban Flight
Tom Reese
Seattle, WA
Juror’s Statement
The photographer created an interesting contradiction. Between the noise and gasses pollution produced by the Blue Angels flying next to a man made pole with platform for the Osprey nest. Creating a contradiction that we are polluting what we are trying to save.
Artist’s Statement
Tom Reese is a journalist, photographer, author, editor, artist and teacher. His work as a newspaper and magazine photojournalist has been nominated for Pulitzer Prizes in breaking news photography, feature photography and explanatory reporting during his career at The Seattle Times. His current projects focus on the complex relationship between humans and the rest of the natural world, including his book, Once and Future River: Reclaiming the Duwamish, with the University of Washington Press. The Seattle Art Museum Gallery has represented his work. Exhibitions include The Seattle Art Museum Gallery, The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture in Seattle, FotoDocument in London and Brighton, UK. He has been recognized with multiple honors from World Press Photo, Pictures of the Year International, Best of Photojournalism, and the Associated Press.
HONORABLE MENTION
Untitled
Steve Dinberg
Chamblee, GA
Jurors’ Statement
Even beautiful shapes and colors and patterns produced by human activities have an effect on the ecosystem that surrounds them.
Artist’s Statement
The sense of adventure that comes with exploring new places and meeting new people is what keeps me interested in street photography. There are two reasons people travel. “The first is to see something new, the other is to experience something old”. I have long been a passionate photographer. Someone once said, "In photography, vision is the power of observation, it’s how you notice things that are worth capturing." I am always looking for that decisive moment, and constantly in search for that magical light, the texture of skin, interesting faces, and amazing eyes, but most of all, I try to capture that brief moment of interaction. I spend extended time getting to know the natural light, colors, shapes, textures and motion in a defined area, that being a street, alleyway or even the face of a person who has grabbed my attention.
HONORABLE MENTION
Unfurl
Christina McFaul
La Jolla, CA
Jurors’ Statement
As human beings, we feel strong but also, we forget how fragile we are. Sometimes to understand nature, you have to become part of it.
Artist’s Statement
Sanctuary in the Wild “We are stardust, we are golden, and we got to get ourselves back to the garden.” Joni Mitchell. The earth is dreaming through us, and we must awaken to it. In the dark primordial waters, we are born of the same matter as our solar system, the stars, and the earth. The sound of water rushes over rocks downstream like a lullaby; a palm frond waves without a single gust of wind; bird song carries me on its wings. I find sanctuary in wild places that live and breathe here and now – within and without. And I’ve witnessed two boys discovering the magic and mystery of the wild, a reminder that we too are wild.
Exhibiting Artists
Blue Car Bo Kaap, Lynne Lang, St. Louis, MO
Los Olvidados Guatemala, Harvey Castro, Oakland, CA
LaFayette, Jennifer Hendrix, Milton, FL
Untitled, Steve Dinberg, Chamblee, GA
Golfer, James Holzer, St. Louis , MO
Investigation, Anna Homburg, Berlin, Germany
The Days Work, Pine Irwin, Meridian, ID
Roadside Oases, Joyce Jewell, Takoma Park, MD
Exit Strategy, Roger Archibald, North Quincy, MA
504-907, Faith, Miles Jordan, New Orleans, LA
Peekaboo Springs, Salt Creek Canyon, Utah, Fredrik Marsh, Columbus, OH
Unfurl, Christina McFaul, La Jolla, CA
Rising Above the Flood 3, Cindy McTee, St. Louis, MO
Stump House, Joshua Phelps, Edmonds, WA
Rain Drops on Spider Web, Tom Porter, Winchester, VA
Into the Outfall, Tom Reese, Seattle, WA
Urban Flight, Tom Reese, Seattle, WA
Lake, Forest, Tom Reese, Seattle, WA
Farmland near Sullivan, Ohio, Richard M Rubin, Saint Louis, MO
Plastic Bottle Recycling, Joy Saha, Narayanganj, Bangladesh
Devastating Flood, Joy Saha, Narayanganj, Bangladesh
When things got Worse, Sharon Sturgis, Arlington, TX
Wishing Well, from the series Liquid Sky, Prince Thomas, Houston, TX
Elegy II, DM Witman, McAllen, TX
American Dream, Mark Zukowski, Sonoma, CA
Jurors: Amanda Smith and Kevin Tully Directors of A Smith Gallery, Johnson City, TX
Amanda Smith and Kevin Tully are the Directors of A Smith Gallery in Johnson City, Texas. Amanda started the gallery in 2010. Kevin came on board two years later. A Smith Gallery was a physical gallery until 2023 and is now a fine art online gallery. The gallery is a champion of the creative potential of the photographic process through exhibitions and workshops.
Amanda has a thirty year background as a photographer and educator. Amanda, through the gallery, has been a champion of the creative potential of the photographic process and has curated hundreds of exhibitions for the gallery. She has juried for numerous exhibitions including All About Photo, High and Dry, Analogue Forever, Dodho Magazine, Lamar University Alumni Art Exhibition, Texas Photographic Society, Slow Exposures and Critical Mass.
Amanda’s personal photographic work began in the darkroom and has now moved into the digital world. She has been selected for numerous juried and group exhibitions including most recently an honorable mention in the 25th Julia Margaret Cameron awards. Her work is included in several collections including the Wittliff Collections, Concordia University Austin and several private collections.
Kevin is a photographer, designer, writer and artist. He has over thirty-five years of experience as a landscape designer, furniture designer, fine art painter and photographer. Kevin has taught workshops on various aspects of art and photography for over twelve years. He has curated and installed hundreds of exhibitions for the gallery and has been a juror for numerous calls for entry for the gallery and local organizations, as well as international exhibitions including All About Photo, High and Dry, Analogue Forever, Dodho Magazine and Lamar University Alumni Art Exhibition.
