Exhibit A: competition for new talent

Exhibit A is an international competition that aims to showcase exceptional new talent. Juried by leading editors, curators, gallery owners, creative directors, and art directors, Exhibit A sees that emerging photographers are publicly recognized in the presence of known and respected art buyers, curators, galleries, magazines, and advertising agencies from around the world.

Photographs from the 1st place winners in each category -- Fine Art, Photojournalism, Advertising and Portrait -- will be publicized and exhibited at a prestigious exhibition in Sydney, Australia.

AWARDS INCLUDE:
"Emerging Photographer of the Year" receives $5,000 AUD
1st place winners in each category receive $1,000 AUD
People's Choice Awards and Honorable Mentions

EARLYBIRD DEADLINE:
February 1, 2010 (10% Discount)
FINAL DEADLINE:
June 1, 2010

3rd Annual International Juried Plastic Camera Show

RayKo Photo Center and Gallery in San Fransisco requests submissions from artists working with plastic cameras with plastic lenses. The more obsolete, flawed, and lo-tech, the better. Images should be taken with cameras with limited controls, such as Diana, Holga, Lubitel, Lomo, Banner, and Ansco cameras. Beautiful prints from less-than-gorgeous cameras - that's what we're looking for!

Best of Show receives $250. 4 additional juror awards: Honorable mentions receive plastic cameras of our choosing.

Send in your images with an entry form before Jan. 5, 2010, or contact Ann Jastrab, Gallery Director, gallery@raykophoto.com, or call 415-495-3773.

Carnival submissions wanted for Newspace Center for Photography

The Newspace Center for Photography in Portland, OR., invites photographers to submit images for our Annual Themed Exhibition. This year, with the theme "Carnival", we are seeking work that has been shot at carnivals, fairs, celebrations or other such events with a festive atmosphere. Selected photographs will be shown in the Newspace gallery February 5th - 28th 2010.

The entry fee is $5 per image, you may enter as many images as you like.

Entries must be received by Friday, December 18th, 2009 (postmarked).

Louviere + Vanessa, Cinégraphs from Folie à Deux

A Gallery for Fine Photography presents "Louviere + Vanessa, Cinégraphs from Folie à Deux," Dec 12 - Feb 28. An opening reception will be held on Dec. 12 from 5-7 pm.

Call 504-568-1313 for info.

Call for PhotoNOLA 2009 Volunteers!

Interested in getting involved with PhotoNOLA 2009? Click here to see the full list of exciting events we have planned from Dec. 2nd to Dec. 13th:
http://photonola.org/photo-nola-2009/calendar/
This is the time of year that volunteers are needed most! Volunteers are needed at our events to help set-up, pour wine, promote the New Orleans Photo Alliance, socialize with fellow photographers, and to help make PhotoNOLA huge success. If you think you can donate some of your time to volunteer at some of our events please contact Morgan at kmsasser@gmail.com
There will be a PhotoNOLA volunteer meeting Tuesday, Nov. 24h at 6:30pm at the New Orleans Photo Alliance at 1111 St. Mary St. (next to Half Moon). Please try to come if your planning on volunteering!

Israel Museum's New Photo Prize Recognizes Innovation in the Field

Jerusalem, November 19, 2009—The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, today announced that it has established the Shpilman International Prize for Excellence in Photography, which provides photographers and scholars with the support needed to pursue new ideas and work in the medium. The first of its kind, the prize is awarded for the creation of new rather than the recognition of previously completed work. It will be presented every two years to an artist or scholar who aims to expand the boundaries of the medium. Recipients will receive a cash prize of €30,000 ($45,000) to support the realization of new work, which will subsequently be published or exhibited by the Museum. The first Shpilman Prize recipient will be selected in August 2010.

Complete details:

http://www.resnicowschroeder.com/media.asp?PR=790

"Grace Before Dying" in NO and on LPB

Lori Waselchuk's traveling exhibit Grace Before Dying continues its tour in Louisiana. It received thousands of viewers during the annual Angola Rodeo in October, 2009. The Angola hospice volunteers set it up each weekend near the rodeo grounds. I wasn't there but the hospice volunteers said the response to it was incredible.

The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities featured the project in a 12-page spread in the Fall 2009 issue of Louisiana Cultural Vistas.

Grace Before Dying will be open to the public at the New Orleans Public Library (219 Loyola Avenue) December 3 – 17, 2009. There will be a public symposium on Saturday December 5th, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm about the Angola hospice program and the growing prison hospice movement.

This showing is part of PhotoNOLA, New Orleans’ annual photography festival organized by the New Orleans Photo Alliance. For more information on PhotoNOLA.

Grace Before Dying will also be featured on LPB this Friday at 7pm, November 20, during the program Louisiana: The State We're In. It repeats on Sunday at 2 PM. The segment can be viewed on the LPB website after Friday.

Polymer Photogravure, with Josephine Sacabo

Josephine Sacabo presents a 3-day course, May 14-16, on how to make polymer photogravures from either your film negatives or digital files. Polymer gravures are a new method of making gravures without using strong chemicals - they are exposed in sunlight or a UV light and processed in water. "The results are as beautiful as copper gravures, Sacabo says.

Cost is $645, limited to 8 students. Registration details are online.

PhotoNOLA Promo Materials are In!

The PhotoNOLA posters, postcards and brochures are all in and waiting for your help to spread them around town. Please help us get the word out about all the great things that are going on in the first two weeks of December!! Everything is at the gallery. Swing by on Friday 3-6, or Sat & Sun 12-4 to pick up a stack to distribute.

Thanks in advance!
Jen

Will Crocker & Stewart Harvey exhibit

"Two Look At The City," a new exhibit by NOPA members Will Crocker & Stewart Harvey, opens Dec. 5, with a reception from 6-9pm, at 2001 Magazine St. The exhibit runs Dec 5-30 in conjunction with PhotoNOLA.

Build Now NOLA Presents: ArtHouse

Big EasyArtists Celebrate Build Now’s New Homes. Join New Orleans Non-Profit Homebuilder Build Now on Saturday, November 14th from 1 to 5 p.m. as we present ArtHouse, a home/art tour featuring Build Now’s new homes. For one day only, Build Now’s houses, built for families who lost their homes to Hurricane Katrina, will be transformed by local artists into in-home galleries featuring some of New Orleans’ most exciting new artwork. Pick up a tour map at the Build Now model house located at 5713 Elysian Fields starting at 1 p.m. The model house will be open all afternoon, with a reception to follow the event from 5 to 7 p.m. Visit www.buildnownola.com or call 504-324-3964 for more information.

***Featuring work by four New Orleans Photo Alliance members: Jennifer Shaw, Roman Alokhin, Shawn Escoffery, and K. Morgan Sasser at 2821 Eagle Street. Please stop by to support a fellow non-profit and some great photography!***

Call for Entries: Composition Gallery, Atlanta

Composition Gallery in Atlanta Georgia is seeking submissions from dynamic photographic artists nationwide for its fourth anniversary exhibition. 3 to 6 images from each of the 4 photographers chosen will be on exhibition at the gallery from Saturday January 23rd, 2010 through Sunday March 7th, 2010.

http://www.compositiongallery.com/four_for_four

Velcro Show 2009. This is the 4th annual edition of what is our very popular version of a pin-up show. If you have a photographic image that you've taken, or found, and you think it has artistic merit, bring it in and we'll stick it on the wall; or take a new picture especially for the show. And don't worry, we'll have some artist tape on hand to protect your image from the velcro glue. Photographs will be on display during regular gallery hours through Sunday December 20th.

http://www.compositiongallery.com/shows/54-Velcro-Show-2009/current

Call for Entries: New Directions, wallspace gallery

We are currently accepting submissions for our fourth annual juried show - New Directions.

New Directions seeks to discover new talent in the world of photography. Past shows have included the works of Joseph O. Holmes, Priya Kambli and Joelle Jensen. Each year emerging artists have an opportunity to have their work seen by a nationally recognized figure in the field of photography. From these entries a cohesive show emerges for display at Wall Space in January, and this year we are excited to have 23 Sandy Gallery in Portland join forces to show ND10 in Portland during the month of February.

All submissions for this exhibition are considered for gallery representation. wall space directors and associates, as well as 23 Sandy Gallery will review the work, however the galleries review will not affect the outcome of the selection process.

Juror - Carol McCusker, PhD - Curator of Photography, Museum of Photographic Arts (MoPA), San Diego, CA

http://wallspaceseattle.com/newDirections/index.php

Tina Freeman presents "Tarot Garden, Niki de Saint Phal" @ Bob Tannen Gallery

This Saturday marks the opening of the fourth and final show of Tina's photographs at Bob Tannen's Gallery, Studio 527.

She says: "I think it will be closing at the end of this show. I have loved showing there. This group was shot this last summer. If you don't make the opening, this Saturday November 7 from 6-9, the gallery will be opened Thursday- Saturday 1-5 or call Coeli Hilferty at (610) 213-6835 to make an appointment. Thank you so much for your support."

ASMP New Orleans/Gulf South General Meeting

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Social 6:30p.m.
Program 7:00 p.m.
Location: The Rink on Prytania

A Presentation by copyright lawyer, Greg Evelne AND A Presentation on "Self Promotion through Social Media" by Will Scott, owner of Search Influence. Will has been involved in on line marketing since 1995 and will discuss marketing through facebook, twitter, and flickr, etc..

Refreshments will be served.

Join "Help Portrait" for the holidays

Help Portrait sends an invitation to join their community online. The blog is described as "a movement of photographers who are using their time, equipment and expertise to give back to those who are less fortunate this holiday season."

“Animal Magnetism” looking for submissions

The Vermont Photography Workplace is looking for submissions for a national juried exhibition of photography at its PhotoPlace Gallery, in Middlebury, Vermont. The exhibition is called “Animal Magnetism” juried by John Willis, Director of In-Sight Photography Project. Approximately forty accepted photos will be on view at PhotoPlace Gallery in the month of January.

Details about the call for entries can be found on our website or you may e-mail us. Deadline for submitting is Dec. 7th.

Epson printer for sale

Camilo Orozco is selling his barely-used Epson Stylus Pro 4800 for $980.0. Call 504-430-6340 if interested.

Free Photographers' Virtual Tradeshow

All Day - December 2nd & 3rd, 2009

Join PDN on December 2nd and 3rd for a Photographers' Virtual Trade Show. This FREE online trade show will give professional and advanced amateur photographers the opportunity to visit virtual booths, receive personal attention, discover and buy the latest equipment and participate in 6 webcast panel discussions and presentations online—all from the comfort of your home or office.

Reigster online.

Michael P. Smith Fund’s Grant finalists

The 2009 FINALISTS for the Michael P. Smith Fund’s Grant for Documentary Photography are:

Shannon Brinkman (LA)
Syndey Byrd (LA)
Jenny Ellerbe (LA)
Philip Gould (LA)
Deborah Luster (LA)
David Rae Morris (LA)
Lance Rosenfield (TX)
Jonathan Traviesa (LA)
David Wharton (MS)
Jennifer Zdon (LA)

The preliminary selection panel met at the NOPA Gallery October 11th in New Orleans. The three members of the panel were: Roy Flukinger, Chandra McCormick, Kevin Miller.

The NOPA grant committee received 40 applications for the grant. The geographic breakdown of entries was:

Louisiana 27 entries (18 from New Orleans)
Texas 7 entries
Mississippi 3 entries
Florida 3 entries
Alabama 0 entries

Jeff Rosenheim, Curator in the Department of Photographs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is the inaugural juror for the MPS Fund grant. He will be considering the proposals and portfolios of our finalists this month to select our 2009 grant recipient. We will announce the grant recipient at the PhotoNOLA Gala, December 10th.

NOPA needs a few good officers

We are accepting nominations for the five New Orleans Photo Alliance officers who can begin a two-year term February 1, 2010. The officer positions are: President; Vice President of Programming; Vice President of Development, Secretary, and Treasurer. Any one can nominate any member in good standing for any of the positions. A member can also nominate his/herself.

You may use the following online nomination form to learn more about each position and/or submit your nomination.

Deadline- All nominations must be submitted by January 15th, 2010.

After confirmation of intent and qualifications, the nominees’ list will be published and passed on to our voting Board of Directors. The NOPA Board will vote at the next meeting January 28th, 2010. The new officers will assume duties on Feb. 1, 2010.

If you have any questions please contact Lori Waselchuk at 225-907-6695 or Mark Sindler.

Debbie Caffery is juror for Onward '09

NOPA member Debbie Fleming Caffery is a juror on ONWARD ‘10, an annual juried photography competition exclusively featuring the work of new and emerging photographers with unique vision and talent.

Last year, ONWARD ‘09 attracted over 400 applicants with over 1600 photographs nationally and internationally. Peter Barberie, the Curator of Photographs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, selected 73 photographs, by 69 emerging photographers, which were exhibited at Project Basho Gallery during the months of January and February.

Application deadline is Nov. 13.

Sweet Gals restaurant needs wall art

SWEET GALS, a new restaurant at 1906 Magazine St. (around the corner from the NOPA gallery), is looking for black and white photography to hang on their walls. For info, contact owner farrah.kassam@gmail.com; 214-542-3212.

Lens Culture slideshow

Lens Culture has a nice slideshow they've put together to preview Paris Photo 2009 [that link will take you to the English version of the site].

Interview with Sarah Wilson

Sarah Wilson began photographing at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired in 2005 while working as a stills photographer on the PBS-funded film “The Eyes of Me.” Wilson was awarded the 2008 PhotoNOLA Review Prize for her "Blind Prom" series and will present a solo show of this work at the New Orleans Photo Alliance Gallery, opening this month (November 27 - Jan.24). Interviewed here by Ann Marie Popko.



How do you describe your photographic style?
I typically describe my work as documentary portraiture – telling the story of a community or subculture through portraits of individuals that comprise that group.

When and how did you start your career as a professional photographer?

I would say I officially started my photographic career the day I graduated from NYU. Each year, one graduating senior from the Photography and Imaging Department is awarded the Daniel Rosenberg Memorial Fellowship. This grant helps to support one project of the graduate’s choice and a solo exhibition one year later. I was the fortunate recipient of this award from my graduating class.

I believe that having this opportunity made an impact on how my career has progressed. The pressure of a solo show looming on the horizon was a call to action. I was charged with working on my photographic point of view right away. The impetus to realize a solid body of work led to the next body of work…and the next chapter of opportunities.

I would go on to assist photographers for several years after that, but I was always working on a personal project simultaneously.


How did your "Blind Prom" work begin?

I began photographing at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired in 2005 while working as a stills photographer on the PBS-funded film “The Eyes of Me.” This documentary follows four visually impaired teens through one academic year. Since then I have volunteered as the prom night photographer for the school each Spring.

How is your experience different when photographing the blind vs. the sighted?

The students have varying degrees of visual impairments, and those that were once sighted usually have memories of how they were photographed in the past. For those that were born blind, however, the definition of “smile for the camera” can be very different. They didn’t tend to self-consciously posture themselves as sighted teenagers often do, thus their true vulnerability and humanity is accessible to the camera.



As the winner of the PhotoNOLA 2008 Portfolio Reviews, what do you think made your work stand out to reviewers?

I came to last year’s PhotoNOLA with a box of prints from my BLIND PROM project and my editorial portfolio. My first reviewers responded very well to the images, and I guess they spread the word to other reviewers. I had several requests to see the work over the course of the weekend, even from reviewers with whom I did not have scheduled meetings. I believe that the project was successful at PhotoNOLA because the concept and title spark immediate interest. It’s a unique look at a familiar rite of passage, but what I have come to understand is that the structure of the prom night photo sessions is simply a vehicle for introducing the viewer to the lives of blind and visually impaired teenagers.

The images are colorful, and they document the emotion and teenage energy of the night. I am always clear in that I’m not telling a sad story with these pictures, but I feel they are almost impossible to take lightly. More than anything, I believe that viewers have had an emotional response to the subjects in the pictures.

Could you offer any advice to photographers who will be bringing their portfolios to the 2009 Reviews?

I think it’s a good idea to bring one or two strong, well-edited bodies of work with you. Depending on which reviewer you are meeting, you may want to share one dimension of your work over another.

I would study ALL of the reviewers’ bios before coming to PhotoNOLA, because you will definitely have an opportunity to meet more than just the reviewers assigned to you.
Also, give some thought about what you want to say about your work during your reviews, because those twenty minutes fly by very quickly. You don’t have to memorize anything, but make sure to have a few goals in mind for each meeting. Share your passion and insight about your work with the reviewer. Your ability to talk about the work can make a difference in the success of your meeting.


Do you have a mantra that you follow in your creative life?

I try hard to listen to my instincts about things. The reason why I like one image over another or one angle over another can be hard to explain in words, but sometimes, when I am shooting, I can almost physically feel an adrenaline rush when I know I’ve got it right. Listening to these instincts defines one’s style.

If you weren't a photographer, what would you be doing?

If I were not a photographer, I think I would be a therapist. Much like a therapist, I enjoy listening to people’s life stories and helping them sit with their emotions. Additionally, when I am taking someone’s portrait, I am inviting them to be vulnerable. The camera lens acts as a mirror, which can be sobering to stare into. As photographers we have the power to distort reality, so it is with real trust that someone allows me to create an interpretation of who they are.


What are you currently working on? Any upcoming shows/projects/news?

I am excited to announce that BLIND PROM will be featured at the Lishui Photography Festival in China at the end of November. I also continue to photograph at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired and have started documenting the students’ lives and activities beyond prom night.

www.sarahwilsonphotography.com

Sarah Wilson Solo Exhibit
Blind Prom
New Orleans Photo Alliance Gallery
1111 St. Mary Street
Nov. 27-Jan. 24

Wilson will give a Gallery Talk about her Blind Prom series at NOPA on December 13, 7-8pm.
Free and open to the public.

Lynda Frese on Nobel Prize winner book cover

A big congratulations to NOPA member Lynda Frese for her photos that are on the cover of The Land of Green Plums, by Herta Muller. The book won the 2009 Nobel Prize for Literature.

Pictage Partner Conference in N.O.

The Pictage Partner Conference takes place in New Orleans this year at the Astor Crowne Plaza Hotel, Nov. 3-5 (Tues-Thurs).

The conference offers 2 ½ days of engaging speaker sessions, knowledge sharing, hands-on shooting workshops, and leading exhibitor demonstrations for professional photographers.

Also, on Thurs., Nov. 5, we’ll be providing hundreds of families affected by the hurricanes with charitable mini-portrait sessions as part of PartnerCon New Orleans! With YOUR help, all families will be provided a CD of their images the day of the shoot, along with a package of assorted prints delivered to them a few weeks later. This is your opportunity to play a direct role in making a big difference in the lives of others, while simultaneously enriching your PartnerCon experience. We’re seeking 100 attendee volunteers to make this charitable shoot a success.

It's $250 for non-Pictage members. For hotel reservations, call (888) 696-4806 or register online.