FOLLOWING THE TREES PHOTO COMPETITION ENTRY, March 2024

For review feedback see later in post

Trees (2024) At: https://asmithgallery.com/exhibitions/trees-5/ (Accessed 10/04/2024). I paid for a portfolio review with the gallery owners, amanda@asmithgallery.com

The Juror for “trees” had been Wendi Schneider, Denver based photographer, and artist widely known for her luminous gold leafed influenced by a background in painting and art history, and layers oils on her photographs to manipulate the boundaries between the real and the imagined. I realised the importance of researching the jurors after the competition was judged, as all images chosen were akin to her artistic style.

I selected 5 images, for the competition that could stand alone, and then for the review they asked for a further 5 images. See below:

I sent extra images sent for the review including some SYP edited out images, as I felt that they sat on their own well:

Reviewers: Amanda Smith is the founder and co-director of A Smith Gallery in Johnson City, Texas, and a photographer for over thirty years. Amanda’s personal photographic work has been selected for numerous juried and group exhibitions and is included in several private collections. 

Kevin Tully is co-director of the Gallery, an artist, photographer, and woodworker. Kevin has juried numerous exhibitions for the gallery and other organizations over the past nine years. Kevin also does portfolio reviews and mentors individual photographers as well as writing about photography and art.

South tree review Time: Apr 4, 2024 10:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)

My notes from the Feedback:

• Images submitted all strong, quality excellent
• They awaken your senses

They asked for my questions:

• I asked how to submit when you are working from a body of Work and yet only single images are asked for with no opportunity for context.

They suggested look carefully at the jurors, but admitted that that you can’t always tell from this what might be chosen. Apparently this juror always selects work of her own type, but this is not always the case. Sometimes jurors will select work different to their own as a change.

• I asked if Jurors see titles. They said in their case no they number them, but that where are used titles work well. I think if I was submitting with no context in future I would add a signposting title.
• I asked what genre they see my work as. They replied fine art, though they said that increasingly fine art photography is defined by post production changes…

They suggested to look to enter competitions which call for Bodies of work, or at least those that ask for artist statements as my story is strong and important.

They also advised that I shouldn’t be put off putting my work out there for the same reason. I discussed my concern that because of the sensitive nature of my work, I don’t want to share my work locally, so maybe I should share away from here in some way.

I asked for advice on how to gain feedback and of course they said by portfoilio reviews. They suggested I might try:

• The Los ángeles Centre for Photography
• The Carmel Center for Photographic Art – Anne Jastrab
• The Griffin Museum
• Photo fest
• Atlanta photography group.

My concern remains how to do this with minimal financial investment as I am not aiming to take the work forwards.

I asked about how to contact other photographers who submitted for feedback/support. They advised that some have websites, or to google, or to use Instagram. They will add the contact details/websites to the winning gallery images, so I will contact one or two of those whose work I like, as a way of networking. Those I thought would be of interest were David Lang, Leslie Giem and Ann Milne. However having researched their work it isn’t relevant to my project, concept or style.

• Ann Milne / Oasis in the Redwood Forest, Rotorua, New Zealand, annwebbphotography.com, though after research she is a straightforward landscape photographer from New Zealand. Her competition image is unlike any of her other work.
• David Lang / Spreading Wings / the 27 / davidglangphotography.com Some tree images, though all I phone work
• Leslie Gleim / New Life, Ohia Tree / lesliegleim.com- Beautiful work but not relevant to my work

Although I thought the gallery owners reviewing was weak, I did gain some insights into how to choose what to submit to and how.