This year’s exhibit is our 13th and a bitter sweet experience for Amie and me. We lost our mentor, educator and friend after a short 12 years of hosting the exhibit. To honor Joe, we intend to keep running the exhibit. We want to return to the days of a hanging exhibit, where the creator’s presentation, choice of paper, matte and frame, are a part of the overall experience.
The tremendous response we received for this year’s exhibit is a testament to the power of Joe’s love of abstract photography. We follow, ever so delicately, in his footsteps. I would like to personally thank each and every one of you. This annual exhibit is his legacy.
This year’s exhibit is our 12th and in many ways our best. We received 391 images from 16 states plus the District of Columbia. I guess it is fair to say ours is now a national exhibit. We may have been known to some camera clubs in nearby Northern Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia but not to states all across America.
So how did that happen? The only answer I can give is that I have been good friends for many years with a great professional photographer, Mollie Isaacs, who owns and runs the excellent Awake The Light Photo Workshops & Tours. She leads outstanding photo tours to exciting photographic locals. Mollie’s events focus on the artistry of photography and she creates many abstracts. This year she offered to inform her contacts about our abstract exhibit.
Many of her clients entered, and their work was juried in, which was no surprise to me since they had been trained by Mollie. If ever you have a chance to attend a Mollie Isaac event, please do so. I promise you will never regret it.
I have asked Mollie to find some time in her busy schedule to conduct an all day Saturday or Sunday workshop on abstracts at my Center for the Photographic Arts. I sure hope she can find the time in her busy schedule, it is an opportunity you simply shouldn’t miss.
Now that the images I juried into the exhibit are posted here, you can decide if The 12th Annual Abstract Exhibit is as good as I believe it is.
Now the question is: Should there be a 13th exhibit? I hope you agree with me that we should have it. For my part, on May 10 my twin sister and I will turn 90. I am ready for annual abstract exhibit 13, are you?
Lastly, I am frequently asked what are my criteria when I judge abstracts. The answer is simple: Do I Like The Image? I am not bound by the rule of thirds, a horizon in the middle, sharpness, exposure, etc. Just do I like it? It is time consuming to judge this way but great fun.
Welcome to the 11th Annual Joseph Miller Abstract Photography Exhibit. For this exhibit we received 441 entries mostly from camera club members in states across America. I juried 130 images into this exhibit. Over the years for ALL the 11 annual exhibits we have received about 4,000 entries, and I juried in about 1,000.
For the first 9 exhibits (which were before the pandemic) we hung and displayed the juried-in, matted and framed images in my Center For The Photographic Arts. I have space to hang only 120-125 matted and framed images because I have a large collection of signed Freeman Patterson prints which will never come down.
Given the interest of these abstract photography exhibits nationwide and sometimes internationally, it is surprising to me how badly abstracts fare in camera club competitions. Rarely do judges give ribbons to abstracts. I personally consider abstracts to be modern art — some good modern art, and, of course, some not good modern art. I consider abstracts to be the poetry of photography. And, yes, I admit to being biased.
I feel that camera club judges spend much too much time on the technical aspects of an image (rule of thirds, catchlight in the eyes, etc.) and not enough time on the artistic qualities of the image.
Abstracts can be FOUND or CREATED. FOUND abstracts often require careful looking / seeing / which may take time. As a result, impatient photographers rely on post processing computer software programs to later produce an abstract image. No doubt that has been the case in some of the images entered in each of the 11th abstract exhibits. But for EVERY ONE of the 11 exhibits, we have insisted that ALL images entered MUST HAVE ORIGINATED in the camera so that photography is involved in every image.
Given the remarkable sophistication of digital, it is sometimes difficult to tell if an Image started in the camera, so we rely on the honesty of the maker. It is a pretty dishonest person who would lie about something like this. Also, we have placed no time limit when the entries had to be first taken in the camera.
It should be acknowledged that all these 11 abstract exhibits are misnamed. They should be named THE MATT AND AMIE ANNUAL ABSTRACT PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT. Matt Schmidt and Amie Tannenbaum along with me have been major partners since the very beginnings. All I did was choose the images I liked best. How difficult is that? Matt and Amie did the rest.
I am almost 89 years old and when I am gone I hope Matt and Amie will continue these annual abstract exhibits which the three of us started 11 years ago. Both are excellent abstract photographers and are extremely capable camera club judges, indeed, among the very best in the area. Future annual abstract photography exhibits will be well served.
The gallery’s 120 image locations mean that many fine images do not get accepted or displayed. This year we intended to squeeze in 123 images, but canceled the physical exhibit due to COVID-19.
2020 People’s Choice Award
Due to irregularities in the online voting, we will not be awarding a People’s Choice Award for the 10th Annual Joseph Miller Abstract Photography Exhibit.
Special Merit Awards were granted for twelve images:
Competition to get images into the exhibit was fierce again this year, with 89 photographers submitting 388 images. The gallery’s 120 image locations mean that many fine images do not get accepted or displayed.
You must be logged in to post a comment.