Monochrome

Juror's Statement

Big thanks to PhotoPlace Gallery for asking me to jury this amazing group of photographs.

Sometimes I’m reluctant to do this sort of thing because inevitably there will be discomfort in necessarily rejecting so many. So I thought I would explain my judging process.

What is a good photograph? Well, I could write a book on that. But I’ll spare you. There’s no easy answer. And oftentimes, qualified photographers will differ in what they consider “good,” so much really comes down to personal taste. As a long-time teacher, I try to remain open to all styles and work, and I hope I do. 

There were so many photographs that were submitted that could have been chosen for this exhibition. A different juror might have selected a completely different set of images. Simple as it sounds, I just look for photographs that grab me. That make me look twice. Whether they are landscapes, seascapes, portraits, whatever. The great Alexey Brodovitch (mentor to Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, and so many others) famously said, “This is good. Now, come back with work that amazes me.” I look for something like that.

The Director’s Award and Juror’s Award picks are very different and both are outstanding. The Director’s Award displays a mastery of technique and care. It was one of the few images that showed a truly unique approach and I know took a lot of work to execute. Well done. The Juror’s Award image  is more like the style I work in. The light, the humor, the dramatic feel.. I wish I had taken it! 

Congratulations to all of those selected and those who didn’t quite make the cut. This comes from someone who has both “won” and “lost” too many times in my 50-year career. Remember, there is always another opportunity down the road. Keep on truckin’.

             — Henry Horenstein

Call for Entries

In this exhibition, we explore the beauty and powerful expressive ability of monochrome photography. Any capture method and all processes, including black and white, alternative process and monochromatic toning, are welcome. The subject is completely up to you.

We are honored to have Henry Horenstein as juror for Monochrome — the man who literally wrote the book on black and white photography.. He will select up to 35 images for exhibition in our Middlebury, Vermont gallery and another 40 images for our Online Gallery. All 75 images will be reproduced in the exhibition catalog and remain permanently on our website, with links to photographer’s URL. 

Information about our printing service and free matting and framing here.

About the Juror

Henry is professor of photography at RISD. He studied history at the University of Chicago and earned his BFA and MFA at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where he studied with legends Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind.

Henry's work is collected and exhibited internationally and he has published over 30 books, including several monographs of his own work such as Honky Tonk, Histories, Show, Animalia, Humans, Racing Days, Close Relations, and many others. He has also authored Black & White Photography, Digital Photography, and Beyond Basic Photography, used by hundreds of thousands of college, university, high-school, and art school students as their introduction to photography. His Shoot What You Love serves both as a memoir and a personal history of photography over the past 50 years. His latest monograph, Speedway1972 was just published by Stanley/Barker.

In recent years, Henry has been making films: Preacher, Murray, Spoke, Partners, and Blitto Underground. He is currently in production on Where Everybody is Somebody, a film about Cajun Louisiana.

See his work here.