Announcing the winners of the 2nd Annual Holga Out of the Box Competition juried by Michael Kenna

For Immediate Release:                                  Contact: Tammy Cromer-Campbell September 25, 2012                                          903.2364686, [email protected]

Holga Out of the Box – on Creativity that is                                                                               2nd Annual International Photography Competition                                                            Juror Michael Kenna                                                                                                             Exhibition opens Thursday October 4 from 5-8pm                                                                   And the Winners are:

Holga Out the Box 2nd Annual International Photography Exhibition, juror Michael Kenna, opens Thursday October 4 from 5 -8 during ArtWalk. The exhibit runs through November 23, 2012, here at TCC PHOTO | GALLERY, located at 207 N. Center St. in Downtown Longview, TX.

We had entries come to us from 9 countries and many from the USA. Michael Kenna selected Texas  photographer Christa Blackwood’s image Celia as Best of Show. Kenna selected 60 photographs total, 30 for the gallery exhibition and another 30 to be included in the online gallery.

Michael Kenna had this to say about the judging:

“My Holga is quirky, whimsical and unpredictable – a few of the many reasons I love this camera. I am often pleasantly surprised by the unexpected results I get, as well as occasionally disappointed. Holgas, in my experience, have a habit of keeping you guessing. It seems, from viewing almost 500 Holga images in this competition, that I am not alone in this regard. The last time I juried a photography competition was back in 1989. Since then I have adamantly refused jurying invitations and I now remember why. How does one pick winners from so much good material! The breadth and high quality of pictures submitted for this 2nd Annual International Holga Out of the Box competition made my work extremely difficult – and also highly enjoyable. I viewed all the images over and over – time and repetition has a way of sifting and sorting. I was particularly looking for originality, surprise and spontaneity – hallmarks of Holga images – as well as visual pleasure. I also, of course, considered technical excellence, but not as the highest priority. Some images seemed to grow in stature over repeated viewings, others which struck me forcibly the first time, settled back somewhat. Ultimately, I chose 30 images for the physical exhibition and 30 for the web exhibition, although many more could have been included. My choice is completely subjective and I have absolutely no doubt that another juror might pick different images. I offer my humble apologies to those entrants whose work was not chosen, and my hearty congratulations to those whose work was chosen. I have often said that one of the hardest part about photography is showing up. I would like to therefore thank and applaud all the entrants for showing up and submitting their work. The world needs every bit of creativity we can collectively come up with and I sincerely appreciate viewing these many fine Holga photographs. Chosen or not, the fact is we are all winners at this visual feast.”

Here is the list of Gallery Show winners – 30

Best of Show – Christa Blackwood, Austin, TX

2nd Place – Chester Ng, Montery, CA

3rd Place – Carol Watson, Blanco, TX

Honorable Mention 1 – Thomas Michael Alleman, Los Angeles, CA

Honorable Mention 2 – Paul Beauchemin, Los Angeles, CA

Honorable Mention 3 – Jose Manuel Madrona, Valencia, Spain

Honorable Mention 4 – Connie Conway, Los Angeles, CA

Amanda Smith, Johnson City, TX

Amy Fitcher, Menomonie, WI,

Andy Jenkins, Dublin, OH

Anna Wloch, Krakòw, Poland

Carol Mikkelson, Hood River, OR

Diane Kaye, Aptos, CA

Francesca di Leo, Los Angeles, CA

Heather Oelklaus, Colorado Springs, CA

Jim Rohan, Wakefield, MA

John Armstrong, Seattle, WA

John Wrather, Longview, TX

Kais Velingen Flatekval, Staumsgrend, Norway

Linda Kessler, Brooklyn, NY

Liz Potter, Austin, TX

Michele Cole, South Hampton, NJ

Neil Loughlin, Washington, NC

Patty Lemke, Los Angeles, CA

Petra Davis , San Francisco, CA

Darlene Poloniak, Skokie, IL

Thomas Michael Alleman, Los Angeles, CA

Valerie Yaklin Brown, Magnolia, TX

 

Here are the 30 selected for the online exhibit (of course the ones listed above will be online as well)

Amanda Lattery , Gladewater, TX

Amy Fichter* Menomonie, WI,

Bill Wolff, Bear, PA

Carol Mikkelson, Hood River, OR

Carol Watson, Blanco, TX

Chester Ng, Montery, CA

Claudia Gorma, Pleasant Valley, NY

Ginger Cook, Paris, TX

Daniel Grant, San Francisco, CA

Adrienne Defendi, Palo Alto, CA

Diane Kaye. Aptos, CA

Erin Malone, San Francisco, CA

Guy Reynolds, Dallas, TX

Jalo Porkkal, Noormarkku, Finland

Jason Benning, Troy, OH

Jim Rohan, Wakefield, MA

John Armstrong, Seattle, WA

Jose Manuel Madrona, Valencia, Spain

Kent Mercurio, San Diego, CA

Liz Potter, Austin, TX

Lorraine Healy, Freeland, WA

Mia Hanson, New York, NY

Nathalie Mansey, Malahat, BC, Canada

Peggy Hartzell, Glenmore, PA

Petra Davis, San Fracisco, CA

Stacie Turner, Westheartford, CT

Thomas Michael Alleman, Los Angeles, CA

Tom Debiec, Lancaster, PA

Congratulations to all that made it in the exhibition.

We are working on the webpage, but you can see all the winning entries by going here: http://www.king-cart.com/cgi-bin/cart.cgi?store=tccphoto and click on the “2nd Annual Holga Out the Box Exhibition Juror Michael Kenna”

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