EXHIBIT Closed on March 26th 2017

Juror: Michael Kirchoff

wedding prep Juror's Choice by Russ Rowland NY, NY USA

There’s something inherently different about monochromatic photography. 

The photographer Paul Outerbridge put it this way: In black and white you suggest; in color you state.  The implication is that in black and white something is left to the imagination, and perhaps that explains the revived popularity of black and white photos as fine art; seeing an image in color leaves fewer blanks for the mind to fill in. Constantly seeing images in color becomes “too much Information”.

Exhibit Calendar (Subject to Change)
Exhibit Opens:	2 March 17
Artists' Reception:	12 March 17 15:00
Exhibit Closes:	26 March 17
BLACK & WHITE (& BLUE) Exhibit Catalog now available at PrestoPhoto The Darkroom Gallery Difference

The idea for this exhibition started as strictly black and white, but it occurred to us that black and white is not the only monochrome photographic process, and that the same power to suggest is characteristic of other historic methods that yield images in blue (cyanotype), sepia (albumin), and silver (platinum), for example.  Thus we decided to open this exhibition to all forms of monochromatic photography.

Though we appreciate monochromatic images created with “alternative” processes, we don’t want to exclude any, done on film or digitally. The entries will be evaluated on the basis of their merit as photographs and not on the method that was used to produce them. It’s the creative process that counts!

Juror's Statement: The amount of creativity and striking talent in the submissions for Black & White (& Blue) was incredible. It was a truly wonderful experience seeing the variety of work sent in for this exhibition. Making selections was difficult from the outset, as the overall quality and content of the submissions was very high. Narrowing down the field of 903 images to the final 53 meant that only about six percent of them made it in. The final choices made all answered the one big question I asked over and over again…is this a print I would add to my own collection and hang in my home? Look through the selections and you will know the answer with absolute certainty. I was equally happy to see images made with a variety of process, including silver gelatin, cyanotype, platinum, lith, and digital. Process, however, is not merely the tools or materials used, but how the creator responds and connects with them to make their art. The images in this exhibition make this connection. Drama, mystery, tension, and composition all had to be embraced in order to put it all together. Of the final images chosen for this exhibition, I found myself selecting some that surprised even me (most notable would be the Juror’s Choice), and that is what I like about the outcome more than anything. Thank you to all who submitted and pleased my soul with your work, you have a lot to be proud of. -Michael Kirchoff

• All selected entries are exhibited in our gallery and included in a full color exhibit catalog;
• Juror's Choice receives a 30x48" vinyl exhibit banner featuring their image, free entry into a future exhibition, a free exhibition catalog;
  
• Honorable Mentions receive free exhibition catalogs and free entry in a future exhibition. 
  
• People's Choice gains free entry into a future exhibit.
• We offer free matting and framing of accepted entries for the duration of each of our exhibition, subject to standard sizes. Photographers set their own prices if they wish to sell their work and retain all rights to their photographs.

Juror: Michael Kirchoff Michael Kirchoff straddles the worlds of both fine art and commercial photography. A commercial shooter for twenty-five years, it is his fine art work that has set him apart from others, with instant film fueling more than a few bodies of work, both completed and ongoing. His consulting, training, and overall support of his fellow photographic artists continues with assistance in construction ones vision, reviewing portfolios, and finding exhibition opportunities, which fill the gaps in time away from active shooting.   Kirchoff’s fine art imagery has garnered recognition from the IPA Awards, the Prix de la Photographie in Paris, Photographer’s Forum, and Critical Mass. His photographs have been published in Black & White (US and UK) Seities, Esquire (Russia) New Statesman, Blur, Adore Noir, Fraction, SHOTS, and website like Lenscratch and Light Leaked. He continues to exhibit prints internationally in solo and group exhibitions. Kirchoff is also an editor at Blur Magazine, a charter member of the LA Center for Photography, and has been a board member of the LA chapter of the American Photographic Artists (APA).

EXHIBIT Closed on May 21st 2017

Juror: David H. Wells

Torn by Gary Mitchell

Chiaroscuro [kee-ahr-uh-skyoo-roh] is defined as "the distribution of light and shadow in an image" or " the use of deep variations and subtle gradations of light and shade, especially to en-hance the delineation of character and for general dramatic purposes". To the photo-grapher the play of light and shadow is the very essence of the medium.

Exhibit Calendar (Subject to Change)
Exhibit Opens:	27 April 17
Artists' Reception:	13 May 17 16:00
Exhibit Closes:	21 May 17
Chiaroscuro Exhibit Catalog now available at PrestoPhoto The Darkroom Gallery Difference

The many nuances and subtleties in the contrast of shadow and light are crucial in establishing a photographic narrative. Light can glow, dance, blaze, bounce and flash. It can be dim or radiant, brilliant or gloomy. Shadow can cut through an image like a blade or reveal an object in the finest gradients.

For this exhibition, we're looking for photographs that graphically illustrate the interplay of shadow and light, darkness and illumination. How have you utilized the relationship between light and shadow to create drama, emotion and nuance in your photos? Chiaroscuro is your opportunity to show off your photographic vision of darkness and light.

Juror’s Statement: Jurying the Chiaroscuro work was a fascinating experience. A couple things struck me immediately. While color photography seems to be everywhere these days, the vast majority of the work that was submitted was in black and white (or at least that is what struck me.) With the theme being Chiaroscuro, as in "the distribution of light and shadow in an image,” that tendency towards black and white was not a complete surprise. Having said that, the word Chiaroscuro usually references classical paintings, which were usually done in color. I did notice that the best images in this set (both color as well as black and white) often referenced classical paintings in terms of having lots of chunks of black, great beams of light and wonderful distributions of tones. The best color images generally had fairly subdued colors which is something you often see in classical paintings with great Chiaroscuro. Since my own work features a fair amount of Chiaroscuro and is mostly in color these days, I am not completely surprised that the imagery I was drawn to had those traits. While the imagery I was drawn to had plenty of Chiaroscuro, the best images had something more. I passed over plenty of images that had great play of light and shadow, but the winning images were the ones that used dramatic light and shadow in support of some larger message. The images I selected for the show and especially the "Juror's Choice" and the three "Honorable Mentions” exemplify that. Each image has a great story within it, a story that is made much stronger by the use of Chiaroscuro. When I am out photographing that is what I too am looking for! I congratulate the winners whose work had that ideal balance of form and content, as in having beautiful Chiaroscuro and a great story within each image. David H. Wells Narrative Visuals

Juror: David H. Wells

David H. Wells is a visual storyteller whose photography and film making straddle the line between fine art and the documentary. His hybrid work is created on commercial assignment and through grant-funded projects Wells uses still, time-lapse, and moving images as well as audio to create award-winning narratives.He is affiliated with Aurora Photos, with past assignments for Life Magazine, National Geographic Magazine, the New York Times Magazine, and the Philadelphia Inquirer Magazine, to name a few. His work has been featured in solo exhibits at Brown University, U.C. Berkeley, and Harvard University. Wells has taught classes at the University of Pennsylvania and at the Maine Media Workshops. He is on the faculty of the International Center for Photography in NYC, He was featured in Photo District News as a "Best Workshop Instructor".

• All selected entries are exhibited in our gallery and included in a full color exhibit catalog;
• Juror's Choice receives a 30x48" vinyl exhibit banner featuring their image, free entry into a future exhibition, a free exhibition catalog;
• Honorable Mentions receive free exhibition catalogs and free entry in a future exhibition. 
• People's Choice gains free entry into a future exhibit.
• We offer free matting and framing of accepted entries for the duration of each of our exhibition, subject to standard sizes. Photographers set their own prices if they wish to sell their work and retain all rights to their photographs.

EXHIBIT Closed on April 23rd 2017

Juror: Gary Samson

Juror's Choice: The Sleep by Florin Ion Firimita

"And if the body were not the soul, what is the soul?" - Walt Whitman 

Exhibit Calendar (Subject to Change)
Exhibit Opens:	30 March 17
Artists' Reception:	9 April 17 15:00
Exhibit Closes:	23 April 17
BODY/IMAGE Exhibit Catalog now available at PrestoPhoto The Darkroom Gallery Difference

In the earliest days of experiments in photographic methodology the various emulsions available were too slow to permit the portrayal of the human form, and even more advanced processes like daguerreotype and tintype required lengthy motionless sitting times by the subject. Nevertheless, the human figure has been mainstay of the photographer since almost the inception of the medium. Figure photography imitating the style and subjects of classical painting constituted some of the fine art photography of the time. As technology advanced, photographers began to create their own figure photography sub-genres, ranging from the crass to the sublime.Fine art figure photography is now routinely taught in art curriculums.

For this exhibition we're looking for examples of accomplished photography that present the human body as subject. The nude in nature, in the studio, and in more candid situations are all appropriate. And nudity is not necessary; any photo that depicts the body as an artful form to be celebrated is appropriate. 

Juror’s Statement: I want to start out by saying how impressed I am with the quality and breadth of this show, it was extremely difficult to make the final selections presented here in the gallery. This exhibition very successfully explores both traditional approaches to photographing the figure as exemplified by the direct portrait studies and the nude figures integrated into natural landscape as well as more experimental work where real risks were taken to push the idea of the figure into new and exciting visual territory. It is very apparent that the photographers included in the show have a solid understanding of the history of photography and how the nude figure fits into the medium as fine art subject matter. The great intimacy found in some of the work here is to be highly commended as well as the willingness to push boundaries and reinterpret the figure through the use of bold color, strong compositions and innovative ways to look at the human form.  Gary Samson Chair, Photography Department New Hampshire Institute of Art Manchester, NH

Juror: Gary Samson

Gary Samson is an award-winning filmmaker and photographer. His work is in private and public collections including the Currier Gallery of Art, the University of New Hampshire and the National Archives, Washington, D.C. He is the author of three books on New Hampshire history and has photographically illustrated other books on Ghana, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and New Orleans. 

After graduating from Franklin Institute in Boston in 1971, he came to UNH as the photo lab technician in Media Services, Dimond Library. In 1974, he began producing films and exhibitions on New Hampshire history and culture. It was during this period that he came to appreciate the importance of creating and preserving photographic collections for future generations. He later worked with German photographer Lotte Jacobi creating a film biography and establishing an archive of her work at Dimond Library, UNH. 

Gary left the university in 2000 when he was appointed the chair of the BFA Photography program at the New Hampshire Institute of Art. He has had a long relationship with the Institute starting in 1981. He  established the Certificate in Photography Program in 1984 and has taught photography courses and workshops there for thirty-six consecutive years.

 His personal approach to photography is to make extended portraits over a period of time. “I see the process of creating a portrait as a collaboration between myself and the subject in the subject's familiar environment. That environment is an instrumental part of the portrait, revealing a facet of the subject's character. While I am setting up my camera, I try to draw the subject out in conversation and the ensuing dialogue will shape my portrayal of the individual. And like the portrait photographer Arnold Newman, I often prefer to use a view camera and black-and-white film to create my photographic portraits.”

 Gary’s most recent exhibition was “Unburdened Beauty: A Decade of Nude Portraits” at the Vermont Center for Photography in September, 2016.

• All selected entries are exhibited in our gallery and included in a full color exhibit catalog;
• Juror's Choice receives a 30x48" vinyl exhibit banner featuring their image, free entry into a future exhibition, a free exhibition catalog;
• Honorable Mentions receive free exhibition catalogs and free entry in a future exhibition. 
• People's Choice gains free entry into a future exhibit.
• We offer free matting and framing of accepted entries for the duration of each of our exhibition, subject to standard sizes. Photographers set their own prices if they wish to sell their work and retain all rights to their photographs.