Juror: Michael Pannier Juror's Statment

The oldest known single living organism on the earth is said to be a Great Basin bristlecone pine (pinus longaeva) living in the White Mountains of California. It's age is estimated at a little over 5,000 years. Trees have endured through every kind of catastrophe imaginable. . Now that human activity is dramatically reducing forest and jungle we're beginning to understand just how vital a role they play maintaining the viability of life. Forests of all kinds have been called "the lungs of the world".  They're essential to the earth's carbon cycle, taking in carbon dioxide, storing the carbon, and releasing oxygen to the atmosphere. In addition, people have depended on them for all manner of uses, from heating dwellings and cooking food to providing everything from canoes to cashews. Little wonder, then, that trees were worshipped as gods in some ancient societies

As photographers we look  at trees, either in number or individually.  They're often an essential part of a photograph, either as objects of beauty when they're the subject of an image, or as useful "props" for framing a scene.  They're convenient "models" for the camera, since they can be found in most environments on land - even in our biggest cities. 

For this exhibition we extended the challenge to photograph a tree, or thousands of trees, in the photographer's unique vision. We received a great many excellent submissions - enough that we could easily have doubled or triples the size of the exhibit if we had space available to do so. People have a natural and primal affinity for trees, and all the submissions reflect that affection.

 Trees is presented in conjunction with The Essex Junction Tree Committee (www.essexjunction.org/boards/tree-advisory-committee/) which promotes and cares for trees in public places in the town of Essex Junction, Vermont.  

White Trees, Series 2, No. 7 Juror's Choice Misha Gregory Macaw Fort Collins, CO USA	Lady of the Woods Honorable Mention Alan Brown Williston, VT USA	The Vault Honorable Mention Nina Pak POINT ROBERTS, Washington United States
#3 from the series The Subtle Cosmos Honorable Mention Wioleta Kaminska San Francisco, CA USA	Orchard and Truck Track II near Sodus, NY USA 2016 People's Choice John Griebsch Lake Clear, NY United States	The Gentle Giant Arpad Petrass Capistrano Beach, CA USA
Minimal land Attilio Bixio Potenza, Italia	Sierra Madre Aspens | Abstract Bo Cheatham Loveland, CO USA	dancer Carmen Spitznagel Sandberg-Waldberg, Germany
Tree Hugger Catherine Panebianco Jamestown, NY USA	Peer Pressure Chelle Delaney San Antonio, Texas USA	Under the Stars Daniel Berry Columbia, Missouri USA
All that Remains 6 David Quinn Setauket, NY USA	Tree, Hawaii David T. Dennard Dalton, GA United States	A Face in the Trees DeeDee Yelverton Taylor, TX United States
The Secret Pathway DeeDee Yelverton Taylor, TX United States	The tree's view Dick Lavine Austin, Texas USA	Entrance with Spiral Trees, Staten Island Edward Coppola Staten Island, NY USA
Fallen Eric Rennie Cromwell, CT USA	KabukiAspens Felice Willat Santa Barbara, CA USA	Piglet Geoffrey Agrons Philadelphia, PA USA
Snowstorm at Midnight George S. Gati Beekman, NY USA	Green Water Gina Cooperman Nyack, NY USA	Dusk Heather Barnes Plattsburgh, NY USA
prison hollow Janet Labelle Huntington, Vermont USA	Tamarack Trees Janet Labelle Huntington, Vermont USA	Life-Form Jeffrey Horvath Austin, TX United States
Stage 7 Jeffrey Olson Coral Springs, Florida USA	Screaming from the forest Karmen Orlic Porec, Istria Croatia	Why Snowshoe Love Me? Katrina Mojzesz South Royalton, VT USA
Citrus Historic Park, Riverside, California Lauren Ducas North Logan, Utah USA	Community (murder) of crows rest before dawn Lawrence E Manning Nampa, ID United States	Morning Mist Marian Rubin Montclair, NJ USA
Listen... Mariko Evans Vancouver, BC Canada	Coup de Grâce Melinda Green Harvey Lubbock, TX USA	Twists and Turns Myrtie Cope Marietta, Georgia United States
Tangled Shelter Nancy Stalnaker Bundy Minneapolis, MN USA	A Sense of Direction Nancy Stalnaker Bundy Minneapolis, MN USA	Fall Color, Great Smoky Mountains National Park Patty Hankins Bethesda, MD USA
Wading Giants Peggy Reynolds Essex Jct., VT USA	Trees On House Philip Sager San Francisco, CA United States	dead tree and the glacier Renée Vienna, Vienna Austria
Winter Trees Rick Branscomb Londonderry, New Hampshire United States	Aspens Oh Aspens Fall Rob Lantz BOULDER, CO United States	Joshua Tree Ronan Considine delta, bc canada
Richard Tetzlaff Series #2 Sally Tetzlaff Austin, TX United States	"Legacy", from the series Against the Sea Scott Bolendz Bradenton, FL USA	Bubble Pond Twisted Cedar Stephen G Gingold Amherst, MA United States
Smoke Stephen Milne Alliston, Ontario Canada	Touch Me Steven Millman Boynton Beach, FL USA	Waiting Tamara Gunter Austin, TX USA
Hangers-On Ted Dinkel East Burke, VT United States	Untitled Thomas Lasher New Orleans, United States	As my leak appeared Tom Hogeback Oxford, OH USA

Juror's Statement

Growing up in the Mid Atlantic and exploring the hardwood forests since childhood, trees have always been an intimate part of my life- personal and photographically. Whether the familiar maple of my youth or the trees discovered later in life- Joshua trees of the high desert, acacias silhouetted against a sunset, or the subtropical palms on the coasts and my new southern home- all these trees comfort and trigger memories. I expected to be overwhelmed by the number of exceptional submissions to the Darkroom’s call for Trees, and was not disappointed.  Almost all  were impressive in one way or another- many spectacular. To make the choice of what would stay and what would go was both difficult and agonizing. In any juried show the selection process reinforces the fact that compelling and strong imagery is eliminated from shows and those final choices are almost always subjective ones.  In addition to looking at all the technical aspects of the many submissions, I was looking for subtle use of color or graphic monochrome, unusual ways of seeing what is common to many,  the use of light, and thoughtfulness in the image-making.  Finally, an image must tell a story. I also chose images that reached out to me and made a connection, offered me just enough information and mystery that made me ask questions.

Michael Pannier, New York, August 2018