My photo published in 'Exposure 2011'

"Due Date," Tim Connor, All rights reserved

A big sleek hardcover book arrived for me in the mail yesterday. It's the photo choices for "Exposure 2011,"  a contest sponsored by 'See.Me' (then known as 'Artists Wanted'). My entry (shown above) is one of perhaps a thousand in this beautiful 320-page tome -- a neat job, printed entirely on lustrous black stock.

I guess See.Me didn't try to publicize it because it's almost three years late (contest was 2011; copyright is 2012; in a few days it will be 2014). But, after all,  they did send it, just in time for Christmas, presumably to all the photographers, and I appreciate that.

Entering "Exposure 2011" contest

"Painting 'The Town,' " Tim Connor, All rights reserved

The picture above is part of a portfolio I'm submitting in the "cityscape" category of a competition called "Exposure 2011."

See my portfolio here.

Read what I wrote about my pictures:

"I first saw these images through the 12th-floor window of my office in Manhattan. Gigantic in scale, they appeared on the outer wall of a 21-story-high office tower a few blocks uptown and gradually took shape against the sky. First they were colored paint in seemingly random patterns. Then they became star-crossed lovers; machines at war; bank robbers dressed as sinister nuns; a bulldog as big as an elephant.

What surprised me most about these images – really they are nothing more than wildly scaled-up movie ads – is how disconcertingly intimate they can be. At this size – the size of a city building -- they transfigure my neighborhood skyline like a new slide clicking onto the wall in a dimly lit room.

The images are created by an intrepid team of mural artists (artfxmurals.com), who sketch and paint each poster with rollers and large brushes in a day or two, then, after the movies have opened, crank their scaffolds up and down the wall again, whitewashing everything. I’ve been photographing this process for over three years.

The light in Manhattan changes quickly, especially above the rushing street-level canyons, which fill with shadow early. I love all the manifestations of this New York light, but most of all -- for this project -- I love it at the end of day. As darkness gathers below in the grumbling rush hour streets, I'm blown away by these fierce (and/or silly) outsized fantasies, thrusting insistently into the light . Sometimes I enjoy imagining them as visitations from our cultural gods. Other times I'm just glad they make us look up and forget ourselves for a moment."

Preview the book from which the portfolio is taken.

Closeup: Arts & flowers

The five pictures that follow are my submission to a group show of closeup works. If accepted, they will appear in September. My artist's statement about this series is at the end of this post.


"Heart beacon: Annie's garden," Tim Connor, All rights reserved


"Stars moving inland: Annie's garden," Tim Connor, All rights reserved


"Trying to get to heaven: Annie's garden," Tim Connor, All rights reserved


"Pink star: Annie's garden," Tim Connor, All rights reserved


"Tendrils: Annie's garden," Tim Connor, All rights reserved

Artist's statement

I love it when different kinds of subject matter and forms of representation mix & ricochet off each other. The subject matter of this series of close-ups – from a garden wall painted with landscapes & flowers by an unknown artist, then grown over by actual plants – juxtaposes living nature & its created representations in paint. Framed close-ups of the juxtapositions are then represented by digital photography, which, in its illusion of timelessness, mixes ironically with the series’ themes of (relative) permanence & change.

Every little bit helps

"Love in the afternoon," Tim Connor, All rights reserved

This picture won 1st prize in a contest at my work place. The category was cityscape.

This picture came in third in another category -- portrait.


"Park," Tim Connor, All rights reserved

It's been a long time since I posted. I will try to do more.

John Rae wins international color prize

"Indian girl in hammock," John Rae, All rights reserved

My friend & colleague John Rae has traveled to more unpronounceable places than anyone I've ever met. He takes pictures all over the world for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria. A lot of this involves hard travel & rough living, not to mention daily immersion in the often grim realities of poverty & disease. But there is beauty too.

The picture above is a winner in the People category of the International Color Awards, a division of the 3rd annual Photography World Cup. It was chosen from thousands of entries from over 90 countries. Congratulations, John!

See the other winners here.
See my earlier post about John's show in Berlin.

Cash & prizes

"Kitchen worker on break," Tim Connor, All rights reserved

This picture won Honorable Mention at Judson Church's 'New' New Yorkers show a few weeks ago. Today I got a check in the mail for $25. At different times in the past I've made modest amounts of money as a photographer, but I've never won prize money before.

Unlike most contests, Judson didn't charge an entry fee to compete. It did, however, offer small cash prizes for 1st, 2nd & 3rd places, as well as 3 honorable mentions. To me this felt honest & respectful . My prize, tiny as it was, actually meant something -- the way cash automatically does. And those who won nothing at least didn't have to swallow the minor humiliation of paying money to be ignored. In this case not winning wasn't the same thing as losing.

For more read my post at the time.

My photos to be included in 'New' New Yorkers show at Judson Church

"Handout man / Emma's Dilemma Deli, Tim Connor, All rights reserved

The young man shown above handing out fliers in Manhattan is one of nine of my street portraits of immigrants that will be included in an upcoming exhibit at Judson Church in Greenwich Village. The exhibit "...will showcase the works of area photographers aiming to capture the modern immigrant experience in New York City." Opening reception is Thursday, May 14th from 6-9 PM. For a preview of all the photos go here.

Here's the press release:

When: Thursday, May 14th, 2009 – 6:00-9:00 p.m.

Where: Judson Memorial Church Assembly Hall, 239 Thompson Street, Greenwich Village

NEW YORK, April 20, 2009 – Judson Memorial Church will host the “New” New Yorker Photo Exhibit and Reception on Thursday, May 14th from 6-9 p.m. This exhibition will showcase the works of area photographers aiming to capture the modern immigrant experience in New York City. Admission is free.

From December 2008 to March 2009, Judson invited amateur and professional photographers to participate in a competition designed to create a greater awareness and appreciation of New York's newest residents. What constitutes a “new” resident? The scope of that question produced many answers. All of the submissions Judson received highlight the experiences, challenges, and opportunities facing individuals from many cultures who now call New York City home. The images reflect and reaffirm New York as an environment that breaks down the idea of people being either “foreign” or “native.”

Visit http://www.flickr.com/groups/newnewyorker/pool to preview the photographs featured in the exhibit. The grand prize photo, plus three runner-up photos, will be chosen by a panel of Judson Memorial Church members. Grand prize winner receives $250, the runners-up receive $50 each, and all will be announced during the reception.

About Judson Memorial Church:
Based in Greenwich Village, Judson Memorial Church has long associated itself with artists working in many media. Judson’s current programs include work with the New Sanctuary Movement for immigrant rights and a "community ministers" program that trains future clergy on how to involve congregations in social-change activities. Judson Church maintains an anti-censorship stance that welcomes art, whether tough or refined, as one voice of "secular prophets." During the pastorates of Bob Spike (1949-55) and Howard Moody (1956-92), Judson became famous as a venue for avant-garde arts and a foe of art censorship. This tradition continues today, as Judson makes its facilities available to a wide variety of artists in dance, theatre, music, and visual arts of diverse styles.

The Judson Memorial Church Assembly Hall is located at 239 Thompson Street in Greenwich Village, just south of Washington Square Park. Entrance is located just 3 blocks east from the A, B, C, D, E, F, V at West 4th St.-Washington Square subway stop.

Contact:
Matthew Brown
917-698-9118
judsonphotos@yahoo.com

Judson Memorial Church
55 Washington Square South New York, NY 10012

Center winners are in (& I'm not one of them)

From "Journey to Sakhalin," Jurors' Award winner, Michael C. Brown, All rights reserved

I got my email today from Maggie Blanchard at the Center (formerly Santa Fe Center for Photography): "Thank you for submitting to the 2009 Project Competition," she began, and then a few sentences later "...We regret to inform you that your work was not awarded this year."

Thud! Biff! Whomp!

Let's face it, no matter how well I try to insulate myself from disappointment at these moments, no odds, no philosophy can completely defuse the fantasy of ending up in the winners' circle. This time I thought my submission had a chance. Actually, I still think it did. But my project wasn't chosen.

It took me a few hours before I was ready to look at this year's winners. I'm glad to say they're excellent. I'm not even tempted to be snarky -- which is the way my self pity expresses itself in these situations -- or to feel worse because of their success. And that, my friends, is progress...

Take a look at the winning projects.