Open Competition

Judge: Lisa Cuchara

Website: https://www.photographybylisaandtom.com/

Bio: Lisa, PhD, OM SYSTEM Ambassador, Master (PPA), Master of Artistry (PPA), Master of Photography, HonNEC is very passionate about photography and enjoys both being behind the lens and in the digital darkroom. She loves to photograph nature but finds many subjects equally intriguing. Lisa and her husband Tom are known for their expertise in Photography and in Photoshop, and for their inspirational and informative photography workshops. They also lead tours in the USA and abroad for Wildside Nature Tours. Lisa has created numerous award-winning photographic images and enjoys sharing her vision, passion, and her knowledge! Her photographs have appeared in Adirondack Life, Wild Bird, Birder’s World, in calendars, on the cover of a fictional paperback novel, in many galleries & exhibitions. Lisa & Tom have published two books with Amherst Media “Create Fine Art Photographs from Historic Places and Rusty Things” and “The Frog Whisperer”. Lisa loves to Teach, Mentor, Motivate, and Inspire and hope that their passion and creativity will inspire you to capture beautiful photons and manipulate pixels with impact. Check out Lisa & Tom and their photography classes, photo tours and workshops at www.LisaTom.photos and their galleries at www.photographybylisaandtom.com.

Artist Statement: “Life is not measures by how many breaths you take but how many moments take your breath away”. This philosophy embodies my life and my photography. I love to photograph nature but find many subjects equally intriguing. I appreciate the world around me and embrace the challenge of interpreting what my eyes see, and my heart feels via my photographs. Photography allows me to pay attention to the details and appreciate all of the beauty, details and nuances of everyday life. In this fast-paced world, my photography affords me an excuse to be mindful, to slow down and really see the world around me. “We do not remember days, we remember Moments” motivates my photography while “Don’t shoot what it looks like, shoot what it feels like” influences my image creation as I love to tell stories with my images. I am a proud lifelong learner and would love to have an opportunity to inspire you with my “Creativity is contagious, pass it on” teaching philosophy.

When I judge and or critique an image, I always try to remember that the maker entered the image because they liked it. I recommend that the maker temporarily turn their image upside down to look for distracting elements, perform a border patrol, look for technical glitches, etc. When upright, assessing one’s own image is like proofreading one’s own work, but viewing it upside down allows you to notice your image differently, like reading one’s written work out loud to proofread. Do your eyes go to the center of interest when upside down, to are they drawn to a bright area or a distracting element?  There are many elements that make up an image. There are the technical elements that can be assessed by the color, lighting, sharpness, techniques used in-camera, techniques used in post-processing, presentation, composition, leading lines, center of interest, presentation etc., but more importantly, there are the creative elements like impact, subject matter, mood, story, style, etc. Of these, impact is the most important, but perhaps also the most subjective. I recognize that once an image is sharp and in focus and exposed well that the other elements are more subjective. It can be hard because we all have an emotional attachment to our images, but the viewer may not always be compelled to feel the same feeling that you got when you tripped the shutter. What does your image say to the viewer? What do you want your image to evoke in a viewer’s imagination? Does your image compel us to look inward and reflect?