L.A. Photo Curator: Call for Entry: 'Overlooked and In-Between' with curator Jeff Alu. 
www.jeffalu.com
 
A note from Jeff Alu, "Thank you to all who entered “Overlooked and In-Between”.  I was overwhelmed by the large variety of interpretations of the theme, but I also knew that it would have differing meanings for different people.  For me it has always been a central theme, and in a very real way all of my work starts with that central idea.
 
I often look at my subjects in terms of characters or living entities in need of some kind of help, or at least in need of attention.  I felt this same feeling for the subjects in many of the entries.  While for me the first and second place awards were relatively easy to choose, the honorable mentions were another matter.  All of the entries adhered to the “Overlooked” aesthetic and I felt the sincerity with which the photographers approached their images. This made choosing very difficult! 
 
Thank you to Laurie for giving me the opportunity to curate this exhibition and to all of the entrants.  Laurie’s tireless dedication to this project is to the benefit of many artists as well as those in need."

Thanks Jeff! It was a pleasure working with you. Thanks for going the extra mile and reviewing ALL of the images that placed. - Laurie : )
 
THEME: “Objects and situations we normally ignore, expressions existing in-between posed expressions, new discoveries found by zooming in.  

I’m a huge believer that we often overlook the potential that is right in front of us. This might be because we’re trained by society to focus on what it thinks is important and separate out everything else.  We’re constantly required to go through this kind of exercise in our daily lives and become so used to it that we might be inclined to carry it over to our photography as well.

A good example is the posed photograph.  Somehow it isn’t worth shooting until everything is perfect, in its place, and exactly as it should be.  What about the moments building up to and after the shot.  Don’t these tell an interesting story as well?
 
When I’m walking through a given area, I’m constantly imagining zooming in on smaller objects around me.  When I do, those objects become as important to me as the larger, zoomed out image in front of me.  As a result, everything around me becomes of equal importance, and as a result, many additional potential photographic subjects come into view.

It’s as if we’re zooming in or out of a fractal.  One level of zoom is not any less or more important than another.  Everything becomes equally important, and applying that way of thinking to our photography, the act of picking and choosing our subjects becomes much more fluid.
 
I’m interested in seeing the results of your own explorations in this area.  Try to turn what is normally thought of as unimportant or uninteresting into something worth photographing.  Just relax the mind and let it flow!”- Jeff Alu

20% of all artist fees go to two charities a month. They're split between the curator's favorite charity and the first place winner's favorite charity.
 
Alu has chosen The Los Angeles Music and Art School (LAMusArt) as his charity.
Their mission is to provide the community of East Los Angeles with equitable and affordable access to multidisciplinary arts education programs.

www.lamusart.org
 
First Place winner Jeff Evans has chosen the Eastern Illinois Foodbank:
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ALU'S PICKS BELOW:

First Place:  Jeff Evans- "Busey Woods"
Second Place:  Ana Cordeiro- "Medea (1)"

Honorable Mentions:

Robert Curl -The Old Logging Road
Robin Repp -Diebenkorn Reflection 1
Sheri Neva -Stainless Steel Dendrites
Deanna Dikeman -Blue ball (1)
Harry Longstreet -Then and Now
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CLICK ON LINKS BELOW TO SEE WINNERS AND ALL ENTRANTS WORK IN EXHIBITION 1-2