"The theme for the call to enter the current L.A.Photo Curator competition was “What Lies Ahead” which was designed to be intentionally vague, so that you could use your imagination and submit works which you felt were fitting to the theme. As always, there were many great submissions! 
 

Here is how I described the theme….

 

 

What Lies Ahead?

 

"It is very much like the question of is the glass half full or half empty?

Is there a light at the end of the tunnel, if so, what is it"? 

"What do you see"?

 

"What lies ahead”?

 

Often times, these questions cannot be answered…. and there is no right or wrong answer. It’s a matter of your perception. 

 

There were three photographers whose work I continually returned to review and whom I have designated as my top three. They were Mara Zaslove, Kip Harris and Donna Bassin.  Each of them had two photographs in their submission that were strong and meaningful and spoke to the theme for the submission.

 

The winning image for me that best expressed the theme, “What Lies Ahead”? was presented by Mara Zaslove, Dispersing the Clouds as she captures her subject emerging into the daylight, coming outside with her eyes wide open, but clearly ’still in a fog’ with the clouds ever present after being inside for so many months. While we cannot see how the subject is dressed, it does appear that with her hair ‘dressed’  and appearing to be just perfect as she steps out into the sunlight - on her way someplace, with a necklace around her neck, that she is ready to tackle the unknown of what’s to come as she steps foot outside. It must have felt a little strange to once again emerge out onto the streets…

But it appears that she is clearly forging ahead in spite of the clouds, the unknowns, that still persist.

 

Kip Harris’s photograph, Mother and Daughter, Matancherry speaks to the different emotions and moods of the two individuals - the mother, is definitely worried and weary and I might also add, weathered while her daughter riding behind her mother on the motorcycle, and who cannot see her facial expression, appears to be rather happy (her eyes are smiling and you can ’see’ that she has a smile beneath her scarf, perhaps she recognizes someone on the street or is responding to the photographer….but she clearly is happy to be out! 
 

It has been noted that the effects of staying at home for as many months as we (all) did, worldwide, would have a significant effect on individuals, some more serious than with others, and I certainly believe that it would effect the older generation in a different, more significant way than those from a younger generation. This is clearly visible to me as I look at Mother and Daughter, Matancherry. What Lies Ahead for the daughter is a bright future.

 

Donna Bassin’s Hypothetical Landscapes makes reference to What Lies Ahead in very subtle ways. While she works with an original photograph to start, she then superimposes another ‘piece’ of a landscape on to the original, using photo corners, she thus create a new and imaginary (unreal) place. Perhaps, like a child who dreams about imaginary places, Ms. Bassin is trying to create a better place - her imaginary landscape - when thinking of What Lies Ahead."

 

Honorable Mentions:

Diana Cheren Nygren: Is Anyone Out There?

Mara Zaslove: Peeking Out

Kip Harris: Two School Girls, Kerla

 

Best Series: Kip Harris, Mother and Daughter

 

20% of artist entry fees go to charity.