The Photographic Nude 2012 juror’s statement

The Photographic Nude 2012
Juried by Heidi Kirkpatrick

Jurors Statement:

Thanks to Michael and Chelsea of LightBox Photographic for inviting me to jury The Photographic Nude 2012. It was a privilege and a pleasure. The study of the nude is a practice that has existed since ancient times. This is no easy task and something I took very seriously. I tried to view the works on both an individual basis, but then also take into consideration how the images worked together as a whole. The national and international entries totaled more than 260 images. I juried The Photographic Nude 2012 blind, in other words, viewing the photograph online not knowing the ownership of the image. As I was making my choices and narrowing the field I got the familiar feeling I have had many times in the past when receiving the “Thank you but” letter. I also wondered if my choices were based on too much of a personal level? I actually looked up the definition of art juror and quickly realized that was exactly the way I should be making my choices. That is why Michael and Chelsea invited me as the juror and gave me the freedom to curate the exhibition. I was able to select 37 photographs by the strength of the image alone. The photographs chosen have a wide range as far as process and approach, but to me the images unite in their feeling. In some instances the choice was made by the quality of the reproduction of the image, other choices by how I felt about a particular crop, a shadow or even dust. Thank you to all who submitted. Sadly not all images could be included. I am looking forward to seeing the show in person at the opening night reception. A big thank you to LightBox Photographic Gallery for all they do for the photographic community.