My 2015 New York State Fair entries are…

Last year was a personal stumble for me.  Not one single photo of mine made it into the New York State Fair.  It was a disappointment.  I’ve competed in the New York State Fair Photography Show since 2009, and 2014 was the first year that none of my pictures were accepted.

But that was last year.  This year I took all my skills, all my drive and determination, and crafted what I felt were my six best artworks.

I want my photos back on the walls of the Harriet May Mills Art Center in Syracuse.  No question.  No deviation.  If the competition has increased, so too must my output.

And with a more critical eye than I’ve ever used in the past, I’ve gone through all of my photos for the past two years.  Everything.  I don’t care if it was a test shot or something I prepared for a year.  Several pictures made the “short pile,” but I had to whittle out the photos that were “just good enough.”  And I can hear the voice of my high school English teacher, Bonnie Diefendorf, reminding me that I should never settle for “just good enough.”

I had some photos ready to go.  Printed.  Cropped.  Matted.  Stared at.  Stared at some more.  And I just wasn’t happy.

And then other photos.  Printed.  Cropped.  Matted.  Stared at.  Stared at some more.  And at the last minute… set them aside for Syracuse.

Then it was a matter of printing the images.  Foam-boarding them.  Picking them up at McGreevy Pro Lab.  Schlepping them off to Hobby Lobby for top mats.  One of them needed a custom-cut matte.  Thankfully, the staff at Hobby Lobby are prepared for such moments.  David Green would be proud of this store.

So here’s what I chose for the 2015 New York State Fair.  I am allowed six entries.  And those six entries for 2015 are:

LANE 2

The dusty lanes, the dirty pins, the vintage setup… all crafted into what looks like a photo from a bowling magazine circa the 1960’s.  Since HDR photos require three images combined into one final product, I’m entering this in the “alternate photography” category, as it was not captured from a single image.  Gotta play within the rules, mind you.

THE WALKWAY

This is a tough one.  I’m hoping this one works.  Sharp contrast and detail and a lot of preparation.  Gotta hope on this little photo.

PARABOLA: FROM HADLEY TO CORINTH

It took several tries, but this is the shot of the Hadley Parabolic “Bow” Bridge for which I am most satisfied.  I’ve shot this bridge with infrared film, with slide film, with negative film, with all types of film.  I think this is the photo that makes the best statement from my attempts.  And I’m actually putting this picture in the “Pride of New York” category, which is the first time I’ve ever submitted one of my photos in that state-specific division.

VIVALDI’S POND

One year of photography.  One freakin’ year to get this image.  And look what came out of it.  I just want to watch people as they look at this artwork – and then start leaning from side to side, wondering if what they’re seeing is what they’re really seeing.  I really have high hopes for this piece.  Really high hopes.

AEROCHROME FALLS

Here we go… mixing my Aerochrome film with my Kodak Medalist camera.  Looks like Kodak Red is going to get double duty in this year’s submissions, because I used that camera to capture Vivaldi’s Pond.

JESSICA: INSTAMATIC DICHOTOMY

Haven’t had a picture with a human in it win anything since Action Under the Basket took an honorable mention silk in 2009.  Way back in 2009.  Need to break that unlucky streak.

And now for the formulas.

• Cameras used: Nikon Df (Lane 2), Minolta x370s (Parabola: From Hadley to Corinth), Kodak Medalist II (Vivaldi’s Pond, Aerochrome Falls), Rolleiflex Automat MX (The Walkway), AGFA Clipper Special f/6.3 (Jessica: Instamatic Dichotomy).
• Film used in film cameras: Kodak HIE Infrared (Parabola: From Hadley to Corinth), Kodak Ektar (Vivaldi’s Pond), Kodak EIR “Aerochrome” color infrared (Aerochrome Falls), efke 100 (The Walkway), AGFA Clipper Special f/6.3 (Jessica: Instamatic Dichotomy).
• Lane 2 is the first HDR photo I’ve entered in this competition since 2013 (Low Tide at Sunrise, which won an Honorable Mention ribbon).
• Vivaldi’s Pond is my second attempt to enter a lenticular print at the New York State Fair, after last year’s “audible” of Come to Hoffman’s Playland.
• Aerochrome Falls is my first color infrared film photo ever submitted to the NYS Fair.
• Parabola: From Hadley to Corinth is my first B&W infrared picture.
• Jessica: Instamatic Dichotomy is my first entry composed of Instamatic film; it’s also my first entry with my AGFA Clipper Special f/6.3 since 2013’s The Lenten Meal.
• All six entries came from New York State; three from the Adirondacks (Parabola: From Hadley to Corinth, Vivaldi’s Pond, Aerochrome Falls), two from the Capital District (Lane 2, Jessica: Instamatic Dichotomy), and one from Central New York (The Walkway).

And now I ask of you, my loyal blog readers.  Which of these photos do you think have the best chance to snag some silk at the 2015 New York State Fair Photography Competition?  I’ve set up the poll below; you may choose as many as three entries.

And feel free to let me know why you chose what you did in the comments section below.

[poll id=”17″]