Results of the 45th Annual Capital District Photo Regionals

Background.

Once upon a time, many many years ago, when I first put film in a camera and tried to take a picture with it … I thought my shots were good. Worthy. Definitely deserved some art-wall exposure.

Then my daydreams crashed into reality. And not only were my artworks rejected in competition and in calls, but I had a few people snidely spear me with comments like, “You’re not a real photographer. You just take pictures. That’s not the same thing as being a true artist. For instance, you’ve never had any of your work get into the Capital District Photo Regionals. That’s where TRUE photographers exist.”

Wow, thank you for kicking me right in the psyche. Thank you sirs, may I have another?

Well, eventually some of my work DID make the Photo Regionals show. Five of them in the past ten years, to be precise.

So here we are. Once again, Albany Center Gallery hosts the Photo Regionals. It’s a two-part show; the first part is a salon of all submitted entries. Then, the “select” entries remain on display for the true Photo Regionals that runs to the end of the year.

Two of my photos are among the 270 displayed pieces here. And man, there’s some super-powered talent here. Incredible collages and techniques. I see a few tintypes, there’s a couple of long exposures, man oh man this is some incredible stuff here.

And again, I hear that voice in the back of my head. The doubt. “You don’t belong here.”

And so much of me wants to turn around and punch that voice right in the throat.

I submitted my infrared shot of the Toll Gate Ice Cream building, We Serve Wayward Strangers. This print picked up second place in several different competitions AND made the walls in the Rhode Island International Show and in the New Jersey International Photo Show.

And there it is. Made the walls.

The other print I chose was Ran Out of Firewood, my Christmas Tree lights photograph. I had originally made a lenticular print that showed the tree disappearing as you walked past it. I don’t know … part of me wanted to enter that lenticular print in the New York State Fair, but I developed a bad case of cold feet and submitted a static shot instead. Part of me wanted to slide this image into the Big E’s photo show, but again … cold feet … and I went with another photo.

Well, let’s at least get it on the walls of Albany Center Gallery and maybe, just maybe, someone might like it for their office or living room. You never know.

Wait a second … What’s that red sticker in the lower right corner?

Gotta zoom in on it.

Hang on … does this mean … Ran Out of Firewood is now my SIXTH ever official acceptance into the Capital District Photo Regionals???

And at that moment, the little voice in the back of my head had nothing to say. Good.

But the voice in the front of my head was screaming and dancing. That’s it. That’s the run. That’s what I need.

And you know I need to pose for a photo with my accepted entry. Right?

So in a few weeks, the 250+ photos will be whittled down to just a few dozen, which will constitute the core of the 2023 Photo Regionals show.

And a little disappearing Christmas tree will join that list.

My sincere thanks to the Albany Center Gallery, the judges for the Photo Regionals, and everybody else involved. And I also must thank and congratulate all the photographers who were part of this show and who also have shown their treasures on these walls.

I’ll tell you … Competition Season 2023 may not have had as much oomph as previous Competition Seasons …

But I’ll take this entry into the Photo Regionals with a big fat Joker smile on my face.

Well, maybe not the Joker. I’ll settle for at last a Batman smirk. 😀