We are proud to announce the Rfotofolio Selections for 2023. This year we were honored to have Michael Kirchoff as our guest juror. Michael we appreciate your time and thoughtful choices. Thank you!We asked the juror to select his top portfolio, and Works of Merit. This was no easy task.
Be it color or black and white, street photography or abstract, you inspired us with the amazing work that you created. If your work does not appear here do not be discouraged. There was so much wonderful work that we could not select simply because we are limited to a certain number.
Thank you for entering this years call. By doing so, we are able to see work that we might have missed. Your donations help support Rfotofolio and the grants we give each year.
Thank you to Carol Boss and Hahnemühle paper for your support of Rfotofolio and this years Hahnemühle Award.
Thank you to Lensbaby for sponsoring the Lensbaby Award.
Statement from Michael Kirchoff.
Bottom line: This was quite possibly the most challenging collection of images I’ve ever had to make selections from. If I had my way, over 90% of what I have seen would have been included.
Alas, that is not what we are able to show, so some hard decisions had to be made. Ultimately, I felt that the images that hit me the hardest initially and the final four (one winner and three works of merit) needing to be a well-rounded representation of what I experienced was the best course of action.
What I realize is how much of a construct each of my final selections are. In a multitude of ways, I find that each is built, not just physically but emotionally. What always gets me is how long and deep one can stay within an image – scrutinizing every nuance and detail. There is a lot to see, feel, and understand with every one of my final choices, and I’m hoping you all will find it in you to sit with them and participate in their message.
Images speak to us differently; however, these, especially my favorite choice, get a special place inside you all to reside for as long as possible.
The best part of all of this is that I now have a new group of work to watch from some extraordinary artists, whether you made the final cut or not. When this is over, I want to know who each and every one of you is–for this is my chance to investigate further. Submitting here was, by all means, a clear and positive step forward in getting eyes on your photography, and for that, you should feel good about taking that step, that chance. My thanks go out to all of you for placing your trust in me to find the proper work to highlight at this particular time. As I mentioned, there is an excellent chance that many more will receive some form of opportunity from this in the long run, for it’s perseverance that wins the day every time. I know this from experience and hope you see it, too. Cheers to all who showed up to the party!
Selections from Michael Kirchoff
Diana Cheren Nygren
“I feel an awe in the face of magnificent landscapes. Humanity seems small and insignificant in contrast. There have been thirty-seven epochs in Earth’s history. We have been around for less than two. I have mounted scenes of human habitation behind acrylic, as if plastic walls can safely separate the things we do from impacting the natural world. I have affixed these scenes within sweeping landscapes. The constructed world behind the acrylic is protected, while the landscapes remain exposed and vulnerable. A continuity of line and color between these two parts hints at their interconnectedness. Images of the desert stand-in for what the majority of the land on our planet might look like as it continues to be shaped by rising temperatures. I present these multi-layered images in hand-painted wooden frames, the image pushing beyond its edges, alluding to the next chapter in the planet’s history.
In spite of human activity, the Earth continues to transform and reinvent itself. Its inhabitants cannot escape its permanence, and the power it has to shape their existence.
The Earth is not coming to an end, but as nature reinvents itself, can we adapt with it? Will we be part of that next chapter? Diana Cheren Nygren
Work of Merit
Diana Bloomfield
“I love the whole idea of books as sculpture— the tactility, the 3-dimensionality, and the
intimacy. An image made by hand, in 19th century printing techniques, combined with
something as simple as a backyard garden, found sea shells, or scenes of the ocean blue seem to mesh well with these tactile and perfectly imperfect books as objects. I love the playfulness that some of them offer— whether, as with the spinning accordion books, scenes lazily flutter in mid-air— or, as with the “surprise box” that opens to reveal something so much more.
I also admire the elegance of the more traditional book structure, like the Japanese stab-binding books, or books housed in boxes. Mostly, I appreciate the liberation that stems from literally deconstructing my own prints to build a totally different art form, one that creates new meanings and new ways of seeing, and where the details create the whole.”Diana Bloomfield
Work of Merit
Geir Jordahl
“There are only pictures now – images of moments in the sphere of time that connect to everything. Circles complete the stories we make in our passing. Our world is round. Eyes, earth, sun, moon – all round, all connected. Perception is round. Life – death – rebirth all round. It is in these cycles that I have hope despite the darkness. With the sphere of time and the circle of life, death is overcome briefly in every image I make.” Geir Jordahl
Work of Merit
Ray Bidegain
“My series called ” Object of Beauty” is a body of work that revolves around the combination of still life and figurative elements. The objects are often small items belonging to the sitter, sometimes they are supplied by me to create a narrative I am interested in suggesting.” Ray Bidegain
Selections from Rfotofolio
Thank you to all of the artists that particpated in this years call. Your work spoke of nature, personal experiences, and dealing with change.
Our selections came very hard but in the end we went with the work that spoke to us both. Artist statements were both articulate and supported the portfolios, and we appreciate the effort. Photography is the perfect media to give the viewer a new experience, to see something that may only exist in the artist mind, and to appreciate the space around us.
You inspire us. C.R. and J.R.
Selections from Rfotofolio
In alphabetical order.
Zia Ayub
“The entry images for the call are called “winter”, an ongoing project that I have been working on for many years. Winter is my favorite season of the year, so I enjoy going out in my neighborhood photographing houses and trees when it’s snowing. The images are gelatin silver print. I developed a different approach of process in gelatin silver in 2003, that by manipulating the chemistry creates an impressionist-pictorial look.” Zia Ayub
Diana Bloomfield
“I love the whole idea of books as sculpture— the tactility, the 3-dimensionality, and the
intimacy. An image made by hand, in 19th century printing techniques, combined with
something as simple as a backyard garden, found sea shells, or scenes of the ocean blue seem to mesh well with these tactile and perfectly imperfect books as objects. I love the playfulness that some of them offer— whether, as with the spinning accordion books, scenes lazily flutter in mid-air— or, as with the “surprise box” that opens to reveal something so much more.
I also admire the elegance of the more traditional book structure, like the Japanese stab-binding books, or books housed in boxes. Mostly, I appreciate the liberation that stems from literally deconstructing my own prints to build a totally different art form, one that creates new meanings and new ways of seeing, and where the details create the whole.”Diana Bloomfield
Richard Cohen
“I’ve been fascinated by beaver bogs for a long time, in part because they are far off the beaten path. The surrounding forests were clear cut for fuel and farming almost 200 years ago, but these bogs are said to have changed little since the beavers first dammed them up, potentially thousands of years ago after the last ice age. These creatures are responsible for a uniquely rich wetland environment with a continuous turnover of trees and plants that support themselves and other animals. Beavers have notoriously poor eyesight, with little color perception. I have made these muted, two-toned prints on vellum to mirror a unique vision of a precious, fragile, threatened environment, and backed the print with metal leaf to reflect the silver light I experienced in beaver bogs on many early mornings. ” Richard Cohen
Jeff Schewe
“I’ve had the good fortune to have been able to shoot in Antarctica three times. Each trip was a trip of a lifetime and the sheer quantity of images captured (36,029 to be precise) during those trips has made it hard to get a handle on. I’ve got a lot of images that were obvious, but it really wasn’t until the Covid Pandemic lockdown that I directed my attention towards images I’ve already shot vs planning and traveling to new locations to shoot. The thing about Antarctica is the light, which is ever changing, and the textures that light produces. The light and shapes and textures in some images were more pronounced in B&W than in color. As I started selection editing with B&W in mind, I found many more images that literally begged to have the color removed and the light and shadows enhanced. I’m not done yet…but putting a folio of images together has been the beginning of mining a whole new body of work. I’m not sure where it will end up, but the exercise so far has been encouraging. Creating B&W images in the darkroom is how I fell in love with photography in the beginning. While the technology has evolved, there’s still something particularly special about a well-crafted B&W print.” Jeff Schewe
Norm Snyder
“These images are of a pairing unique in jazz–that of the bass player and their instrument. The working title of the collection is “Pas de deux.” All these images are photographs taken during rehearsal or performance. In ballet, the Pas de deux is a suite of dances that portray a romantic relationship between the partners as they move together. Over years of photographing jazz musicians in performance, rehearsal, moments of calm, intensity, excitement, joy and elation, I have come to recognize the remarkable relationship that exists between the bass player and their instrument. To play it, the instrument must be embraced, held close, much as with dancers, torso to torso. They share the sound, touch, vibration–the music. These images are part of my continuing effort to capture in two dimensions, elements of this partnership.” Norm Snyder
Suzanne Theodore White
“Can art carry the burden of remembering what used to be while confronting what the future may hold? My profound connection to nature and our impact on the environment has been an overriding theme in my work throughout my years as an artist. For my project, The Dry Stone No Sound of Water, my farm, and the land it embraces, as well as T.S. Eliot’s poem The Waste Land, are my muses.
I have witnessed the changing natural world from a fixed point on the map and I grieve for our diminishing ecosystems. Through photography, I collaborate with the elements that have graced my farmland for eons. I construct theaters, by tearing, twisting, and folding. I create imaginary landscapes and still life in the spirit of 17th century vanitas paintings using photographs I have taken of my farm for over 30 years. I explore issues of life and death, indulgent consumption, and our fundamental alienation from the natural world. The act of crushing a well-made photograph is a personal and performative existential act and the resulting final print invokes images of nature being incrementally subjugated by human exploitation. The lens is transformative, and the results can be simultaneously beautiful, confrontational, and disturbing.This project allows me to be an advocate and guardian for my land, using art not only as an exploration of self, but a sacred acknowledgement of the natural world and the desire to find splendor in what remains.” Suzanne Theodore White
Thank you to Carol Boss at Hahnemühle Paper
Thank you to Lensbaby for being our sponsor.
To learn more about these photographers please click on their names.
BEAUTIFUL WORK!!
A privilege to find myself in such talented company and to view others’ wonderful submissions.