Behind the Veil.

Photo Competition

Juried Exhibition

Elizabeth Opalenik, Juror

Reflections on veiled reality and interpretations of hidden mysteries and inner truths revealed.

Photo Credit: Fade Out, 2022 © Biljana Petreska

Juror: Elizabeth Opalenik

As a photographic artist, Elizabeth Opalenik believes that all good photographs are self-portraits that lie somewhere between imagination and dreams. Her nearly 45-year career has found her teaching or making images on six continents, seeking the beauty and grace that exists within all things while creating a sense of wonder and possibility. Elizabeth is committed to her black and white darkroom preferring alternative processes, but combines digital usage when appropriate.

Her preference is working with water in any form or illusion and furthering her work in the French process Mordançage where she has added her signature style by creating veils of floating silver emulsion. Elizabeth’s work is collected, published and exhibited internationally. In addition, Opalenik travels with Medical Ministry International, documenting the projects of eye doctors in Colombia, Bolivia and the Amazon. Following a lifelong dream, she published her first monograph, Poetic Grace-Elizabeth Opalenik Photographs 1979-2007. During the pandemic she conjured into existence, Workshop Stories: Changed through Photography sharing over 100 stories and images from photographic workshop teachers.

Her website is www.elizabethopalenik.com

Photo Credit: © Elizabeth Opalenik

GRAND PRIZE

JEANNE GARRETT
THE STILLNESS AFTER, 2024

Juror’s Statement

At first glance I was taken with the strong frame divided down the middle by the power of the thinnest tree. Fog or smoke not quite clear until my eye came upon a small flame suddenly revealing a group portrait about resilience. Within this well seen frame we are viewing beauty in death yet left knowing we are all survivors. In this very timely subject, your eloquent artist statement says it best, but the image, for me, said it first. EO

Artist’s Statement

In the midst of charred remains, nature has a narrative of rebirth and renewal. Forest fires, by their very nature, are nature's way of hitting the reset button. While they destroy, they also cleanse, creating new growth and renewal of ecosystems. The flames clear out the old and dead, making space for the young and vibrant. The images of forest fires and controlled burns are not just an exploration of the visual elements of forest fires, but also a metaphorical reflection on life. Just as forests go through cycles of destruction, so, too, do humans experience pain, loss, and growth. Through hardships and challenges, we are offered a chance to shed our old selves, be transformed, and emerge anew. In the face of despair, there is always potential for renewal. There is always hope. This is the story of the forest; this is our story, too.

FIRST PLACE

A. M. CLARK
LYLE, 2011

Juror’s Statement

A badge of courage can be seen through scars…a witness to the journey of self discovery. Photographs are self portraits and a photograph, beautifully presented with sensitivity and technique about an uncomfortable subject for many, can engage the audience to spend more time looking and understanding. Thank you for opening a door through your artist statement and sensitive rendering of images where subject and process meld into thought provoking contemplation. Acceptance for self and by others is always a journey. EO

Artist’s Statement

When I came out as trans, people doubted my story. They saw my body and not my true self. My photographs evolved from pretty pictures to expressions of the meaning I was making in my new world. I collaborated with a transgender theologian who interpreted surgical chest wound scars from transition as visible emblems of personal resurrection. I made a series of portraits of myself and other transgender men in the pose known as Ostentatio Vulnerum, “display of wounds,” based on the scene in the Bible where Jesus reveals his resurrected embodiment by displaying his wounds to a doubtful Thomas. Shooting in medium format with black & white film, I solarized the negatives to obtain the Sabatier effect, which lends itself well to this vision of transformation. The subjects appear both to come from shadow into light and also to generate their own light. Pose and effect together bring forth the inner and outer transformations from which the subjects emerge, just as I had emerged as my true self.

SECOND PLACE

DWIGHT HOLDEN
VEILED IN REPOSE, 2023

Juror’s Statement

It takes two to make a portrait and I was immediately captivated by the connection between subject and photographer which shows in the eyes of this woman. She is nude, but more importantly, naked in her openness. No judgement, only curiosity on each side of the lens where the model and photographer share a respect for one another. I found that true in all the images you submitted and can see that you are succeeding in your artist statement. The beauty of this image is further enhanced by your use of Infrared with its ethereal glow both on the body and light from behind. Sensual, not sexual and very appealing where the viewer is invited to share your spirit of inquiry. EO

Artist’s Statement

After decades of deep involvement and connection with people, creating photographic images became a central passion and purpose. I don't begin looking for images. I look for ways to explore a myriad of emotions, see stories, dive into the depths of human experience. Within all of us, we are richly complex and diverse creatures. Some of our lives are more open to share, some are more closed, perhaps shifting in different moments. Each of our lives hides part of our honest selves, our truth. Each also embraces vulnerability and reveals a window into ourselves. Each is both. We are the big composite of what we hide, what we reveal, how we are challenged with it, how we evolve with it. So we are all "behind the veil", whatever that metaphorical veil may be. Yet the "veil" in some way is permeable, penetrable, allowing us to share from our side, inviting others to see, feel, react, resonate, to create their own stories, unique but entwined.

THIRD PLACE

ALAN MARKS
WAITING, WANTING, 2023

Juror’s Statement

In portraiture, there is a split second when the subject either voluntarily lets you in or you capture the moment when their guard is down. They say eyes are the window to the soul and as a viewer, I am at once intrigued, disturbed, and saddened with many unanswered questions. There is a smorgasbord of fragile emotions within a story we may never know captured in this illusive frame. Perhaps one that also eludes the subject. EO

Artist’s Statement

Alan is a visual artist and writer based in the Bay Area of California. His work explores the interiority of human connection with ourselves and with others, interrogating themes of loneliness, alienation, vulnerability, self-acceptance and love.

HONORABLE MENTION

CAROLINE WATERMAN
A RECKONING, SELF PORTRAIT #1, 2023

Juror’s Statement

We all carry emotional veils and as a photographic educator witnessing students explore their traumas through any creative process, I can appreciate the journey and evolution of such a project. It is not an easy task and I applaud your strength to work through the many issues, both emotional and photographic. By sharing, you not only help yourself but others who have faced life changing events and emerged stronger. EO

Artist’s Statement

The north side of Dublin is my home. It is where I grew up, where I learned to love, to play and dance. It is also where I was raped. I have spent the past 30 years of my life shutting out the assault from my memory… and learning to forget. Although I’ve made my life on another continent, I’ve returned to my home many times over the past three decades, never allowing the demons to take away my joy of returning home and my love for Dublin. Now, in this work and narrative, I have decided to remember, to confront….to heal. This work is a collection of self-portraits, memories and a confrontation with a once-unspoken history: The venerable old secondary school, tired, sleepy, but still there. The shortcut to school, once a swampy field, now a playground. The field behind the houses, the secret place, the dark place. The village church, available to all, yet closed. And the convent, the refuge, the Magdalene prison. The stifled survivor, silent no more.

HONORABLE MENTION

SARA RICE
WAVES OF PERCEPTION, 2023

Juror’s Statement

This is a stunning, pleasing image which goes beyond just veils into the realm of possibility. It shows what else it can be in its artistry and mastery of combining a strong portrait and process within a frame. As the credited contributor of preserving Mordançage veils, I understand the dedication and time it takes to create such a piece with intent and applaud you and others in this competition working in the process. Yes, there is a face behind the veil, but there is the hand of an artist in front of it rocking the tray. EO

Artist’s Statement

Fedco in Los Angeles was more than a store; it was an echo of the past. Each weekend, our family made it our ritual. While my sisters, filled with joy, hunted for toys and dresses, my dad and I headed to the camera department. Here, surrounded by photographic marvels, we'd dive deep into each new camera's features, igniting my lifelong passion for photography. The film we chose set the tone for our week, transforming evenings into lessons of art and mechanics. Cameras passed from father to daughter weren't mere tools but storytellers, ingraining their histories into my hands. Even as digital advancements took hold, they couldn't fill the void left by analog's tangible charm. A severe illness later reignited my passion for its unique texture and processes. Now, as an artist, I turn the potential of film into vivid, emotional memories, sharing pieces of my heart through each photo.

Exhibiting Artists

I would like to thank everyone for taking the time to share the many beautiful images that were submitted. Any competition should have the photographer using that time to seriously consider if images are stepping stones to a series, a one off and got lucky, or maybe the same box of prints you have been carrying around for a long time. Submissions and artist statement (not bio) should fit the theme, for in a “blind" jury competition, that is all the juror is given for consideration, both being important.

My criteria for viewing selections on the first pass was only to see how the photographs made me feel…did the image show me what else it could be or did subject and process move me in some way whether I understood them or not. In the end, was there something “Behind the Veil,” hidden or obvious, that had me asking questions because we are all such complex human beings. Each image was considered alone then viewed by artist number for their body of submitted work, all while reading each artist statement, often a powerful affirmation to the photographs and thought process.

I changed my mind more than once, learned a lot and was educated in the process. Perhaps your entry didn’t make it this time, but all that means is your entry did not make it this time. Don’t lose sight of your goals for yourself and your photography. There was a lot of strong work and I am honored that IPHF chose me to be the juror. I thank you all for allowing me to be part of your creative journey.

- Elizabeth Opalenik, July 2024