Black & White Monochrome

BLACK & WHITE/MONOCHROME PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION EXHIBITION

Juror: William Fields

Photographer and Author

William Fields grew up among dairy farms, orchards and truck farms. This rural environment cultivated his lifelong love of nature and landscape. He served in the Navy during the Vietnam Conflict and spent over 30 years in the aerospace, laser technology and automotive industries. Throughout this time, Bill continued to study art, becoming more proficient in draftsmanship, printmaking, watercolor painting and photography.

Today, Bill is a full-time art photographer and a published author. His books include Hermann, Missouri – One of the Prettiest Towns in America and his limited-edition The Four Directions – A Southwestern Journey which won first place in the 2019 Independent Publishers Awards for Best Coffee Table Book. He has three other coffee table photo book projects that are currently in the development or the proposal stages. He recently signed an agreement to produce a book on the Tennessee Whiskey Trail. Bill was honored as Artist in Residence at Fort Union National Monument in Watrous, New Mexico in 2019.

William Fields Art Photography Website
William Fields, Art Photography on Facebook

Throughout most of the history of photography black and white processing remained the norm, and while color images have become ubiquitous in our visual culture many photographers still return to black and white to create images of heightened reality and sublime beauty.

To honor this time-tested tradition the International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum held its first Black & White/Monochrome photography competition. The juror, the esteemed photographer and author, William Fields, carefully reviewed selections from photographers worldwide to select the images featured in this exhibition.

IPHF offers its congratulates to the award winners and exhibiting photographers.

GRAND PRIZE

MELINDA GREEN HARVEY
LUBBOCK, TX USA

The short version of my artist statement: photography found me. The longer version of my artist statement: photography found me, and once I’d let it in, the good shit started to happen. Oh, it was gradual at first – a handful of blog followers, then getting into a show or two, picking up some like-minded photography friends, and eventually gaining the courage to say – out loud and in front of people! – that I WAS a photographer. Then it feels like things moved more quickly. And here we are. I have mostly shot in black and white. I have mostly shot the dying small towns in rural areas of my part of Texas. But i’ve lately been experimenting with color, with photographing people, with being less documentary with my approach to what I see. To be honest, I have just two guiding principles with my work. First is to always push myself to be better at what I do. And second is to love the adventure.

-Melinda Green Harvey

FIRST PRIZE

RANDALL GUSDORF
CHESTERFIELD, MO USA

I am a St. Louis hobby photographer. It is my therapy.

Randy finds photography to be a experiential expression of his life, bringing to surface his insecurities and his gifts. He looks for a unique and different way to see the world (a different angle, a different view), looking for the unusual and the beauty of this world in its simplicity, in addition to its obvious magnificence. Always in awe in seeing and sharing the world through his photography eyes and from the photography eyes of others, he hopes and dreams to deepen that heartfelt emotional response and connection with others, delving deeper into that limitless expressiveness.

SECOND PRIZE

MIKE JEFFRIES
WILDWOOD, MO USA

As an artist, I’ve devoted over 15 years to capturing life’s essence through photography. Monochrome is my preferred medium, as it lets subjects resonate authentically. From landscapes to urban, portraits to action, I aim for unique perspectives, honoring each story with sincerity.

-Mike Jeffries

THIRD PRIZE

MICHAEL MATNEY
TROY, IL USA

A principal theme in Mike’s photography are the patterns, the abstract, and minimalism in the world around us, be it man-made, natural, or a combination of the two. He works to allow the audience to focus on these specific elements instead of them just being lost in the background. Photography is the perfect way to express this and he loves the pursuit of finding new things that most people wouldn’t notice at first. Mike was once told by a friend that his photography makes the ordinary look interesting. He continues to challenge himself to present what most people consider mundane objects and scenes in a way that makes us stop and start taking notice of the environment around us.