The Los Angeles Center of Photography proudly presents its Fifth Annual Members' exhibition, a beautiful collection of photography selected by Catherine Couturier, owner/director of the Catherine Couturier Gallery in Houston, TX. 141 LACP Members entered for this year's exhibition, representing a total of roughly 1,200 images. Catherine selected 41 images (from 38 photographers) for the exhibition at the Los Angeles Center of Photography, showing July 19 – September 7, 2018. In addition, another 40 images (from 32 photographers) were selected for a virtual online gallery display on LACP's website. This is an annual call for entry exhibition in the spring of each year.
Catherine Couturier is the owner and director of Catherine Couturier Gallery. Upon its inception, the gallery quickly evolved into the premier photography gallery in Houston and sits at the center of Gallery Row. The gallery is a member of AIPAD, and Catherine serves on the advisory council of Houston Center for Photography. Couturier also reviews portfolios for organizations and festivals such as Photo Nola, Atlanta Celebrates Photography, and Fotofest, is a juror for Critical Mass, and give lectures to artists and collectors alike on a myriad of subjects related to the field of fine art photography. The Catherine Couturier Gallery is committed to excellence with a dedication to the medium in all its forms, with the goal to showcase the best fine art photography available.
Whenever I am asked to judge fine art photography, be that in a juried exhibition, a portfolio review, or a submission to the gallery, one question is always going through my mind: is this an interesting photograph, or is it just a photograph of an interesting subject? Selecting the top images in Los Angeles Center for Photography's membership exhibition was no different.
My preference is always to judge prints in person, as I believe the finished product, the actual physical photograph, is what's most important, but the image itself must first be captivating. The subject doesn't have to be exciting or interesting or captivating on its own: the photographer must use his or her own voice to make it so. The mundane can be beautiful (A shock of hair in Jo Ann Chaus's It, 2017). The light can change something simple into something stunning (Joan Lobis Brown's image of a chair by a patio door). The absurd can be fascinating (I don't have to know why Brian Van der Wetering's image is of a hand holding a gun to the head of a Jack in the Box to like what I see). The photographs can be shot on the street (Jared Fortunato's, Sunset) or elaborately staged (Bootsy Holler's Modern Myths: Dead Pool), none of it matters, so long as it's an interesting photograph, not just a photograph of an interesting subject.
I didn't worry too much about having wide range of subjects or an even mix of black and white and color. For this exhibition, I chose the images I think are best, as great photographs, no matter how diverse, will always make a great show. I'm excited to see the work in person and hope everyone enjoys the pieces as much as I do.