TRIBUTE
TO BEAUTY
Beauty
is truly in the eye of the beholder, as the saying goes.
For photographers, it is in the eye of the camera holder.
“Beauty: Camera Eye of the Beholder”
aims to celebrate all forms of beauty, as seen by the
photographer.
SOME
THOUGHTS ON BEAUTY....
"If
there is light in the soul, there will be beauty in
the person. If there is beauty in the person, there
will be harmony in the house. If there is harmony in
the house, there will be order in the nation. If there
is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world."
-Chinese Proverb
"Beautiful young people are accidents of nature,
But beautiful old people are works of art."
-Eleanor Roosevelt
"Life is beauty, admire it."
-Mother Theresa, from "LIFE IS...."
"The future belongs to those who believe in the
beauty of their dreams."
-Eleanor Roosevelt
"Since love grows within you, so beauty grows.
For love is the beauty of the soul."
-Saint Augustine (Roman theologian 396 to 430)
"Even
beauties can be unattractive. If you catch a beauty
in the wrong light at the right time, forget it. I believe
in low lights and trick mirrors. I believe in plastic
surgery."
-Andy Warhol
"In such ugly times, the only true protest is beauty."
-Phil Ochs
"We ascribe beauty to that which is simple; which
has no superfluous parts; which exactly answers its
end; which stands related to all things; which is the
mean of many extremes."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Think
of all the beauty still left around you and be happy."
-Anne Frank, from "Diary of a Young Girl"
"Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never
grows old."
-Franz Kafka
We
are beautiful in every single way.
-Christina Aguilera (from "Beautiful"
- written and composed by Linda Perry)
"A
human being is a part of a whole, called by us 'universe',
a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself,
his thoughts and feelings as something separated from
the rest... a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness.
This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting
us to our personal desires and to affection for a few
persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves
from this prison by widening our circle of compassion
to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature
in its beauty."
-Albert Einstein
"Photography has an element of genius to it, which
makes it a little like nature itself. We find examples
of nature that possess incredible elements of beauty
that attract our eye. They exist as forces of nature
where a mysterious combination of predetermination,
accident and chance come together. This led me to think
of photographs as having an element of nature in them
and the medium itself as a force of nature.
-Weston Naef (Getty Exhibition, Close
to Home: An American Album - Interview by Robert Hirsch
- www.lightresearch.net)
Jurors
& WIPI Winner Quotes
Architecture
"Many
thanks for letting me participate. Looking forward to
seeing the online exhibition."
Juror - Abby Bussel, Architecture
magazine
Architecture
First Place:
Lynn Saville
(New
York, NY, USA)
“Glow”
"Despite
its overuse in fashion, the term beauty still retains
a Platonic sense of transcendent form."
Architecture
Honorable Mention:
Irene
Jeruss, (USA)
“Barn
Door”
"As a self-taught photographer,
it is especially gratifying to be acknowledged from
among so many talented artists and by such a distinguished
panel of jurors. Thank you, WIPI! I am very grateful
to you for your continued support of women in the photographic
arts."
Architecture
Honorable Mention:
Diana
Lucas Leavengood, (St. Petersburg, FL, USA)
“Abandoned
Train Station”
I enjoyed entering WIPI's "Beauty:
Camera Eye of the Beholder" competition because the
emphasis was on talent and not what I look like in a
swimsuit.
Conceptual
Conceptual
First Place:
Stephanie
Graham (Chicago,
IL, USA)
"Ghetto Fabulous Brandie"
" Beauty
to me is attitude. I look at some women walking with their
heads high and just imagine them getting ready in the
morning and saying to themselves "Great I look beautiful"
and no matter what they are wearing, good or bad, makeup
or no makeup, they just look beautiful. You just have
to work it and that's beautiful."
Conceptual
Honorable Mention
Constance
Vepstas, (USA)
“Outdoor Sculpture”
Women in Photography International is an ambitious organization,
an avenue for women who creatively express their condition
and the state of affairs around them through photography.
It is an opportunity to express your world and ideas and
share our ideas with a world that was very remote til
this generation. All of the sudden we're touching, all
of a sudden we see through other's eyes. -Connie Vepstas
Conceptual
Honorable Mention
Diana
Lucas Leavengood, (St. Petersburg, FL, USA)
“Maggie
Dreams of Travel” (see
Architecture)
Environmental
Environmental
First Place:
Lois Mason (Greenbank,
WA, USA)
“Autumn Flight"
“I appreciate the opportunities and visibility
that WIPI offers women, and I am honored to
be part of an organization that promotes excellence
and provides the resources for women to excel in this
very competitive field of photography.”
Environmental
Second Place:
Carolyn E. Wright
(Atlanta, GA, USA) 
“Running Horse”
Environmental
Honorable Mention
Carolyn E. Wright,
“Flying Egret” (Atlanta, GA, USA)
"As a photography teacher and mentor, I am particularly
tuned to the special interests of women in photography.
I appreciate women's unique approach to the subject,
and adapt my instruction accordingly. WIPI's mission
to promote the visibility of women photographers and
their work helps me to fulfill those goals."
Environmental
Honorable Mention
Catherine
Ellen Money, (Los Angeles, CA, USA)
”Dizzy”
I
am honored to be a part of this beautiful exhibition!
I am a new member and humbled to be amongst such incredible
artists. As women, we are such an integral part of this
creative life and it is through our sensitivities and
vision that the photographic world is truly enriched.
Fashion
"Here
are Tyra's final selections from the Fashion Category
images. Tyra said that it was a very difficult to task
to make the final cuts from so many wonderful images."
Juror
-Carolyn
London, Bankable Productions, TZone Foundation
Fashion
First Place:
(tie)
Andrea Thompson
(New York, NY, USA)
“Kate”
"I entered the image "Kate" in the WIPI exhibit
in hopes of gaining exposure. I hope to find more work
and representation."
Fashion
First Place:
(tie)
Hannan Saleh (Philadelphia,
PA, USA)
“Visionary"
"I was intrigued by the beauty competition. That
is what I love to photograph the most - the beauty in
people places and things. It is the thread of inspiration
that give hope and excitement to one's being."
Fashion
Honorable Mention
Ivy Bigbee (Centreville, VA, USA )
“Freudian Slip”
In my view, WIPI's exhibition marks beauty as a game
in which players compete for ever-changing goals, and
where victory embodies truth, illusion and ideals. To
have work as my measure of beauty included is gratifying;
my thanks to Curator Carrie Villines, and kudos to Juror
Tyra Banks.
LifeStyle
I was honored to be a judge for WIPI’s Beauty
exhibition. The entries covered the gamut of photographic
style and composition. They spoke of the range of talent
and vision exhibited by the photographers who entered
this valuable competition. I expect to see a lot more
from of many of these women the near future.
Juror
-Anne Telford, Editor-at-Large,
Communication Arts
Lifestyle
First Place:
Janet
Century (Cleveland, OH, USA)
“Embrace”
"The challenge is to capture what lies beneath
the surface while photographing only the surface...values,
form, light and composition all define the moment. I am
moved to capture the connection that binds all of us on
this planet together and points out our vast similarities.
To succeed is a beautiful thing. I am honored to be a
part of this exhibit."
Photojournalism
"Thank
you for the opportunity to judge this category. I really
enjoyed the time spent with the pictures."
Juror
- Charlie Holland,
Getty Images
Photojournalism
First Place:
(tie)
Annabel Clark
(Brooklyn, NY, USA)
“Injections in Bed”
Photojournalism
Second Place: (tie)
Annabel Clark
(Brooklyn, NY, USA)
“In the Pool”
When I heard about this exhibit, I was curious to
see how far the term "beauty" could be removed
from its conventional representations in fashion magazines
and on tv. I also thought there would be a sensitivity
on the part of the photographers and judges to the less
superficial definitions of the term. I photographed
my mother during her treatment from breast cancer and
watched her transform, both physically and emotionally.
She displayed the strongest and most vulnerable parts
of herself during that year, and when I look at the
photographs now, I see the most beautiful woman I
Photojournalism
Honorable Mention
Cheryl Maeder, (San Francisco, CA, USA)
“Beauty Pageant”
Photography is not just a career, it is the vehicle
by which I express my heart and soul. It is my mission
through photography to express Beauty beyond just the
stereotypes I was taught to accept. As a woman and photographer,
my vision is to show the magnificence of Beauty in the
ordinary and this is where miracles take form.
"Being a Juror for "Beauty"
was a pleasure since so many of the images I viewed
were of such high caliber. Most important to me as a
curator (since I see things in terms of exhibitions)
was to see a series of images that presented a narrative,
and declared a consistent vision, technical mastery,
and dedication to subject matter through a series of
images, rather than in just one. I was also struck by
what I hesitate to call (yet I will) a woman's sensitivity
to her subject. Granted, if gender were not mentioned,
I will probably not know for sure if the photographers
were male or female. In looking closely, however, and
feeling the proximity of photographer to subject combined
with intention -- empathy is the most consistent word
that comes to mind, I am convinced that women 'feel'
the world in a particular, and therefore 'see' it differently.
My congratulations to all those that were given awards,
and the same to all those who submitted."
Juror
- Carol McCusker,
PhD, Curator
of Photography, Museum of Photographic Arts (MoPA)
Photojournalism
First Place:
(tie)
Rania Matar
(Brookline, MA, USA)
“Posters, Beirut Lebanon”
"These exhibits are a wonderful way to get acquainted
with new work and a great opportunity to have your own
work shown. I thought "beauty" was a great subject for
a photographic contest. It can have so many interpretations.
Photographers as visual people aim for "beauty," be
it in the light, the composition, the subject or the
dramatic."
Photojournalism:
Honorable Mention
Lyndie Benson, (Los Angeles, CA, USA)
“Village Women Holding Hands"
Even in Africa and other areas of the world what astounds
me is there is so much BEAUTY in the midst of such hardships.
There are still smiles and laughter and friendships
and that is BEAUTIFUL. Thanks so much for the opportunity.
Portrait
"The idea of judging a photography award, which
will be viewed exclusively on-line, from jpegs, was a
new one to me. I felt it worked well in this case, allowing
an otherwise unmanageable distance between judges and
artists to be covered. The international intention of
the entries was one of the things I found interesting.
It is rewarding to have an exhibition that refers specifically
to women and that encourages women photographers to get
their work seen by a wide audience through the web."
Juror
-
Clare Freestone, Assistant Curator of Photographs, National
Portrait Gallery
Portrait
First Place:
(tie)
Julia Fullerton-Batten
(London, England)
“Waterhose”
"Beauty
is happiness."
Still Life
"I think the combination
of sculpture and photography helped Wendy Farrow to produce
a kind of image that goes beyond the expected, the ordinary
and anything predictive. The first prize image in this
category evoked in me the stringent encapsulation that
women around the world suffer as a result of a still obsessive
masculine development of our society. Maybe it helped
my perception that in all my life I have worked in companies
where women were a majority. 87% of age fotostock employees
are women, something that has allowed me to see and understand
their worries and concerns from quite a unique perspective."
Juror
-Alfonso Gutierrez,
age fotostock
Still
Life First Place:
Wendy Farrow (Toronto,
ON, Canada)
“Someone Else's Eyes”
"We
seek beauty perhaps because the soul is nourished by
it. Seeking physical beauty can lead to a false sense
of self-worth, confining the mind and lessening our
ability to find beauty in far more important forms.
Its existence might be a ruse or a true source of spiritual
contemplation. We rely on our wisdom to recognize its
authenticity."
Still
Life
Honorable Mention
Trish Simonite, (San Antonio, TX, USA)
” Tradescant Autumn Leaves”
There have been times when I have felt it was problematic
to have work that was considered "beautiful." However,
I have always pursued ideas that have personal resonance
and meaning rather than following contemporary trends,
and the issue of beauty constantly resurfaces in my
work. When I saw the title of the exhibition I felt
compelled to enter.
