CALL FOR ENTRIES: The New Orleans Darkroom

The New Orleans Darkroom proudly presents the Emerging Photographer 2008 show, juried by living photography legend Herman Leonard, and open to all themes and genres. Five young photographers will be chosen for the award: an exhibition at The Darkroom and promotion on the official website. Entry fee is $45 for five images. These five images are the ones to be displayed at the exhibition, and the five photographers' exhibitions run together at The Darkroom Gallery in New Orleans' Garden District, opening October 4, 2008.

There is an age cap on applicants (must be born no earlier than October 1, 1973), and the five images submitted must have a coherent theme. This competition seems aimed to the flickr generation, with its emphasis on smaller photo-sets. To see great photographers such as Leonard fostering the recognition of such young talent through connections spanning generations is truly encouraging. Expect to see more competitions of this kind in the future, where these restrictions, perhaps seen as confining to more venerable photographers, will act to shape the pool of entrants.

From the New Orleans Darkroom:

"Herman Leonard is one of America's foremost fine art and commercial photographers, with a career spanning six decades. An apprentice of Yousuf Karsh, Leonard developed an instantly recognizable style of portraiture with jazz musicians as his subjects. His icons of American photography are displayed in museums around the globe and his entire collection is housed in The Smithsonian Institution's permanent archives."

Also, starting May 17, 2008, The Darkroom will present "Abstractions in the Landscape," a juried exhibition of photographs selected by Sandra Russell Clark, at The Darkroom's Lower Garden District showroom. The exhibition features 35 prints of abstract photographs taken in the urban and the natural landscape, and selected out of over 550 entries. Click here for a preview.

The competition is open to any photographer under 35 years of age. The deadline to submit original works will be August 22, 2008. Click here for more information.