Special 2016 Photo Contest Issue
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Magazine of The Quarterly rk Chapter rtists | New Yo A ic h p ra g to ho e American P
This issue of proof sheet celebrates the winning images of the APA|NY 2016 Photo Contest, and gives a bit of insight into the stories behind the images. We hope you enjoy these astonishing photos and, if you like what you see, please reach out to the artist.
Supporting Photographers and the Business of Photography
A PA | NY P h o t o C o n t e s t 2 0 1 6 “Give Us Your Best Shot”
proof shee t Special “Give Us Your Best Shot� issue
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Give Us Your Best Shot 2016
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Grand Prize Winner: Michael Mayo
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Single Image Winner: Michael Mayo
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Single Image 2nd Place: Jens Lucking
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Single Image HM: Lyndon Wade
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Best Series Winner: Lyndon Wade
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Best Series 2nd Place: Kevin Mellis
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Best Series HM: Dhrumil Desai
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Best Series of Your Town Winner: Hope Lourie Killcoyne
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Best Series of Your Town 2nd Place: Matthew Cherry
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Best Series of Your Town HM: Anthony Verde
The APA|NY Proof Sheet is a quarterly magazine, published by the New York Chapter of the American Photographic Artists. Copyright 2016 APA|NY; all rights reserved, collectively and individually. Content, either images or text, may not be copied or reproduced in any form, in whole or in part, without prior written consent from the photographer, writer and APA|NY.
Supporting Photographers and the Business of Photography
About APA|New York APA|NY is the Northeast regional chapter of American Photographic Artists (APA), covering the entire area from Pennsylvania and Ohio up through Maine. As part of the country’s leading non-profit organization for professional photographers, we organize events, negotiate benefits for our members, hold seminars, promote our members’ work, organize photo contests, and much more. Our mission is successful photographers; our goal is to establish, endorse and promote professional practices, standards and ethics in the photographic community as well as provide valuable information on business and operational resources needed by all photographers. We seek to motivate, mentor, educate and inspire in the pursuit of excellence and to speak as one common voice for the rights of creators. APA|NY is a 501(c)6 not-for-profit organization run by and for professional photographers. Our all-volunteer Board works hard to promote, within our creative community, the spirit of mutual cooperation, encouragement, sharing and support. APA, and APA|NY, continue to expand benefits for its members and works to champion the rights of photographers and image-makers worldwide. APA Members include professional photographers, photo assistants, educators, and students. We also welcome professionals engaged in fields associated with photography, advertising, or visual arts but who themselves are not professional photographers. Membership types can be found at http://apanational.org/join. We welcome you to join and get involved.
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Give Us Your Best Shot 2016
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Reach us at: office@apany.com
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APA|NY Board of Directors Michael Seto Co-Chairman Ron Jautz Co-Chairman Bruce Byers Treasurer Scott Nidermaier Social Media Director Alley Maher Assistant Liaison Dhrumil Desai Social Media
www.michaelseto.com www.jautzphoto.com www.brucebyers.com www.nidermaierpictures.com www.alleymaher.com www.dhrumildesai.com
Sharlene Morris Legal Affairs Tony Falcone Studio Liaison
www.tonyfalconephoto.com
Thank You to our Volunteers Bill Bert, Ron Amato, Alan Mahon, Ari Burling, Jennifer Taylor, Nicole Pereira, Sue Barr, Tina Zarbaliev
contributing photographers Matthew Cherry, Dhrumil Desai, Jens Lucking, Hope Lourie Killcoyne, Michael Mayo, Kevin Mellis, Anthony Verde, the Wade Brothers advertising | email or call for a media kit Dhrumil Desai
dhrumil@dhrumildesai.com
Ron Jautz
ron@jautzphoto.com
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letters to the editor: please email comments and suggestions to proofsheet@apany.com proof sheet design: daniel carmin-romack www.rtwerk.net
APA | National APA National Office 5042 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 321, Los Angeles, CA 90036 National Executive Director Juliette Wolf-Robin Membership Representative Jeff Kausch • membership@apanational.org
Letter from the Contest Committee
Those of you familiar with the area APA|NY covers - from Pennsylvania and Ohio up through Maine - are familiar with its rich diversity. The states and the towns our professional photographer members live and work in are visually very different, yet in essential ways the same. So we wanted to see what our members’ “Best Shot” would look like. The concept was a resounding success: from the single shot to the series of your town, contrest entrants produced powerful, thoughtful and oft-times emotionally charged images. We have winners from all parts of the USA and Canada. The contest turned out to be a great way to get a glimpse their world. Our distinguished group of judges had hundreds of images to look through in making their choices and, with the quality of work submitted, it was no easy job. The final winners’ images have made for a great special issue of proof sheet magazine. This is just the start of APA|NY showing off the work of today’s photographers. If you are viewing this magazine and you like the work and have a project these photographers would be good for, please reach out to them. And keep your eyes open for announcements of next year’s photo contest - we’d like to see even more of our members’ photos. Our mission is successful photographers and we’re proud to show off our members work in this and other issues of proof sheet.
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Thank You to our Judges Ron Amato, Fashion Institute of Technology Kayte Geldzahler, Sr. Art Producer, McGarry Bowen Jana Jarosz, Publicis Bob Libbey, Pfizer Frank Meo, Found Folios David Scull, The New York Times
We are proud to announce the winners of our 2016 Photo Contest
Sponsored by Agency Access
APA|NY extends our gratitude to our generous prize sponsors: proof sheet
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Grand Prize Winner Michael Mayo
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Give Us Your Best Shot – Single Image Winner
Michael Mayo
Photographer Michael Mayo was trained in the arts. After studying at California Institute of the Arts in Los Angeles, Michael moved into advertising work where he was able to apply his art background to his commercial assignments. Michael has spent over two decades combining the mediums of art and commerce. From Los Angeles to New York to Dallas, Michael continues to pursue his unique photographic vision.
www.graphis.com/bio/michael-mayo/ studio@michaelmayo.com 214.406.8757
Give Us Your Best Shot 2016
www.michaelmayo.com
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I was once asked for my elevator speech... here it is “I’m claustrophobic, would you like to get off this thing and look at some cool photos”?
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Michael Mayo Photography Tupperastrophe Every year I create at least three photographs that can be used for self promotion for Michael Mayo Photography. These images are used as printed promotion, as well as email promotion. I try to create images that are humorous, well thought out, and well executed. Images that will hopefully attract attention, and draw potential clients to my website. These images are also entered into contests such as Graphis, Communication Arts, PDN, IPA, APA, and others. Ideas for photographs come from many different “everyday” conversations and “experiences”. The Tupperastrophe concept started as a conversation with my wife’s sister. During the preparation of a family dinner, I overheard my sister-in-law say “one day someone is going to find me dead under all my Tupperware”. The joke was that she had to much Tupperware and no place to store it all. With the idea of a Tupperware catastrophe, I began working on how to visually, and humorously, express my sister-inlaw’s dread of being buried under a pile of Tupperware. I wanted to shoot on location in an interesting 1960’s style kitchen. I felt the photograph needed to be colorful, and that the location needed to be thought provoking. With the help of a location scout, we found a location in Fort Worth Texas that was perfect. A model was placed on the kitchen floor and Tupperware was added around her, and actually taped to, her body. A prop stylist helped create the appearance of a meal being prepared. We spent several weeks locating and buying large amounts of “collectable 1960’s” Tupperware. Large piles of this colorful Tupperware were photographed in studio and added to our main back plate location image in post retouching. The results were a funny self promotion depicting what can happen when you accumulate too much Tupperware.
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Give Us Your Best Shot – Single Image 2nd Place
Jens Lucking
Here’s the story behind the winning APA NY image: The photograph “Thunderbird” is part of an ongoing series I have been working on for a number of years. Being into cars I wondered if I could guess a person’s car by simply looking at his/her shoes. As a 19-year-old I worked at a small Lamborghini shop when a bald man in socks and sandals pulled up – in a Lamborghini Countach! So it’s not as easy as you might think. Part of the project has been to drive around California with a trunk full of shoes, flip flops and boots and find cars that would compliment the look of a particular pair. Pictured here are my three favorites.
Growing up in a small, picturesque town half way between Berlin and Amsterdam, Jens fell in love with photography at an early age. Ever since his uncle gave him a $5 Agfamatic for his tenth birthday, Lucking has not left the house without a camera. Drawn by the terrible cuisine and the wet weather, he moved to London in 1996. Traveling around the globe for various assignments and personal projects, Jens finally traded his beloved British fish ‘n chips for some California sushi and now lives with his lovely wife and bug-obsessed son in Venice Beach. His award-winning photographs have been sold at major art auctions, featured in worldwide publications and exhibited in numerous galleries and museums in Europe and North America. Jens has been invited to judge photography competitions and speak publicly about his work and experiences over the past two decades to inspire a new generation of photographers. Whenever possible he mentors children in photography and art discovery classes at the non-profit school Venice Arts. And loves it.
www.jenslucking.com
• 917.499.8388
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Give Us Your Best Shot – Single Image HM
Lyndon Wade
The Wade Brothers are the sort of people who make you feel like you want to shave your head, grow a shapely beard and move to Kansas City to frolic in their skate park like studio and casually set things on fire.
www.thewadebrothers.com Los Angeles: 323.647.2442 info@thewadebrothers.com www.facebook.com/thewadebrothers http://instagram.com/thewadebrothers https://twitter.com/TheWadeBrothers
Give Us Your Best Shot 2016
New York: 646.402.9225
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The team, comprised of actual brothers David Lindsey Wade and Lyndon Wade, are recognized as two of the top lifestyle, fashion and advertising photographers in the industry. Spurred on by the success of their stills career and always inspired by the desire to tell stories, the guys have expanded into directing film, commercials, and digital content of all varieties. They see narrative and concept as the core to all good work. Their working style has been described by clients as two best friends, energized by a palpable sense of lunacy and a core commitment to creating totally original and strategically impactful work.
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Give Us Your Best Series Winner
Lyndon Wade
The Wade Brothers photographed the global above the line campaign for Bacardi with BETC in Panama and Mexico. The images focus on the brand’s famous heritage, and the incredible struggles that the family have overcome to get to where they are today – including fires, exile, prohibition and Cuban revolutionaries!
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Give Us Your Best Series 2nd Place
Kevin Mellis
Kevin J Mellis is one of very few Canadian large format photographers using traditional means of creating his images with both the wet plate collodion process and B&W film. He currently resides in Calgary, Alberta which is approximately 3 hours north of Sweetgrass, Montana and the Canadian border. His concurrent profession is working as a Medical Social Worker in the Foothills Hospital in the Emergency Department. His intense work with families, who are often in utter crisis, greatly influences his artistic process. He started photography in 2011 shortly after a young four-year-old child died on his shift in 2010 from a very unfortunate boating accident. The camera originally served as a means of assisting with the impact of witnessing this, and all the other graphic traumas while in the Emergency Department. Creating images now however has blossomed into a means of visually connecting with others on a deeper emotional and intellectual level. Mellis also draws considerable artistic influence from great master photographers, such as Sally Mann, Andrea Modica, Alec Soth and SebastiĂŁo Salgado. Mellis chose to use an analogue medium versus digital because it allows him to drastically slow down his overall artistic process. This in turn assists him in having a broader artistic exploration and also cultivates more internal patience, which has facilitated a deeper connection with all of his photographic subjects.
587-434-2579 twitter.com/kevinjmellis instagram.com/kevinjmellis facebook.com/KevinJMellis/
Give Us Your Best Shot 2016
www.kevinjmellis.com
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Mellis has won several international awards and has exhibited his work both nationally and internationally ~ Toronto, New York City, Los Angeles, Philadelphia as well as Fort Collins, Colorado at the Center for Fine Art Photography. He is a member of several foundations, including the Penumbra Foundation in New York City for Alternative Photographic Processes, the George Eastman Museum in Rochester, New York, and is also an international leadership member of the American Photographic Artists’ Association – APA, New York Chapter.
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Dhrumil Desai The Characters of Renaissance Faire series accidentally started three years ago when a friend introduced me to the faire in Irwindale, California on the opening weekend. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. The faire was originally created to show kids a living history and to celebrate the spirit of the renaissance period. I didn’t know what to expect and I was so amazed to see how all the volunteers were so in character. Not to mention, the incredibly intricate sets to the beautiful period styling and old English that everyone communicated in definitely transports you back in time. Before going to the faire, I researched photos of the faire and the only thing I found was casual event photography. So I decided I wanted to make some portraits of the amazing character in their environment with my style of photography that I use in fashion. As an introverted photographer, I used the camera to bridge the gap between a stranger and myself. The volunteers were quite happy to have their portraits made at the faire. The faire has all sorts of characters – from the people who can tailor your period clothing to someone who can forge your sword. To make this series, I have been to the faire for three different days over two. All photos in the series have been created using one light technique. You can view more from this series on my website at www.dhrumildesai.me/ren-faire.
him at dhrumil@dhrumildesai.me or 213.255.5145 (New York) www.instagram.com/desaidhrumil
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www.linkedin.com/in/dhrumildesai
www.facebook.com/DhrumilSDesaiPhotography
Give Us Your Best Shot 2016
You can see his latest work at www.dhrumildesai.me or get in touch with
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Dhrumil is an award winning fashion and commercial photographer in New York and Los Angeles area who focuses on creating sophisticated, stylish, and elegant photos. He offers images with a character to his editorial, fashion, beauty, and advertising clients that help sell the products. The goal is for the people to fall in love with these characters being portrayed by sharing Dhrumil’s vision and passion through his photography. The images highlight the fashion but also develop a relationship between the viewer and the photo by having a strong character presence in the photographs.
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Give Us Your Best Series of Your Town Winner
Hope Lourie Killcoyne Bringing documentation to a creative level via the visual and the verbal is part of my DNA. I always have my camera with me. Before September 2014, that camera was a nice, affordable, point-and-shoot, the Canon PowerShot, with 20x optical zoom. However, having fallen off one too many bike rides, it finally broke.
Give Us Your Best Shot How did I manage to get two Goth girls to pose for me on their first trip to NYC? Gain the trust and smiles of a group of Orthodox Jewish kids? Have two counter guys at Katz’s Deli take a break from their busy work to beam? And especially, have half a dozen police officers on Christopher Street allow me to pose them? (The cat was easy: I just had to wait.) I’m not totally sure. Being a friendly “people person” helps. So does being a petite middle-aged white woman. It took a while to get here, but I now know that these narrative-driven photographic expeditions are not just my passion: as they define others, they define me, as well.
Hope Lourie Killcoyne’s post-university career began as a writer/producer in television at NBC Network News. She then worked at Channel 13/PBS, where she wrote and produced award-winning promos. A few years later, her first children’s book, The Lost Village of Central Park, led to a career shift—educational publishing—first as managing editor, author, and photographer at Silver Moon Press; then as executive editor, author, and photographer at Britannica Educational Publishing. As of 2015, she has been a freelance photographer, working chiefly for the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE). With a camera as her constant companion, Killcoyne has won regional, national (photo 78 of 90: Charlie), and international awards for her environmental portraiture. Her work has been featured at various galleries, including a solo show at a kosher vegan restaurant in Greenwich Village. Yup; that’s New York.
www.amazon.com/Hope-Lourie-Killcoyne/e/B001K83A3A www.linkedin.com/in/hopelouriekillcoyne http://hopelouriekillcoyne.me
Give Us Your Best Shot 2016
www.instagram.com/hopekillcoyne
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A freelance writer as well, Killcoyne’s 2016 book for kids, Anne Frank: Heroic Diarist of the Holocaust, has garnered editorial and individual praise, including being on sale at The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. On a similar note, she has written several articles about the Armenian genocide of WWI for 100 Lives and the Aurora Prize. She also wrote the cover story (about Olympics photographer Jason Evans) for the Summer 2016 issue of proof sheet, the magazine of APA|NY.
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Give Us Your Best Series of Your Town 2nd Place
Matthew Cherry
A photographer and cinematographer, Matthew Cherry’s visual storytelling ability resonates in both his portraiture and conceptual imagery. His work has the ability to intrigue, delight and inspire the viewer while merging art, theater and photography. His dramatic use of lighting builds depth and a rich palate that creates a cinematic tone within his work, while detailed sets and polished styling exude glamour and sophistication. By working with extraordinary stylists, makeup artists and prop masters, Matthew and his team continue to create amazing visionary scenes both realistic and fictional.
www.matthewjcherry.com 203.554.0277 matthew@matthewjcherry.com
Give Us Your Best Shot 2016
In addition to his creative work behind the lens, Matthew has been involved in business marketing for the past fifteen years and has designed and run numerous local, national and international marketing campaigns.
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Matthew draws his inspiration from a wide range of sources, most notably Italian and French cinema, American Film Noir and American Jazz artists of the 40s and 50s.
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Anthony Verde
The Inspiration for this series happened one evening while I was driving through Williamsburg. Having grown up in NYC the sight of hanging old used sneakers from lamp posts and cable wires is very common. Sometimes it’s a single pair, sometimes its many pairs, but these dangling shoes were different. Instead of ragged old running shoes I saw a pair of women’s white satin high heels! I was surprised by the sight and knew I wanted to make a picture illustrating what I’d seen. Gathering the elements together was relatively simple but while working on the photo I realized the concept was perfect for a series. I started thinking about other likely pairings of New York City places and sites and some appropriate accessory. I’ve produced 6 images so far in the series and I think I have a couple more in me. There are so many things that come to mind when thinking of Iconic NYC that pairing a particular building, place, object, person or event to a product or accessory can go on and on. I try to inject a little humor surprise when possible in the images to hopefully, make some people smile. I like creating these images because they show the subjects in a slightly different way and they show my hometown at the same time.
Anthony Verde
www.facebook.com/AnthonyVerdePhotography
www.anthonyverde.com 347.799.1219 anthony@anthonyverde.com
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