I was very pleased today to learn that my photograph The Fair was juried into the “National Prize” show, and it will be in the CAA’s exhibit in Cambridge from May 15 through July 11 this year. The show was juried by Toby Kamps, Menil Collection.
This has been one my own favorite pictures for many years, but it has not received this kind of critical recognition before.
In the first place, I just like the way the picture looks. It was shot on the beautiful, now defunct Kodak E100G film; the colors, although they are very rich, are 100% natural. Colors do look rich at the state fair.
Gestures are of great importance to me, and I love the juxtaposition of the little toddler, who has a look of innocent excitement on his face, with the two big boys, who are either looking oafish or snarling.
I was very close to the big boy on the right. He completely ignored me, and the 35mm lens I was using captured a lot of detail in a lot of depth. I moved around slightly and waited for the dragon roller coaster to be in the right spot.
That much, I saw in the viewfinder. Later, I was intrigued by a kind of coincidence of perspective. The human figures that appear to be smaller due to perspective—that is, smaller because they are farther from the lens—also are smaller in real life. That was a bonus which I believe contributes to the picture’s feeling of depth.