Announcing:
Results of the PPD Photo Book Essay Contest
By Larry Cowles FPSA GMPSA/s
This is the second
year for the Print Division Photo Essay Book Contest. This year we had 17 books from 4 countries. Congratulations to all the winners which were
announced at the Photographic Society of America Conference in San Antonio on September
9, 2016.
1st Place Terezin:
“Small Fortress” James David Phenicie
2nd Place The Wild
and Woolie Sheep Rodeo Viki Gaul
3rd Place The John
Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon Michael Todd
Judges Choice
Exploring China Lynn Troy Maniscalco
Judges Choice Cats
of Beaufort Sandy Dimke
Judges Choice Old
Car USA, A Photographers Paradise Bill Buchanan FPSA
HM Devesh Devkumar
Gupta
For those
interesting in entering the 2017 contest, all the information, requirements and
entry form can be found on the PSA website in the PPD section.
This summer I entered the Photo Book Essay Contest which is part of the Print Division of the Photographic Society of America. At their annual conference in San Antonio, TX, it was announced that my entry had won first place.
The idea for this 75 page book was developed from my 2015 visit to the Terezin Small Fortress Concentration Camp located outside Prague, Czech Republic. It was a happen-stance visit, as we passed through on the way back to Germany. And there it was, in the afternoon that I walked through this small fortress with its connection to Nazi evil. I paid the small fee for the privilege of photographing and as I self-toured each room, the impact of the place was great. I took each image knowing that it had been a horrible and torturous place for those placed in the cramped prison. The suffering and agony weighed on my heart at each click of the shutter.
When I returned home I was unsure exactly what I would do with the images. And then a local photographer told me that the PSA had a category for a Photo Book Essay Contest. So I decided to design a book around the images.
At first I was unsure as to how to tell the story, but after extensive research for a short documentary video on the Small Fortress, I decided to use old, historical photographs on the facing page of each of my images to help tell the story of the "Nameless Ones." Here are several samples of the pages:
I appreciate the judges rewarding me for the work I did and selecting my entry as the first place winner.
Here is a link to my video: https://vimeo.com/143300885
