infocus people’s choice award – Alexis Marie Chute

InFocus: Opening Party & Portfolio Reviews

February 7, 2017/0 Comments/in Exhibitions, Gallery Openings, InFocus Photo Exhibit, Photography Update /by Alexis Marie Chute

InFocus Photo Exhibit & Award is open to the public! Visit The Front Gallery to see this amazing show. I am so proud to curate InFocus and I love seeing how it is propelling photographers’ careers forward and engaging people in the dialogue about why photography matters. I believe photography is art. This is something I’ve always promoted – and defended. The Front Gallery owner, Rachel Bouchard, is on the same page (and the gallery looks great adorned in photos, btw).

Photography is a dynamic, impassioned and powerful creative medium. Not to be ignored.

If you are in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada this Thursday, February 9 – come out to the InFocus Photo opening party! And come back again on Friday night for the portfolio reviews. Here is more info about both of these awesome events:

InFocus Opening Reception:

Thursday, February 9, 2017

6 – 9 pm

The Front Gallery

12323 – 104th Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta

Curator Talk & InFocus Photo People’s Choice Award presentation – 7pm

InFocus Portfolio Reviews:

Portfolio Review Date:

Friday, February 10, 2017

6:30-9:30 PM

Registration: $40+GST

Students. Enthusiasts. Amateurs. Professionals. ALL PHOTOGRAPHERS WELCOME!
We have a rock star line-up of reviewers ready to bestow their wealth of knowledge and experience to all portfolio review participants.

Reviewers include: Larry Louie, Curtis Trent, Akemi Matsubuchi, and yours truly, Alexis Marie Chute.

Bring printed photographs, a bound portfolio or images on your laptop or tablet. The reviewers will look at your work, give feedback on how to make it better or how to promote yourself – or anything else you may be wondering about with your photography.

One registration will give you ten (10) minutes with each of our four talented and generous photographers in a speed-dating style review.

THERE ARE ONLY 6 SPOTS LEFT! REGISTER NOW!

Here is more info about InFocus:

MISSION: To promote and exhibit innovative, thoughtful, and provocative photography created by CANADIAN contemporary image makers.

INFOCUS PHOTO is an annual exhibition that began in 2015. In it’s first year, the show took place at Harcourt House Artist Run Centre and featured Edmonton and area photographers. In the second year, InFocus expanded to celebrate the best photography from across Alberta, showcased at dc3 Art Projects. Now, in its third year, InFocus has fulfilled its mission of welcoming submissions from ALL Canadian photographers. This year, the curated show will be mounted in The Front Gallery.

InFocus is one of the major photographic surveys of Canadian-made imagery.

InFocus presents the current cultural climate in photography within our nation.

Photo by Vanessa Tignanelli. GUELPH, Ont. (30/06/16) – Julian Holman, known in Guelph, Ont. as “the pigeon guy”, is a friendly but strongly-opinionated homeless man with a unique relationship to a bird named Ffögeli. Julian has a brilliant mind, but he psychoanalyzes society so meticulously that he can only exist as a critic, choosing to live on the outside of society rather than be a contributing member. Julian has been living on the streets of Guelph since 2013 when he moved from Germany to pursue a love that would eventually break his heart. It seems he has dealt with pain by turning every human emotion into a crippling string of theories. “You can’t deal with things unless you understand them. Once you understand them you are detached. They are no longer things that involve you, they are things to observe. It’s there in the Vedas, the miraculous capabilities of human consciousness,” he says. Recently Julian has been squatting in an abandoned house near downtown, hoping to have shelter this winter, though police have been monitoring him and Ffögeli since kicking him out once already.

Here is the line-up of InFocus 2017 Photographers:

Hedy Bach

Wes Bell

Lauren Dary

Al Dixon

Gerry Dotto

Emogene

Greg Gerla

Andy Greening

Laura Grier

Aidan Guerra

Chan Hawkins

Joshua Jensen

Candace Makowichuk

Ann Mansolino

Drew May

Deborah Naoum

Rob Pohl

Marko Radovanovic

JT Rehill

Steve Ricketts

Murray Sugden

Anne Tapler White

Vanessa Tignanelli

Curtis Trent

Kevin Tuong

Henry VanderSpek

Peter Young

InFocus 2017 Photographer Steve Ricketts

January 10, 2017/0 Comments/in Guest Post, InFocus Photo Exhibit, Photography Inspirations /by Alexis Marie Chute

I love sharing the work of other talented artists, writers, musicians and, of course, photographers. Today is a special guest post by one of the 2017 InFocus Photo photographers. I am pleased to introduce Steve Ricketts! I first got to know Steve and his photography last year when he submitted and showed his photography at our 2016 InFocus Photo Exhibit and Award. Steve is not only a great photographer, but a truly kind human. On that note, I pass this post over to Steve!

STEVE RICKETTS

I first became interested in photography about five years ago as a retirement project and as a homage to my Dad, and I found that I enjoyed it immensely. I find myself drawn to photography because of its ability to tell a story without the use of words. One can write at length about a topic but a single image can be much more powerful.

taken in the Palouse area of eastern Washington State

I’m mostly self-taught; i.e. I have no formal training in photography or in art; in fact, I’m not exactly artistic. If anything, I’m the opposite; I’m a scientist by education and work, and I take a very scientific and logical approach to photography. I have learned a great deal by reading books by photographers, by traveling with other photographers and seeing what they do, and by taking photos. Lots of photos.

I mostly do landscape photography but I also enjoy experimenting with weather (storms, noctilucent clouds), portraiture, urban photography, and the blur created by intentional camera movement. I am constantly looking for images that capture a special moment.

I use Adobe Lightroom for almost all my image processing, and Nik’s Silver Efex Pro for black-and white conversion. I try to minimize the amount of editing that I do; while today’s software allows for powerful manipulation to create a wonderful image, I prefer to challenge myself to be in the right place and at the right time to capture the image that I have in mind.

Over the past year, I have found myself drawn to doing black & white photography as I like how it draws the viewer’s attention to the contrast and texture in landscapes. I often use a telephoto lens and zoom in on a small area to capture lines and curves; it’s very much a desire for minimalism.

taken in Two Hills County, AB

While the Alberta Rockies are home to a lot of spectacular scenery, there is a lot of beauty in the Alberta prairies too, and I find myself increasingly drawn to shooting the landscape in and around my home in Sherwood Park, especially in Strathcona, Minburn and Lamont Counties. That is, rather than take the viewer on a journey to see the grandeur of the Rockies, I prefer to take them on a journey around my backyard to enjoy the subtlety of the Prairies.

***

You can see more of Steve’s work on the InFocus Photo Exhibit & Award site by clicking here. Also, check-out the InFocus Photo People’s Choice Award by clicking here.

Other places to find Steve:

Flicker

Twitter

www.InFocusPhoto.ca

Show your Photography at The Front Gallery

September 26, 2016/0 Comments/in Call for Submissions, Curating, Exhibitions, InFocus Photo Exhibit, Photography Update /by Alexis Marie Chute

The Front Gallery is a beautiful creative space located in the heart of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is the perfect place to host a nation-wide exhibition of the best photography Canada has to offer. This is an exhibition you need to be a part of. InFocus Photography Exhibit and Award strives to present the current cultural climate of photography in the country. This is a major photographic-survey you want to be a part of.

ABOUT THE FRONT GALLERY:

The Front Gallery is pleased to be able to feature Edmonton’s artistic diversity in a relaxed and welcoming environment. Whether catering to serious collectors or the casual passer-by, The Front Gallery is an inviting environment to engage with art that speaks to people about new ideas and ways of seeing.

The art exhibited at The Front Gallery comes from both Canadian and international artist and extends from traditional landscapes to more challenging contemporary pieces, all of which have the ability to surprise, delight and inspire it’s audiences.

Our passion at The Front Gallery is in providing a relaxed and inviting environment where the first connection between a person and a work of art can open the mind to a dialogue that will last a lifetime.

ENTER INFOCUS PHOTO:

Enter by October 16, 2016 for regular rate – $25 for 3 images

Extended deadline October 30, 2016 – $35 for 3 images

Enter online at www.infocusphoto.ca/infocus-submission/

Learn more about InFocus at www.InFocusPhoto.ca

THE FRONT GALLERY IS THE PROUD HOST OF INFOCUS PHOTO 2017:

InFocus Photo Exhibit & Award wants your Photography!

September 22, 2016/0 Comments/in Call for Submissions, Curating, Exhibitions, InFocus Photo Exhibit, Photography Update, Uncategorized /by Alexis Marie Chute

The call for submissions for InFocus Photography Exhibit and Award is now underway! This is an exciting time of sorting images, selecting and planning. Which photographs will you be entering this year?

SUBMISSION DETAILS:

Enter by October 16, 2016 for regular rate – $25 for 3 images

Extended deadline October 30, 2016 – $35 for 3 images

Enter online at www.infocusphoto.ca/infocus-submission/

Learn more about InFocus at www.InFocusPhoto.ca

ABOUT INFOCUS PHOTO:

INFOCUS PHOTO is an annual exhibition that began in 2015. In it’s first year, the show took place at Harcourt House Artist Run Centre and featured Edmonton and area photographers. In the second year, InFocus expanded to celebrate the best photography from across Alberta, showcased at dc3 Art Projects. Now, in its third year, InFocus has fulfilled its mission of welcoming submissions from ALL Canadian photographers. This year, the curated show will be mounted in The Front Gallery.

InFocus Photo Exhibition and Award aims to show the best Canadian-made photography. We are looking for photographers from across the country who have something to say and are saying in a unique way – and through the lens of their camera. We welcome submissions from students to professionals living in any Canadian province.

The exhibition of curated images will take place at The Front Gallery in Edmonton, Alberta during the month of February 2017 as a part of Exposure Photography Festival. The mission of InFocus is to promote and exhibit innovative, thoughtful and provocative photography created by Canadian contemporary image-makers.

I will be posting details about submitting to InFocus until the extended deadline of October 30, 2016. Please subscribe to this blog to stay up-to-date with the latest InFocus info.

Happy submitting!

– AMC

InFocus Photo Exhibit Opening Reception this Thursday

February 1, 2016/0 Comments/in Awards, Curating, Exhibitions, Gallery Openings, InFocus Photo Exhibit, Photography Update /by Alexis Marie Chute

It was an exciting weekend! Not only did we hang the InFocus Photo Exhibit at dc3 Art Projects, but our InFocus People’s Choice Award voting came to a close. The voting was a close race all month. In the end, there were over 2,000 votes cast online. I am so excited to announce the winner. That will take place during my Curator Talk at the opening reception.

Alexis Marie & Aaron Chute, the core InFocus Team.

A big thank-you to Vistek, our InFocus People’s Choice Award sponsor.

InFocus Photo opening reception:

Thursday, February 4, 6-9PM
Curator Talk 7PM
dc3 Art Projects
10567 – 111 Street
Edmonton, AB

Last week I spoke about InFocus on Global morning news. Here is the interview.

I hope to see you Thursday night!

3 Days Left to Vote! InFocus People’s Choice Award

January 28, 2016/0 Comments/in Art Update, Curating, Gallery Openings, InFocus Photo Exhibit, Photography Inspirations, Photography Update, Press & Media /by Alexis Marie Chute

I am proud to announce that Vistek is the new sponsor for the InFocus Peolple’s Choice Award. The voting is going fabulously – and boy, what a tight race to first place! There are only three more days to vote for your favorite photograph and photographer. With one vote per day per household, if you want your choice to win, now is the time to spread the word. Tell your friends and family. We have so many amazing photographers that want your vote. Now is the time!

We will announce the winner of the InFocus People’s Choice Award at the opening reception. This will take place during the Curator Talk.

Thursday, February 4, 2016

Opening Reception: 6 – 9 PM

Curator Talk: 7 PM

dc3 Art Projects

10567 – 111 Street
Edmonton, AB, Canada
T5H 3E8

Please RSVP to the opening reception on Facebook by clicking here or via email info@alexismariechute.com

You can find InFocus Photo Exhibit listed with Exposure Photography Festival’s events. Click here to see what other photography events are taking place during the month of February.

This morning, bright and early, I spoke about InFocus Photo Exhibit and the People’s Choice Award on the Global Morning News. As always, I am so proud to share about this exhibit which means so much to me. The InFocus photographers are a super talented bunch! Once the interview is ready, I will share the video here – just in case you weren’t tuned in at 6:40 AM!