Project Refresh: Single Entry

Creativity is really about pushing ourselves. Regardless of how successful or accomplished we may be with our photography.

At the Santa Fe Digital Darkroom, we believe we should always make room for our photographic work to evolve and grow. Everyone gets stuck occasionally, or caught up in patterns emulating the styles of those photographers that we admire, or reproducing imagery we have already seen or created, and forget the importance of photographing what inspires us. Often times the very formulas we may have found for bringing us successful imagery in the past, can stagnate our growth and keep our creative image making from moving forward.

Originality will forever be elusive in the medium of photography, but we believe a passion for innovation will always create new directions, and new directions make exciting work.

To energize or re-energize your work, try taking a detour from the style of photography that you usually pursue. This is an assignment to step out of the mold and make images that are not for an art director, not for your portfolio, not for a client, not for impressing your photography teacher/ instructor / mentor, not for a grade, not for the walls, not for a show, not for impressing you friends and not for your family album. This is an assignment to make images that are completely and entirely for you, and no one else but you.

To begin this assignment, you will want to listen to your instincts and make images from your heart and soul as well as your eyes. It may be very difficult at first, but you will need to try and forget every image you have ever seen- or made. Try and remember (or imagine) what it felt like to be a child with a camera in your hands. What would you photograph if no one else were looking upon or judging the imagery, if your only concept of principals were the ones you see at school, and they were not someone you wanted to encounter.

Whether you come up with a preconceived idea, or you just go out and shoot intuitively, the most important part of this assignment is not to tell anyone about your project until you have decided it is finished, and even then only if you want to.

Project Guidelines:
1. Commit to the project. Whether you commit for a week, a month, a year, or a lifetime- make a commitment to create a body of work just for yourself.
2. Slow down. Stop for extended moments and look around you.
3. Look even harder.
4. Keep reminding yourself to slow down and really look.
5. Do not share your project with others until your project is complete- and do not be discouraged by what anyone else says or thinks, no mater who they are! remember that some of the most famous artists in history were once disparaged by others about their work.
6. You don’t have to be outrageous, unless you really want to be. Remember that sometimes the simplest notions can be most unique.
7. Allow your project room to grow.
8. Keep editing your work until you’ are really satisfied.

Deadline for Submissions Aug 17
Entry Fee:
$30 US (three images)
$50 per series (up to 6 images)

$75 per portfolio (up to 20 images)

Enter our juried competition for digital art and photography. Entrants should submit JPEG files of original work. All styles of artwork and photography where digital processes of any kind were integral to the creation of the images are acceptable. The competition is international, open to all geographic locations.

• Images should be 10 inches at longest dimension.
• 72 ppi
• Jpeg format
PDF of Guidelines for Submission will be emailed after payment is complete.

$ 30.00