At the beginning of November, I entered the 17th annual Juried Photo Show put on by the Blue Mountain Foundation For The Arts, in Collingwood, Ontario. [link] It was my first try at this type of event. The competition is open to amateur and professional photographers from across Ontario, and of the 500 entries received each year, about 200 are chosen to hang in the Foundation's downtown art gallery for the whole month. Members of the public may purchase the art, if the photographer wishes.


The categories and jurors are changed with each annual Juried Photo Show and the foundation attempts to match the jurors’ expertise with the categories. The categories incorporate portraiture, landscape, and design. With the onset of digital, retouching of images are accepted in all categories. Photos must be mounted and matted in accordance with published guidelines.


For my first attempt, I entered four prints (8" x 12") in three categories. Of the four, three were selected for exhibition and one of them [link] received an Honourable Mention in the Manmade Structures category. Needless to say, I was very happy with the results. What really pleased me the most was that in a room full of professional and amateur photography, my submissions did not appear to be out of place. They fit in nicely.


It was a great learning experience and something I will definately try again next year. The print making and matting was rather costly and I will have to find cheaper sources for pre-cut mats.

is also excited about next year now that she has seen that her work is equally comparable.


This month I'm featuring shots from some of my UK watchers.