Nikki McKenzie is a Finalist

Nikki McKenzie is a finalist in the 33^rd Annual College and High School Photography Contest hosted by Photographers Forum and Nikon. Over 16,000 entries from USA, Canada and internationally were juried with only a fraction being accepted.

I love Nikki's fun title of Butts Up for this image. But I feel a much more serious moment in the photograph. I see the repetition of the cattle moving back into the space. This brings the mechanical reality of where our food products come from and lack of human interaction. Although she has given this a humous title - I feel a loss for humanity.

The jurors Neil Campbell, Photographers Forum photo editor selected the finalist group. From the finalist the judges, Steve LaVoie from the Art Center College of Design, Linda Lowell from Barbara Cith College and Rob Winter from Brooks Institute will select the award winners. All finalist will be published in the Best of College and High School Photography 2013.

Nikki is a student at Mississippi State University and will be entering her final semester in the fall 2013. I feel she is an explorer with the camera. Her work varies in techniques but each image has a strong impact. Mark my words - she is a photographer to watch.

BRAVO for Photography!!

Preview the selections for the 2013 MCAC for PHOTO from MSU!!

Out of 1052 entries from ten schools, Sara Marshall, Associate Professor of Art from the University of Alabama, chose 188 pieces for inclusion in the show. I am proud to say the following students had photography accepted into this years competition: Carlyse Williams, June Upton, Maegan Bedells, Nikki McKenzie, Riley Reid, Stephanie Travis and Whitten Sabbatini. Below are images from most of the students listed above. The exhibition reception is scheduled for Saturday, February 2nd from 2:00 - 4:00 pm, with the awards ceremony at 3:00 pm at the Mississippi Arts Center in Downtown Jackson.

Here are a few of the photographs that will be in the exhibition. I feel these images are all very interesting and come from talented young artists. Several of these images come from students new to photography. I am very impressed that they, [Carlyse Williams, June Upton, Maegan Bedells and Stephanie Travis] had work accepted in to the 2013 Mississippi Collegiate Art Competition. This is a huge competition that included ten art programs across the state of Mississippi encompassing undergraduate and graduate level. 

- Carlyse Williams

When asked about the inspiration behind her work Carlyse replied "When shooting this piece, I thought of  one of my favorite photographers, Jerry Uelsmann, and how he was able to put nature and the out of the ordinary placement of objects seamlessly together to create what seems like a very natural image."

It is simple but thought provoking image. Like Uelsmann it is dreamlike. It has a unnatural feeling set a a very calm natural setting. As a dreamlike image there are may interpretations, for me I feel the spheres are present to provide man with new knowledge. In its simplest form I enjoy the visual balance.

 - Stephanie Travis

When asked the reason for photographing a window, Stephanie said, "The image of this window was captured in an attempt to portray a glimpse of the decay that is often left behind by humanity." 

Thus the window becomes a symbol of decay, the passing of time and temporary concern man has for his surroundings. Yet there is beauty and a touch of hope in this image. I feel she is also giving us hope for our future as we look out of the darkness to the light.

-Nikki McKenzie

Nikki is one of the more experienced photographers presented in this blog and she knows that the basics of light is the key to any image.  "When I was capturing this photo, all I was really thinking about was the light." stated Nikki. "I loved how it beautifully illuminated part of the bride. When I was looking at it later, it came to be one of my favorite from the shoot because of the position of the bride. I love how even though you can't see her face you can still sense the anticipation, nervousness, and excitement of the moment." 

It takes a talented photographer to not only see light but to capture it as a document of a personal event. Life is made-up by little moment. Nikki has captured this one simple moment as visual record for a lifetime. This is what photography is all about.

-Maegan Bedells

This landscape / horizon by Maegan is simple and breathless. I feel myself being drawn into the image. It is a timeless. The colors vibrate from the horizon and drift back to the viewer of waves of water and air. Simple elegance.

- June Upton

June stated that this image is from a recent project she has been working on that explores connections and how things function when connected. "So really I was just concentrating on how to best portray that idea. So when I looked at my cousins braces I thought that shooting them would be perfect because it portrayed such a simple connection, and when you look close with out those brackets being linked together with the wire all that metal would be useless." 

I can definitely see and feel the connection. The smile lightens the mood and relaxes the viewer as they are confronted by the braces. Upton's image is a fun image.

One should never take lightly the acceptance into a competition. There is never any guarantee that the photograph one juror accepted today will be accepted tomorrow. Keep photographing and keep creating!

Congratulations for being accepted into the MCAC!  So enjoy this moment! 

Reminder: The exhibition reception is scheduled for Saturday, February 2nd from 2:00 - 4:00 pm, with the awards ceremony at 3:00 pm at the Mississippi Arts Center in Downtown Jackson.