Awarded Photographs from the Exhibit
	Awarded $150 River of Gold by Walter Jakubowski Abstract photos are often untitled because the artists want the observer to determine for themselves what the story is. Walter, historically a landscape photographer, makes these abstract images and then crops out the section that tells the story he wants. As you can see Walter is strongly attracted to color, so most of his work, as is this one, are contrasty and really pop! The tones all blend nicely and make for a pleasant photo to look at and consider what it means to you.  There is an artist video on the web page for the Magic of Light show where you can hear Walter explain his work and processing. Click Here to see Carl Crumley's discussion with Walter on YouTube.
	Awarded $150 Top Hat by Tom Knauss This photograph is a beautiful example of how much excellent composition and lighting can contribute to a masterful image.    The dramatic deep black background and the muted, almost shadow-like lighting of the model are then contrasted to the dramatic rim lighting employed for the highlighted area of the photograph. This is also a photograph of textures rather than details.  The face is only suggested while the felt of the top hat and the luscious skin tones are beautifully reproduced.   Eyes and mouth, often the focus of so-called “glamor” photography are not even shown, leaving it to the viewer to “fill in” these features from the imagination.  She is a beautiful woman but shrouded in shadows and mystery! Compositionally centered on the photograph, it is symmetrical both in shape and in lighting. The large, beautifully finished image would be an asset to anyone’s home decor.
	$150 Gift Certificate Awarded by Lumiere Photo and Frame They Won't Let Me Do Anything by Stephanie Warchol Stephanie’s submission to The Magic of Light 2021, They Won’t Let Me Do Anything was selected by the staff at Lumiere to receive a $150 Gift Certificate. At first, I was struck by the difference in Stephanie’s two photos in The Magic of Light 2021 show from the usual submissions. However, I did linger with the photo and take a closer look at what was going on and I began to think about many questions. I found out later that Stephanie creates this work from old photos or post cards from her own files, or friend's photos or images found for other sources. She sometimes crops a section of the photo and then, using writing from the back of the photo, or from another photo entirely, superimposes the writing over the photo. So, Stephanie is creating her interpretation of a photograph. Her next step is to process the resulting image to create a print that she can use for a cyanotype print, or in effect, a blueprint of the original. Another technique she uses is to use layers of textures or other photos to add information. However, Stephanie’s work challenges the viewer to look carefully at her image, consider her ideas or the background and think about their own interpretation. Stephanie’s work is a worthy addition of creativity to the show. Click Here to see Carl Crumley's discussion with Stephanie on YouTube.