13th Annual Palo Alto Weekly Photo Contest
Judges
David Hibbard
Fine art photographer David Hibbard traces his career back
to age 7 when on a family vacation he attempted to record
the magnificent Big Sur Coast with a Brownie camera. "Even
then I wondered if it was possible to improve upon the results," he
recalled. As an adult, David's passion for photography never
waned, despite the demands of a Silicon Valley career. Encouragement,
first from Ansel Adams then later from Marion Patterson,
helped David find his way as a photographic artist. Recently,
David retired from his "first" career to work full-time
on photographic projects. The forest, coastal, and wetland
environments of the Bay Area -- places he explored with great
care and patience -- are an ongoing focus of his work. His
photography has won many local awards (including previous
Palo Alto Weekly contests). David frequently exhibits his
work and teaches workshops on the art of photography.
"The high quality of the photographs
submitted made for some tough judging decisions. What separates
a winning
photograph from one that is merely good? Above all, I want
the photograph to engage me in some way. Content, compositional
integrity, technical excellence, and presentation should all
work in harmony to draw me into the image -- to bring me back
to it a second, third, fourth time."
--Dave Hibbard
Ellen Manchester
Ellen Manchester is a photography curator, arts administrator
and editor. She has been a consultant and panelist for the
National Endowment for the Arts and a juror for numerous
photography competitions. In 1995 she served as guest curator
of photography for "Facing Eden: 100 Years of Landscape
Art in the Bay Area" for the de Young Museum (San Francisco),
and in 2001 she was co-curator of "After the Storm:
Bob Walker and the Art of Environmental Photography" for
the Oakland Museum. She was co-founder and project director
of The Rephotographic Survey Project published as Second
View. She and her husband, Robert Dawson, were the founders
and co-directors of The Water in the West Project -- a collaborative
photographic project addressing water issues in the American
West. She is the author of "Arid Waters: Photographs
from the Water in the West Project"; photographic editor
for the book, "Colorado: Visions of an American Landscape";
and co-curator of the University of Colorado's exhibition
and book "The Great West: Real/Ideal."
Norbert von der Groeben
Norbert joined the staff of the Palo Alto Weekly six
months ago as chief photographer. Prior to that, Norbert
spent close to 17 years with the Contra Costa Times, working
as a staff photographer and a photo editor. Other career
highlights include teaching photo editing for one year at
San Jose State University, serving a stint as president of
the California Press Photographers Association and running
the annual photo contest for the San Francisco Bay Area Press
Photographers Association. Even after being in the business
for more than 20 years, he remains energized by photojournalism.
Norbert still gets a thrill coming back from an assignment
with photos that show moments and emotions.
"For me, the youth division of the photo
contest was the hardest
category to judge -- and also the most satisfying. Not only
were there many great images, but the contestants were not
afraid to take chances with their photos. I have judged other
youth
photo
contests but none had this high a caliber of entries. I wish
contestants in the adult division would emulate the youngsters
and take
chances with their photographs. The students' effort
paid off wonderfully in the refreshing images submitted for
the contest. After judging this contest, I feel energized to
take some risks
with my own photo assignments at the Weekly."
-- Norbert
von der Groben
Steve Kiser
Steve Kiser is an artist and educator. He has been on
assignment for several international publications, lectured,
given workshops and exhibited his work internationally. Currently
he is an instructor at Foothill College, City College of
San Francisco and operates his own art studio and workshops.
As a photographer, with a background in music and sculpture,
he is able to relay a distinctive and individual interpretation
on seeing through the camera. The use of space, light and
time plays a vital part in his images. "Photography
for me has always been an expedition into the unknown. The
many paths that lie ahead can unlock an immense variety of
possibilities and embark one on an intriguing visual exploration.
These paths invite me to explore my environment and then
question what I encounter. The Hawaiian phrase; na na i ke
kumu (look to the source), has always been my guide."
"The one thing I look for in a photographic
image is that someone has gone beyond the surface image and
explored their environment with a little more thought. This
year I found many of the participants doing just that and especially
in the Youth category where a wide range of images intrigue
all of us."
--Steve Kiser
