“My love for photography and the image is what made saying “Yes” to being the juror for this exhibition a very easy and exciting prospect. Photography, in my opinion, is the most democratic of all the artistic disciplines. Any individual can take a photograph. That does not necessarily mean any individual can take a good or sound photograph; but that all are able to participate. As with any artistic medium, the ability to effectively create a strong image comes with painstaking hard work and a commitment to the craft. There is a real beauty in knowing that we share the most accessible medium of all the Arts. It is this democratic nature that makes me fall in love with photography and the image every day.

The task of reviewing the submissions was not without its challenges as I set out to identify images that had clarity of vision, sound composition, and a level of technical craft that would stand out among the many entries. From photography's most classic application in the form of traditional landscape, portraiture, and still-life to conceptual, allegorical, and documentary images, I was thrilled to see an array of photographs that spanned the many facets of the medium. The images enabled me to step into other lands, other lives, and other times. Through their photographic vision, I saw the photographer’s strong feelings of love for both the formal and conceptual aspects to photography and how we interpret everyday life.

From photographers with professional degrees to young novices, I believe the submissions demonstrated that our region has a group of talented individuals. I offer my congratulations and wish you all the best of success as you continue making images. It was my sincere pleasure serving as the Juror for the 2021 Houston Center for Photography’s Learning Curve Exhibition.”

— Prince Varughese Thomas
Artist & Professor
Lamar University