Cover Image:
© Caleb Kenna / Best in Show Winner
From the Series: Art from Above Vermont
2024 Judging Panel / Lead Judges
Kat Dalager
Kat's diverse professional journey has spanned several decades and has encompassed numerous advertising agencies and in-house agencies, including Carmichael Lynch, McCann, The Martin Agency, Target Corporation, Best Buy and Life Time Fitness. She's held leadership roles in art, video and print production, including creative services buying, project management, process improvement and creative operations.
An American Advertising Federation past president and a recent board member of ASMP-MSP, Kat is passionate about giving back to both students and professionals in the marketing community and strives to provide insights and opportunities to those trying to navigate this facinating, but ever-changing, industry.
Howard Bernstein
Howard is the CEO/Founder of Atrbute the creative artists agency who manage the careers of Pari Dukovic, Marco Grob, Elinor Carucci, Joshua Kissi, Yana Yatsuk, Marc Hom, Stefan Ruiz and Stephen Wilkes.
He was previously the Managing Director of Great Bowery. Under the Great Bowery umbrella B&A, MAP, CLM, Streeters, Trunk Archive and Gallery Stock. Prior to that Howard was Chief Executive Officer and owner of B&A and Gallery Stock which he co-founded. Both companies were acquired by Great Bowery in 2014.
Howard is a founding board member of the Artist Management Association.
2024 Judging Panel
Michael Bilbrey
Senior Production Consultant
Leo Burnett
Jacqueline Boviard
Head of Photography at Apple
Marcom LA
Elizabeth Candela
Director of Marketing
BKSK Architects
Jess Chorney
Senior Creative Director
Target
Daniel J. Cox
Photographer / Owner
Natural Exposures
Visual Director / Producer Natalie Gialluca
2024 Judging Panel
Andrea Mariash
Los Angeles Executive Art +
Content Producer
Liz Miller-Gershfeld
Creative Producer
Chris Peters
Senior Producer
Colle McVoy
Lizzy Soufleris
Visuals Editor
Architectural Digest
Category:
Architecture/ Interiors
Manhattan home of
The Sopranos and The White Lotus actor, and his interior designer wife, Victoria Imperioli.
Best Of... 2024
Architecture / Interiors
Judge’s Choice #2 / Series
Caption: I photographed the spectacular "Deer Harbor House" on Orcas Island over three days. It was designed by Syndicate Smith who encouraged me to capture the "dark and leathery" aspects of the home. We were all very pleased with the results. Series Title:
First Place / Single Image
Category:
A.I.
First Place / Single Image
@judydohertyphotography
Title:
Earth Out Of Time
Earth Out of Time, made with Mid Journey with over 80 prompts and 20 layers.
Judge’s Choice #2 / Single Image
Caption: This image is an A.I. re-rendering of an 830nm IR capture of a Scottish castle on the Isle of Skye, additional elements were rendered in Midjourney and composited with Photoshop. Image Title:
Category:
Beauty/Fashion
Best Of... 2024
Beauty / Fashion
First Place / Series
Series Title:
Launch of Naayé Brahm
Caption:
While not best known for fashion photography, I was thrilled to be chosen to create the campaign to launch the Naayé Brahm prêt-à-couture brand. During a one day session we set up our portable studio in her offices for catalog shots, leaving us only two hours from before sunset and into the twilight to add some advertising scenes at the one interesting exterior location nearby. This first collection is made of exceptional hand-woven fabrics manufactured by West African master craftsmen and women, and European shiny fabrics used for special ceremonies (Bazin); fine and timeless dresses manufactured as pieces of art.
Best Of... 2024
Beauty / Fashion
Judge’s Choice #1 / Single Image
W: silverringsphoto.wordpress.com
Image Title:
On a visit with a family friend, I admired her many silver rings. I showed her that I also collect silver rings, and explained how each one reminds me of a time and place. While my friend’s dementia did not allow her to access her ring memories, I asked if I could take a photo. She fashioned her hands this way. I love how they look like a heart and a triangle, symbols of love and the essence of womanhood.
Silver Rings
Rebekah Seaton
Caption:
Caption: The Marilyn community supports each other. Susie, left, will undergo major surgery soon, and her friends are dressing as Marilyn to support her. To these women, Marilyn represents body positivity and overcoming the odds. Image Title: The Marilyn Community Supports Each Other: from the series, The Legacy of Marilyn Monroe
Category:
Conceptual/ Altered
Conceptual / Altered
First Place / Series
Series
Caption:
I have been inspired to create an artistic pattern from parts of the eclipse since I first photographed a full solar eclipse. Since the phases of the eclipse are going to look the same pretty much no matter where you capture them, I wanted to do something different. I managed to capture all 3 types of full eclipses over several years, processed the individual images minimally in Lightroom, then layered them in Photoshop selecting the parts of the eclipses that fit the design I wanted.
Conceptual / Altered
First Place / Single Image
Image Title:
The Table #1
Caption:
“The Table” #1 is a personal project depicting a group of confident non-binary people and women gathered at a table reminiscent of De Vinci’s “Last Supper.” The table is arranged with various colorful dessert foods, and the subjects hold what appears to be glasses of wine. The background is decorated with gold curtains and a painting reminiscent of a classical odalisque. This painting depicts a reclining passive male figure. The wall is deep red with a gold damask pattern. While all subjects were photographed together in the environment, the final image comprises five separate plates.
Series Title: Shrimp Strike
Best Of... 2024
Conceptual / Altered
Judge’s Choice #2 / Single Image
Patrick Heagney
W: www.patrickheagneystudio.com
IG: @patrickheagney
Image Title:
Alloy Conplexus
Caption:
Memories are retellings of a story. Like a message in a game of telephone, each time you repeat the story the more it changes from its original form into something new. Memories are colored by emotions--what you felt when the story began, what you feel when the memory is recalled. When you retell this story you create a new story. Over time the facts become more altered, less accurate. After two people experience something together, their stories begin to diverge. Years later, two similar but subtly different recollections will emerge, the differences and overlaps between them obscuring the original events.
Category:
Corporate/ Industrial
Caption:
One of my favorite perks of this career is the chance to see behind the curtain in various industries. My curiosity bug is constantly satisfied by seeing other professionals working together with their craft and creating together. This land prep job by Calnin & Goss of Appleton, Wisconsin for a residential development is another example of that. These images highlight the quality, scale, and craftsmanship involved in reshaping land, offering a dynamic view of the process from ground level to aerial viewpoints.
Category:
FineArt
Best Of... 2024
Fine Art
Judge’s Choice #1 / Series
W: www.vickystromeephotography.com
IG: @vickystromeephotography
Series Title: Meditations of Light
Caption:
The daily bombardment of stories about conflict and anger towards ”otherness” fills me with grief and anguish. The cacophony of misinformation seems chaotic; everything is on the verge of collapse. I move myself away from this distress by photographing refracted light. I deconstruct the color spectrum juxtaposing shapes and colors to create a collection of visual meditations that offer me a sense of calm and allows my equanimity to return.
Vicky Stromee
Best Of... 2024
Fine Art
Judge’s Choice #2 / Series
W: www.yvanbedardphotoart.com
IG: @yvanbedardphotonature
Series Title: Winter Blues
Caption:
Winter in Canada can be long and very cold. However, there are periods where it warms up to almost 32 Fahrenheit. Usually, this happens with rain or a dark humid sky. During those days, it is frequent not being able to practice winter sports and staying inside. If it lasts too many days, then it is affecting our mood and we feel down, especially when spring is still several weeks away. We called this ”Winter Blues”. This period does not last very long, but it happens almost every year. This series aims to convey this feeling.
Yvan Bedard
Condor Feather.
Category:
Food/StillLife
Category:
Lifestyle
Series Title: Hayloft
4H teen photographed with her steer.
Category:
Nature/ Landscape
Best Of... 2024
Nature / Landscape
First Place / Series
Caleb Kenna
W: www.calebkenna.com
IG: @calebkenna
Series Title:
Art From Above Vermont
Caption:
During the pandemic, I was drawn to making aerial photographs with a drone as a contemplative way of spending time in nature. I wanted to create abstract images of the Vermont landscape. Drone photography became a daily meditative practice of looking and seeing and making aerial discoveries. Some of these photos were published in the New York Times Travel Section, which led to the publication of my book Art From Above Vermont by Schiffer Publishing.
Best Of... 2024
Nature / Landscape
Judge’s Choice #1 / Series
Series Title: Desertscape Birgit Neiser
W: www.photos-unlimited.com
IG: @birgitneiser
Caption:
The Sultanate of Oman is one of the driest countries in the world. These may be very harsh conditions, but at the same time it therefore is host to some of the most spectacular deserts in the world. The Empty Quarter and the Wahiba Sands deserts are the best known. Travelling in the desert when you sometimes don´t see any other human being apart from your group for days on end, leaves you humble if not humiliated in your existence by the grand dunes and shapes that nature unfolds around you. A journey into these landscapes is a meditation.
Nature / Landscape
First Place / Single Image
Image Title: Moon At Sunset
Caption:
While I was watching Sandhill cranes coming in to roost, I saw the moon and a beautiful background. I chose my composition and waited until a flock of Sandhill cranes passed by. I was lucky, since this was the only flock who flew through the frame.
Best Of... 2024
Nature / Landscape
Judge’s Choice #2 / Single Image
W: www.roemerphoto.com
IG: @roemerphoto
Image Title:
Breaking Ice
Caption:
The icebreaking lake tug the Erika Kobasic breaks ice and makes its way from Lake Michigan to the bay of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. The 110-foot tug was built in 1939 and started out in the US Coast Guard before being retired in 1982. The tug currently works out of Escanaba, Michigan often towing barges or breaking ice around the Bay of Green Bay. She is one of a handful of 110′ former USCG tugs in commercial service around the Great Lakes, and the oldest of that bunch.
Mike Roemer
Category:
Personal Projects
Best Of... 2024
Personal Projects
Judge’s Choice #1 / Series
Caption:
Reflecting Dubai is part of the early stages of a new fine art photography project. A little hand held mirror reflects buildings or situations close to the main picture, sometimes the reflection is the main picture. The mirror creates either an additional information about nearby situations and/or buildings that could otherwise not be in the same image, or it simply makes the image more interesting and invites the viewer to look more closely in oder to understand the image. Other than that it is simply pure photography fun to photograph city sceneries with a new approach.
Personal Projects
Judge’s Choice #2 / Series
Category:
Portraits
Best Of... 2024
Portraits
First Place / Series
Piper Mackay
W: www.pipermackayphotography.com
IG: @piper_mackay
Series Title:
African Grace The Timeless Beauty of Tribal Women
Caption:
The empowered elegance of African tribal women emanates from their rich cultural heritage and profound resilience. Adorned with vibrant traditional attire and intricate jewelry, they exude a captivating aura that blends beauty with strength. Their graceful movements reflect a deep connection to their land and ancestry, embodying centuries of wisdom and tradition. Through adversity, they stand unwavering, embodying the epitome of resilience. These women are not just bearers of tradition; they are pillars of their communities, wielding influence and fostering unity. Their voices echo through the ages, carrying the spirit of empowerment and inspiring generations to come.
Best Of... 2024
Portraits
Judge’s Choice #1 / Series
@ianspanier
Series Title:
Caption: I enlisted the help of actor Daniel Collins for a shoot inspired by a series of images of the famed Dennis Hopper from the 1960s.
Daniel Collins, Los Angeles, CA
Best Of... 2024
Portraits
Judge’s Choice #2 / Series
W: www.pipermackayphotography.com
IG: @piper_mackay
The empowered elegance of African tribal women emanates from their rich cultural heritage and profound resilience. Adorned with vibrant traditional attire and intricate jewelry, they exude a captivating aura that blends beauty with strength. Their graceful movements reflect a deep connection to their land and ancestry, embodying centuries of wisdom and tradition. Through adversity, they stand unwavering, embodying the epitome of resilience. These women are not just bearers of tradition; they are pillars of their communities, wielding influence and fostering unity. Their voices echo through the ages, carrying the spirit of empowerment and inspiring generations to come.
Caption:
Series Title:
African Grace The Timeless Beauty of Tribal Women
Piper Mackay
www.scottgoldsmith.com
United States Senator John Fetterman
Caption:
United States Senator John Fetterman, at his home in Braddock, PA. Fetterman was Mayor of Braddock, PA before running for higher office. The Mon Valley Works – Edgar Thomson Plant is directly across the street from Fetterman’s home. The steel mill contributes to toxic air in Braddock and the greater Pittsburgh area.
Portraits
Judge’s Choice #2 / Single Image
Image Title: Band in the Rubble
Category:
Sports/ Adventure
Best Of... 2024
Sports / Adventure
Judge’s Choice #1 / Series
Caption: The University of Virginia women’s swimming program is a dynasty, having won its 4th straight NCAA National Championship. Photographed on assignment for ESPN, these images capture the key members of the team prior to their 3rd straight victory. Kate Douglass, Alex Walsh, and Gretchen Walsh are all Olympic medalists. Series Title:
FB:
FB:
Best Of... 2024
Sports / Adventure
Judge’s Choice #1 / Single Image
Eric Melzer
W: www.ericmelzer.com
IG: @eric_melzer
Image Title:
Possibility
Caption:
This is the cover image of a custom tabloid poster book created for the players at the Peavey Park basketball courts in Minneapolis, Minnesota for The Play Project. The Play Project is an ongoing three year project that uses art experiences to celebrate neighborhood play and good health. I wanted to capture the sense of possibility basketball players feel when they step onto the court for a pick up game in their neighborhood.
Sports / Adventure
Judge’s Choice #2 / Single Image
W: www.coppolaphotography.com
IG: @coppolaphotography
Image Title:
Sprinter
Adam Coppola
Category:
Travel
First Place / Series
Ken Cavanagh
W: www.kencavanagh.com
IG: @kencav
Series Title:
Second Line - Tremé, New Orleans
Caption:
New Orleans has always captivated me, and the HBO series ”Treme” only intensified that desire. The vibrant jazz scene and rich cultural history promised an unforgettable experience. Second line parades are a cultural heritage of New Orleans originating within the African-American community as neighborhood celebrations. Brass bands, organized by social aid and benevolent organizations, weave through the streets sparking a joyous celebration. Locals and visitors alike follow the infectious music, dancing and soaking up the communal spirit. It’s been called ”the quintessential New Orleans art form – a vibrant jazz funeral without a body.”
Best Of... 2024
Judge’s Choice #2 / Series
Series Title:
Long Term Project About Kangerlussuaq, Greenland
Caption:
My project explores Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, a small, remote Arctic town. Beautiful, quirky, sometimes surreal, this former indigenous hunting ground has been transformed by its history as site of a US Cold War air base (1941-1992) and other foreign interventions. Since 2021, I’ve systematically documented the legacy and impact of 80 years of transformations of the environment including repurposed and abandoned base infrastructure, importation of musk oxen, downstream impacts of climate change from the melting ice cap covering 80% of Greenland, and a short-lived Volkswagen test driving project on the ice cap. I also rephotograph sites shown in vintage photos.
Helen Glazer
Best Of... 2024 Travel
First Place / Single Image
Series Title: Rhythms of the Land Piper Mackay
W: www.pipermackayphotography.com
IG: @piper_mackay
Caption:
In the Mundari cattle camps, women are the epitome of resilience and grace amid the vastness of the South Sudanese plains. Draped in vibrant swathes of cloth, they move with a quiet strength, tending to their families and livestock with unwavering dedication. Their faces, etched with lines of wisdom, tell tales of generations past and hopes for the future. They carry a timeless beauty that mirrors the rhythms of the land. Despite the harsh conditions, these women embody a quiet dignity, embodying the heartbeat of their community amidst the tranquil yet rugged landscape.
Judge’s Choice #1 / Single Image
W: www.pipermackayphotography.com
IG: @piper_mackay
Series Title:
Warriors of the Desert Turkana Womens Resilience Piper Mackay
Caption:
Turkana tribe women are the backbone of their community, embodying strength forged by the harsh beauty of Kenya’s arid landscapes. With resilient spirits, they navigate the challenges of nomadic life, herding livestock and gathering scarce resources in the unforgiving terrain. Despite the harsh conditions, Turkana women exude a quiet dignity, their traditional beaded adornments and colorful garments reflecting a proud heritage. In their resilience, they uphold the timeless traditions of their people, weaving a tapestry of strength and survival amidst the vast wilderness.
Best Of... 2024
Travel
Judge’s Choice #2 / Single Image
Ken Cavanagh
W: www.kencavanagh.com
IG: @kencav
Series Title:
Second Line - Tremé, New Orleans
Caption:
This is a photograph of a Second line parade in the Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans taken in November of 2023. Second line parades are a cultural heritage of New Orleans originating within the African-American community as neighborhood celebrations. Brass bands, organized by social aid and benevolent organizations, weave through the streets sparking a joyous celebration.
Category:
Wildlife
Best Of... 2024
Wildlife
First Place / Series
Christopher Higgs
W: www.chrishiggsphotography.com
FB: @chrishiggsphotography
Series Title:
Beneath the Bridge
Caption:
Beneath the Blue Heron Bridge in Riviera Beach Florida lies one of the most prolific macro dive sites in the Atlantic and Caribbean region. Now a protected Marine sanctuary of the Phil Foster State Park the site affords photographers tremendous diversity for macro photography. Hidden among the sponges, sand, and sea grasses, we find octopus eggs about to hatch, moray eels inspecting camera lenses, dwarf frog fish smaller than a thumb nail. Scaly tailed mantis shrimps bury themselves poised to lash out with the voracious claws while sea horses cling to sponges during the incoming high tide. Nature’s Magic.
Wildlife
Judge’s Choice #2 / Series
Caption: After pausing briefly for a drink by the ice’s edge, this bald eagle took to the air to continue its hunt during the beginning of the nesting season. Bald Eagles get much of their water from the prey they consume; witnessing and capturing this relatively rare occurrence was a remarkable opportunity.
Best Of... 2024
Wildlife
First Place / Single Image
IG: @skymeetstheseaphotography
Caption:
Spinner dolphins chase dinner as tuna follow closely behind for leftovers; Pacific Ocean.
Image Title:
Spinner Dolphins and Tuna
Rita Messing
Best Of... 2024
Wildlife
Judge’s Choice #1 / Single Image
Image
Title:
Embrace
Jenny Loren
IG: @jenny.loren_
Caption:
A baboon mom protects her baby during a rainstorm in Lake Nakuru.
Photographer Index
Photographer Index
Abramowitz, Alan W. 114
Anderson, Matthew
Anthony, Austin
Atkinson, Robert David
Austin, Will
Bauchman, Patty
Bedard, Yvan
Birnbach, Allen
Bonin, J
Boyle, Steve
Cavanagh, Ken
Chasan, Wayne
Clemons, Kathleen
Coppola, Adam
Denuto, Ellen 28
Douherty, Judy
Falke, Stefan
Feinknopf, Brad
Gaskin, Amy
Glazer, Helen
Godfrey, Lisa
Goldsmith, Scott
Grande, John
Griffith, Tim
Harman, Joyce
Davidson, Kelly 64, 65 108 52, 53 14, 15 130, 131 56, 57 96 132, 133 112, 113 118, 119, 126 18, 24, 25 59 26, 27, 36, 37, 116
Heagney, Patrick
Herber, Karl 98 20 92, 93 17 30 122, 123 120, 121 107 66 12, 13 32, 33 40 60, 90, 91, 97
Higgs, Christopher 128, 129
Hoving, Nell
Joyce, Todd
Kenna, Caleb
Loren, Jenny
Mackay, Piper
Melzer, Eric
Merz, Ruediger
Messing, Rita
Meyers, Ilene
Nash, Leah
Neiser, Birgit
Nicholson, Thomas
Packard, Aaron 67 49, 74, 75 Cover, 80, 81 135 100-01, 104-05, 124-25 4, 110, 111, 115 86 134 84, 85 50 82, 83 136 38, 42, 43, 72, 73
Photographer Index (cont.)
Pandya, Himanshu 78
Paul, Howard
Prokos, Andrew
Roemer, Mike
Rubinstein, Sara
Saloutos, Pete
Schletter, Jackie
Schmitt, Michael
Seaton, Rebekah
Sinha, Ashok
Slemp, John
Spanier, Ian
St. Claire, Inti
Stromee, Vicky
34, 35 16 48, 88 76, 77 58, 87 21, 39 106 29 10, 11 46, 47 94, 95, 102, 103 70, 71 54, 55
Talkington, Jim
Varis, Lee 62, 63
Washatka, Graham 22 44, 45