An Even Dozen, Maybe?

I submitted ten photographs this year to the NY Times Portfolio Review, just like I did the previous ten years. And just like those previous ten years, I thought I was submitting an invulnerable group of ten infallible images, each and every one a knockout, sure shot to success. It was only afterwards that I would admit that, well yeah, maybe there were one (or two) that I kinda threw in on a wing and a prayer. So this year I began editing early, carefully, extra carefully- one tight edit right on topic. Surely, they would now set this right, knowing how much this meant to me, realizing how wrong they had been before- no hard feelings, all would be forgiven. Finally, I'd get thrown a slice for 40+ years of image making! This was gonna be it, give it my Best shot, no second guessing, no regrets- full throttle I will not be denied! 

And uhhh... yeah, of course I was- again. 

I was right about one thing though- no regrets this time. This time I did give it my best, and why they couldn't find just one little slot in their list of one hundred fucking sixty- well, that's the one thing I would really like to know. Other than that, I took it pretty well; actually, better than I thought, and just went on with my day. Shit, people are being slaughtered and starved in at least two major conflicts half a world away- what the hell do I have to complain about! Seriously.

Anyway, here are the ten indomitable failures:

All Photos: © Stan Banos            1) Any Adult

2)  Trans Rights

3)  Abort Court

4) Protection

5)  Cap'n America

6)  Help

7)  MLK

8) Neither

9)  7X

10)  Declaration

So... that's it, right, Stan? No sense entering again next year, right? I mean what's the point? Ya gave it your best and...

True, true... but right now, I'm kinda thinking... just hit 'em with my Folsom Leather Street Fair dick pics from here on in, after all, they are my signature best- and who can resist that face:

BEACH BOY! 

Portfolio Review

I don't attend portfolio reviews since they are way too expensive (ie- plane fare, accommodations, and cost of actual review fees, etc) and am already a bit long in the tooth. This Virtual Portfolio Review however, is both novel and affordable! Submission is FREE- but (yeah, there's always a B-U-T)... you're reviewed only if you are selected! Then ya cough up the $25! That's still a deal I can very much live with... ie- at least I'm not paying to be rejected!

But ya best well hurry since there are only Three (3) days left (this Tues Midnight) to apply- I only found out about it yesterday via Lenscratch!

Mea Culpa...

Every once in a great while, Stan manages to put his dumbass foot in his mouth- royally! And when he does... I think it's important to own it ASAP and fess up- and such was the case on my recent rant concerning the upcoming Chromantic exhibition/festival. I was operating under the assumption that there was a paid entry fee- I could have sworn... but I simply should-have-checked! 

The lack of entry fee does, in fact, change everything- and I want to personally thank Stefano for maintaining an open communication line long enough to remind me of that ever important fact- and wish Chromantic what will hopefully be a very successful festival! (Original rant deleted.)

Post Mortem Rejection

I tend to periodically report on my perennial and rather pristine record of competition rejections. And manage I did to get rejected yet several more times ie- FIVE (5) times!!! while on holiday- gotta admit, there’s a certain indomitable consistency in being rejected both at home and on the road... Why do I put myself through this (the possibility for repeated rejection, or writing about it)- does it matter? I suppose to let off steam, and perhaps garner some small semblance of revelatory knowledge as to why...

1) Der Greif- Now if ever there was a competition specifically made just for moi, a competition tailor made for: explicit, "mature audience," forbidden nature type photography. Finally, a place I can show my Nekid City photos, right? R-I-G-H-T!?!?!?

Well, as soon as I anxiously edited my photos (no longer have folder of photos sent- so take your pick), a little itty-bitty bell went off upside my head- these guys seem dead set on making a Tres SERIOUS Artistic Statement on- The Forbidden. Any spark of... levity may well be- VERBOTEN! Sure 'nough, Next...

2) Bokeh, Bokeh- No set theme here; I decided to send what I considered a half dozen strong, coherent street portraits of solitary individuals. Apparently they didn't think so...

 

Photo: © Stan Banos

Photo: © Stan Banos

Photo: © Stan Banos

Photo: © Stan Banos

Photo: © Stan Banos

Photo: © Stan Banos

3) I submitted two photos to the SF Street Photo Competition- the first, to the best Analog Photo category; the second, to the best Street Photo in SF category (there were like 5 different categories in all). I don't think competitions in general look favorably on one photo submissions- I think they want you to "prove" yourself with a series (and more $$$), even if they're only choosing one shot. And I'm gonna say this, and I don't care what anyone thinks- after looking at the work of some of the twenty yr old judges in this comp, the one thing that immediately came to mind was... 

They're judging my work... Really??? Now I certainly got nothing against the young-uns- but if you're gonna sit in judgement of other people's work... then there should be a certain amount of sophistication, maturity and accomplishment to your own!

 

Photo: © Stan Banos

Photo: © Stan Banos

4) I also submitted the same color photo above to the Lens Culture Street comp simply because... you could submit one photo for free (I've given them enough of my money; see first reason directly above). PS: Also I've pretty much made myself persona non grata at LC for what I've told them directly in previous comps.

5) Finally, I submitted a photo to a domesticated animal competition at Lenscratch. Aline Smithson (who runs said blog but was not judging it) was kind enough to email me (before judging) saying how much she liked said photo- we both knew it was going nowhere...

Photo: © Stan Banos

Life Framer- BS Supreme

Last year, as previously noted, I entered several competitions in my quest to get some work shown. Didn't win a damn thing, of course, but I did get this email out of the blue on 7/16/18 from Amaury Antoine, one of the co-founders of Life Framer saying that he likes my work and would like to feature it in their online gallery. I had entered a few of their competitions, came up empty handed each time, so this was a nice consolation prize.

As you can see below, he informs me it might take as long as a month- to which I reply, "No worries- and thanks again..." I figure even if it takes 2-3-4 months ... what the hell, still better than nothin'!

Meanwhile, every coupla months I get updates from the site of who's added- I ain't nowhere to be seen. And as 2019 rolls round, I've pretty much kissed it off.  But on 2/26/19, after I get the latest update (again w/o my name on it), the alarm bell goes off unexpectedly LOUD in my internal Enough IS Enough, Time To Call BullShit Alarm! I send him a Whassup email. Nothin'. On 2/27/19, I wave my arms again- Anyone home? Nothin' X2!

On 2/28/19, well over a half year later, I sent the email farthest down.* It's one thing not to be selected in a competition- ya deal with it. It's quite another thing altogether to have someone pop outta the ether, say they're gonna do something for ya, then crawl back into said ether without doing shit... That takes a special kind of lowlife asshole altogether.

Jul 16, 2018 at 8:33 AM

Dear Stan,

Long time no speak.... 

I think the photos of yours attached here: xxx  are fantastic and we would love to showcase it (you can upload up to 20 images).

I’d like to invite you to create a Life Framer Profile to display this series, which we can then share on our Collection and across our social media channels. The aim of this is not to replace or duplicate photographers’ online portfolio websites, but rather as an additional tool for each artist to celebrate individual series. All entrants can create their page themselves, and we feature our favourites on our Collection.

If you’d like to share your work in this way, please create your Profile (you can do this from your ‘my LF’ page and it should be self-explanatory, but just let me know if not). Once you have done so, please let me know and we will import it to the Collection too.

Best wishes,

Amaury

Jul 17, 2018 at 3:29 AM

Wonderful! I am a big fan of your work.

Someone from the team will get in touch with you when it goes live... it might take up to a month as we have quite few inclusion lined up ahead of us already.

 Best

 Amaury

Jul 17, 2018 at 10:38 AM

No worries- and thanks again...

Stan

Feb 28 at 9:26 AM*

I take it you're either comatose, being held captive by an international terrorist cell, or just plain brain dead. At this point, I'm leaning towards the latter, and... my condolences.

Otherwise, it would've been a rather simple matter to just man up, own it- and at least try to make right the situation.  

Pity.

Portrait of Humanity

I thought (I really, really thought) I had a good chance of having one (1) photo included in BJP's Portrait of Humanity, after all, most (if not all) my work is... precisely-just-that. So, this one kinda hurt, particularly since there's not a weak one in the bunch. 

Anyway, it is what it is. I try to learn form every rejection. Sometimes I do, other times... This time, I'm telling myself that it (at least) seems that this particular competition was leaning towards celebrating a portrait of humanity concentrating on ethnicity, as opposed to what my portraits celebrate- Individuality! Perhaps... 

At least, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it! 'Cause, like I said- not a weak one in the whole freakin' bunch...

All Photos: © Stan Banos

All Photos: © Stan Banos

Not Quite... That Desperate!

Some people probably think I'm some kinda photo competition junkie- I most assuredly am not. True, I gave it The Full Nelson this year- just to say I didn't approach it half assed, but even then, I have my... scruples. For instance, I always pay close attention to ownership/copyright, stay away from slick competitions like that sponsored by a certain glossy B&W magazine, and most recently upon reading the particulars, was inspired to respond to  Photo Alliance (a respectable San Francisco photo organization) which had an open call for work this summer:

Really? Seriously? If one should be so fortunate as to win this competition (upon paying the $45 entry fee)...

Without a car, it takes a minimum of two hours+ to get there- from San Francisco alone. One would therefore have to pay round trip tickets to drop off their art work, pick up their art work, and- should by any chance they want to attend opening night....

If Stefan Kirkeby is serious about promoting new/unknown art, he should either show it in his "co-owned" San Francisco gallery, or at the very fucking least- provide a free venue in the middle of god knows where San Anselmo! Never been, but something tells me I can't afford the rent there.

I may be desperate to show my work, but nowhere near this level of sorry, outright desperation....

Rejection Mania!!!

Ever get that proverbial "up against a wall" kinda feeling?
Photo: © Stan Banos

Well... been a coupla weeks or so since I last wrote on goals aspired. I've since managed to get kicked, punched and kneed in the groin not once, not twice, not thrice- but a decisive four times over! I think that qualifies as an official whupping. Four (4) more rejections in rapid order, gnashing remaining hopes and dreams asunder upon the jagged rocks of fate. 

So why do I continue to chronicle this sinking ship of photographic doom, or better yet, why do I continue to put myself out there in the non-enviable position of repeated rejection? Well, I do get asked that, and no one has yet delivered a more viable (or affordable) option- other than to quit trying, period.

Photo festivals and reviews are for trust fund babies, galleries are for... artistes, grants are mainly for serious photographers and documentarians with an already strong track record of serious minded projects and concerns (god bless 'em). That doesn't leave a long string of viable options or venues, hell, even so called "street photography" competitions cater basically to one now dominant form of that genre- the one with oddly juxtaposed bits and pieces of subject matter suddenly coalescing for that one decisive moment, preferably under hugely contrasting lighting scenarios. Mind you, have nothing against those photos, love those kind of photos- they're simply not the be all and end all; and what's with all the Alex Webb impersonators out there, seriously! But I digress...

Once again I feel the call of that salving, seductive balm, the photographic equivalent of an onanistic, opioid derivative- time to Blurb and feel like actually accomplishing something by going through all the motions of making a book no one will ever see! Hell, at least they used to have an annual competition where people could at least get their books out there into some measure of the public eye, but even that hasn't occurred in years!

Well, I think there's one, maybe two possibilities left to hear from- told ya I went all out! Meanwhile... there is one brand spanking "new" and remaining photographic frontier I've yet to explore (and was really trying to avoid), but we all must eventually stare reality square in the face- and in this case, I guess it's spelled I-N-S-T-A-G-R-A-M... next year's "goal" to inevitable superstardom (ie- last stop on the bucket list)!!!

Going Down In Flames!!!

 

Photo: © Stan Banos

I set some goals for myself this year: 1) get in some kinda legit exhibit, 2) make another book. This year's gonna be the one, gotta be the one- I ain't getting any younger! The book's the easy/peasy part, natch- my esteemed publisher at Blurb will no doubt acquiesce to my artistic demands as per usual. I got these guys at the end of a leash doing my personal bidding- on demand, no questions asked! That will come at the end of the year when I get my Nekid City images together for a whirl. 

#1 is considerably harder. I finally feel I have enough fire power in color or B&W to merit a coupla pictures here or there (not exactly the most outlandish of hopes and dreams), so I entered round about a half dozen legit competitions. And I feel I gotta real rational, legitimate chance of getting accepted... somewhere. Of course, experience has already proven that rational as irrational as they come!

Last Friday, fingers crossed, positive vibes- I knew I was gonna get word on one of those hopes and dreams.Thank you, for entering... Well, I didn't think I was gonna get that one, it was last on my list anyway- besides, it's only one! Then a coupla hours after the right cross- Boom! Completely Outta Nowhere, Left Hook square to the liver: We had over 84,000 entries...TWO down in a matter of hours- didn't see that coming!!!

OK, OK, so I got the bad news outta the way- nothing but blue sky and smooth sailing from here on in... 
Piece o'cake- this is My Year!!!

Are You Serious?

As in serious photographer. Now me, I'm mostly just out for a laugh here, a laugh there, and something kinda pretty once in a while to fill in the gaps. But for those serious folk out there (and god bless 'em)- Good Luck...

Free Photo Competition Opportunity...

This one is both on the house- and for "a good cause." And yes, you do keep copy right, etc... Good Luck!