PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDELINES
What are we looking for in a photograph?
We seek photos of pristine
composition and revelatory content, black and white
photographs that evoke personality, an unforgettable story,
a compelling emotion, the decisive moment.
The photographs of Henri Cartier-Bresson, father of modern
photojournalism, captured characters. When speaking of
Martin Munkácsi's photo, Three Boys at Lake Tanganyika,
Cartier-Bresson said, "I suddenly understood that
photography can fix eternity in a moment."
French humanist photography of the 30s, 40's, and 50s was
photography of character. French humanism was a dominant
form of documentary photography from the late 1920s until
the 1970s, and it still influences contemporary
photography. Other photographers who captured photographs
of character: Dorothea Lange, Jacob Riis, Diane Arbus, and
many others.
The photographs should appear to be candid and generally
have the background in focus. We are not looking for posed
photographs or photographs that have been significantly
photoshopped. It is our hope that the photographs we print
will transcend mere portraits or snapshots; they should
reflect the style and sensibility of Cartier-Bresson's
work.
We are generally not looking for landscapes or nature
photographs. In most cases, the photographs we print in
Conclave will be of people, although we recognize that
there are ways to capture character in setting or with
animals. Clearly, some landscape photographs evoke an
emotional response in the viewer. Ansel Adams managed to
make the landscape a character. If you are submitting a
landscape photograph, the photograph must give the
landscape a personality.
We are a character-focused journal, and we want the
photographs that we feature to reflect that sensibility.
Clearly, there are other styles and methods for capturing
character in photography, and we look forward to seeing
your interpretations. Like Cartier-Bresson, we are looking
to capture "fixed eternity in a moment."
You can either submit your photographs through our online submission
manager, or you can post your photographs on our
flickr site: www.flickr.com/groups/conclave2008
Send us your best shot!
How do we define a strong
photograph of character?