The results of Critical Mass are in and the top 50 portfolios have been selected. This week, Lenscratch will explore some of the selected portfolios, starting with Mary Shannon Johnstone which follows this post.

After a pre-screening by a panel of 22 esteemed jurors, 175 photographers made it through the first round. A panel of over 200 jurors from all aspects of the photo world (including me) then reviewed the 175 portfolios and from our rankings, 50 were chosen. The 3 photographers with the most votes will receive a book award — Photolucida/Critical Mass will be announcing the lucky 3 in the coming weeks.

I think it’s important to take time to review the 50 portfolios and read the accompanying statements. The ability to write and communicate well is equally as important as the work. All of these projects have strong points of view–the photographers are story tellers as well as image makers. They are looking at important subjects: aging, faith, agriculture, humanity, war, the environment, and they are showing us ways of seeing the world that are unique and intelligently presented.

I have already featured some of my favorite projects on Lenscratch: Jamey Stillings’ masterful images of The Bridge at Hoover Dam, Thomas Allenman’s noir nod to Los Angeles with his series, Sunshine and Noir, Tom Chambers’ new series, Dreaming in Reverse, Jeff Sheng’s powerful series about Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Sam Comden’s Lost Hills series about California’s Central Valley, Manjari Sharma’s other worldly Shower series, Justine Reyes’ contemporary nod to timeless Still Lifes, Corinne Vionnet’s aggitated series of landmarks, Photo Opportunites, and Jessica Hines’ meaningful project, My Brother’s War.

Congratulations goes to:
Thomas Alleman
Justyna Badach
Claire Beckett
Kendrick Brinson
Christopher Capozziell
Tom Chambers
Christopher Churchill
Sam Comen
Kirk Crippens
Mitch Dobrowner
Natan Dvir
Daniela Edburg
Matt Eich
Ethan Eisenberg
Dima Gavrysh
Kevin German
Elin Høyland
Jessica Hines
Joseph O. Holmes
Norihisa Hosaka
Mary Shannon Johnstone
Thomas Jorion
Loli Kantor
Dianne Kornberg
Alejandra Laviada
Stephen Mallon
Rania Matar
Annie Marie Musselman
Jehad Nga
Louie Palu
Rachel Phillips
Benjamin Rasmussen
Christopher Rauschenberg
Frank Relle
Justine Reyes
Jeff Rich
Lynn Saville
Traer Scott
Manjari Sharma
Jeff Sheng
Tim Simmons
Pavel Maria Smejkal
Yisook Sohn
S. Gayle Stevens
Jamey Stillings
Amy Thompson Avishai
Daniel Traub
Kevin Van Aelst
Alvaro Villela
Corinne Vionnet