© Janet Holmes, Jon Snow (Heartwood Haven Animal Sanctuary), Gig Harbor, WA

Big thank yous to our amazing juror, R. J. Kern, for selecting the photographs for today’s exhibition. Thank you to all who submitted and congratulations to first place winner, Janet Holmes, R.J. shares thoughts on juroring here:

Lewis Hine said a wonderful thing a long time ago: “We should be photographing two things. The things that should be put right and the things that should be appreciated.” David Hurn used to have this quote on his wall when he was teaching. When I learned of this, it made me appreciate that a Magnum photographer such as David Hurn didn’t have to be a war photographer to create an important image. There are subjects more on the domestic side that interest me more. Hope, humor, empathy are qualities I value in a photograph.

I kept the Lewis Hine quote in the back of my head when I was reviewing the 100+ submissions for the “Ordinary Creatures” online exhibition on Lenscratch. I realize the challenge of submitting work to juried exhibitions with a single digital file. Yet, I realized that challenge is a good one: we should submit work that becomes a little teaser, beckoning the viewer to see more, ask more questions, and to think. In addition, I wanted the pixels on my laptop screen in front of me to warm my heart. I enjoyed work that was thoughtfully balanced composition and light with a moment. I’m a sucker for long-term, personal projects filled with warmth and humanity. If there was a hint of this I could see in the work, it became a winner in my book. — R. J. Kern

© Susan Lapides, Natalie, age 14, New Brunswick, Canada

©Anne Berry, Donkey Parade, Ossabaw Island, GA

©Avishek Biswas, Relocation, Kolkata, India

©Brant Barrett, Yardwalkers, Conway SC,

©Brenda Spielmann, Dear oh deer, Toronto, Canada

©Brett Burleson, Emmie Pants, Houston, TX

©Catharine Amato, Songs of innocence, songs of experience, Lombardy-Italy

©Claudia Cebrian, He owns my heart, Palm Beach, Florida

©Amy Wilton, Moxie at the Birthday Party, Hope, ME

©Evan Perkins, “Swan at Dusk”, Boston, MA

©Paula Rae Gibson, from the seriesNearest Dearest, London UK

©Guillaume Tomasi, Cosmo, Montreal, Canada

©Hannah Kozak, Michael and Hannah Self Portrait, Woodland Hills, California

©Shawna Gibbs, Inchworm, Claremont, NH

©Inna Valin, Girl with her Dog, Santa Fe NM,

©Jim Robertson, Paul & Jack, Forkland, KY

© Scott Keidong, Shoppers with Doggy Bag, Paramus, NJ

©Kevin B. Jones, Sentry, Oakland, CA

© Lacey Ehrenkranz Monroe, South Jetty, Newport, Oregon

©Lisa Guerriero , Toto’s Day Off

©Marcy Cohen, Just Hatched, Cummington Fair, Cummington,  MA

©Mark Coggins, 4-H Club, San Mateo, CA

©Mary Kocol, Fish Plate, Gloucester, Massachusetts

© Michael Martin, Rancho Seco Park, near Herald, California 2016, Sacramento, CA