Aline Smithson's Five Favorite: Photographers to Watch

Over the last few months, I have been exposed to terrific work and wonderful portfolios through juroring exhibitions and attending portfolio events. Narrowing my discoveries down to 5 photographers was almost impossible, so my selections truly reflect the tip of the iceberg of quality work in the current photo zeitgeist.

While jurying the Griffin Museum Annual Juried Exhibition, I discovered the work of Greg Sand and Molly Lamb—and then had the opportunity to see Molly’s work in person at Review Santa Fe. Both submitted several significant images to the Griffin Exhibition and it was tough to select just one.

Greg Sand

Greg Sands’ work is based on memory and loss, drawing us in by what is not in the photograph. Leaving only a trace of the original photograph, the viewer is left to imagine what might have been and makes us consider the truth of the photographic image. I appreciate that the altered images contain whimsy, but more purposefully examine the issues of existence, time and death.

Molly Lamb

Molly Lamb’s photographs from her series, Ghost Stepping, are powerful as individual images and even stronger when combined into a series. Her photographs are visually layered and speak to the transience of objects after the passing of a loved one. She has given those objects energy and life through light and perspective, creating personal still lifes that allow us to see anew.

Frances Denny 

Frances Denny won the Lenscratch Student Award and I was happy to see the work in person at Review Santa Fe. Having recently graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design, her work is already being well celebrated and exhibited. She uses color, light, pattern, and graphic elements to explore female family members in her project, Let Virtue Be Your Guide. I am drawn to this work for is well seen and beautifully articulated tableaus that consider “legacy and embodiment”.

Stephen Milner 

Stephen Milner submitted his project, The Ogeechee River, to Lenscratch. Through our correspondence, I came to appreciate Stephen’s dedication to his craft and his examinations of our world. Stephens’ photographs reflect his ability to capture place and put into context the fragility of not only the natural world, but the communities coexist along side it.

Thank you Aline Smithson! 

After a career as a New York Fashion Editor and working along side the greats of fashion photography, Aline Smithson discovered the family Rolleiflex and never looked back. Now represented by galleries in the U.S. and Europe and published throughout the world, Aline continues to create her award-winning photography with humor, film, and a 50-year-old 2.8F Twin Lens Rolleiflex.

In 2012, Aline received the Rising Star Award through the Griffin Museum of Photography for her contributions to the photographic community. Aline founded LENSCRATCH; she has been the Gallery Editor for Light Leaks Magazine, and a contributing writer for Diffusion, Don’t Take Pictures, Lucida, and F Stop Magazine. Aline juries competitions and curates exhibitions for numerous galleries, organizations, and magazines, including CENTER, Critical Mass, The Center of Fine Art Photography and The Magenta Foundation. She has been a reviewer and workshop instructor at photo festivals across the United States, was nominated for The Excellence in Photographic Teaching Award in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and received Honorable Mention in 2012 and was nominated for The Santa Fe Prize in Photography in 2009. Aline has been teaching at the Los Angeles Center of Photography in Los Angeles since 2001, and at the Santa Fe Photo Workshops since 2012. She is a founding member of the Six Shooters Collective. Aline lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Harry, and considers her children her greatest achievement. She is not yet ready to get another dog but actively borrows from friends.