Juror: Tom Hennessy

Tom Hennessy studied photography at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh in the late 1970’s using film cameras and had his own darkroom. In 2011 he purchased his first Canon DSLR and focused on relearning photography in the digital age. Since then he upgraded both his camera body and lenses. His favorite lenses are a 100 mm macro lens for floral photography and a 16 to 35 mm lens for landscapes. Hennessy has been entering juried shows at Crossroads Art Center and Artworks in Richmond, VA since 2012, and is currently an Artist in Residence at Crossroads. Since he retired in early 2016, he has focused his time on photography, especially travel and scenic photography. He is a volunteer at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens and spends time there taking photographs for their use in social media. He also conducts photography workshops at Lewis Ginter. Juror’s Statement: Photography has changed quite a bit since my early experiences with a 35mm camera. Digital cameras and software make good quality photography available to many more people; we all have cameras on our phones that can take very nice photos, and software that can correct for many deficiencies. However, the essentials have not changed. A great photograph will have an impact on the viewer. Technical aspects of composition, lighting and presentation combine with the subject matter and creativity of the artist to tell a story, or ask a question. I look for images that have these elements and showcase the unique viewpoint of the photographer.