The Shadow Catcher's Daughter

• Prize
• Photographer
  Emma Powell, United States

The photographs in the series, The Shadow Catcher’s Daughter, balance on the fine line between reality and the dream. I use self-portraiture to articulate personal narratives, which are often both nightmare and fantasy. Human, animal, and environmental forms interact in unexpected ways to symbolize discoveries and conflicts in my intimate relationships. I use the cyanotype process to suggest an alternative space, such as a dream or memory. This historic process obscures the subjects’ location in time and creates a backdrop for archetypal universal symbols. These images are toned with tea and wine to produce a range of additional warmer tones, making them seem more natural. I choose these substances for the acidic effect on the chemistry, as well as their influence on communication and memory. Although photography is normally considered a medium that represents the present, visible world, in my work I attempt to make visual what cannot be seen in place or time.

Awards First Place, TPS 22, The International Competition, Texas Photographic Society. USA

Third Place, Picture This, Minneapolis Photo Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA.

The Juror’s Choice Award, The Unreal, Kat Kiernan Gallery, Alexandria, VA, USA.

Finalist, Portfolio Category, The Fourth Julia Margaret Cameron Awards

Juror’s Merit Award finalist, Grand Prix de la Découverte, International Fine Art Photography Award, Paris

Finalist, Critical Mass, Portland OR.