Durango-area photographers go head-to-head at Concert Hall

Local photographer Michael Lufty will present a few of his finest work Wednesday night time on the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College. (Courtesy)

Colorado Pro Photographer Showdown to be held Wednesday; may even function college students’ work

Durango is understood for its shootouts within the Wild West days, and now, we’re about to witness a shootout – of the photographic variety. The gunslingers will likely be changed by 5 native skilled photographers, their weapons, cameras. And Main Avenue at excessive midday will likely be Wednesday night time on the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College.

The inaugural Colorado Pro Photographer Showdown is the brainchild of Director Jack Turner, who based an analogous occasion in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, in 1997. Called the International Pro Photographer Showdown, he stated it’s targeted round motion sports activities.

“I had led a snowboard expedition to Iran in 1996 for a magazine. But we realized no one’s ever gonna see all these amazing pictures we’ve taken of people and landscapes and buildings and culture and lifestyle,” he stated. “So we just went to a bar that we knew, and we threw a slideshow one night. All these people showed up and just loved it.”

Because of the recognition of the occasion, Turner stated they took their concept to the organizers of the World Ski and Snowboard Festival, and the following 12 months the primary International Pro Photographer Showdown was held.

This photograph by Lucas B. from Durango High School is among the featured pictures within the Youth Photography Showcase. (Courtesy)

The Colorado model the Durango viewers will see relies on that mannequin: Five photographers have been invited to drag collectively work that may fill 10 minutes. Their pictures are put collectively as slides which are set to music.

“You know, you never see slideshows anymore. Everything is video, and things are edited at 50 frames a second and everything’s fast,” Turner stated. “One of the beautiful things about it is it’s just so unusual. When the last time you saw a slideshow?”

This occasion is made potential by means of town of Durango’s Lodgers Tax Arts & Culture Fund and the Durango Creative District, in response to a information launch.

The 5 photographers chosen for the present are, in response to the occasion web site:

Michael Lufty: A contract photographer primarily based in Durango whose portfolio contains landscapes, wildlife, journey and industrial pictures. … His ardour for panorama and wildlife has led to many adventures world wide and Southwest, in search of these distinctive places and dramatic gentle to seize a “sense of place.”

Shaun Stanley: Career highlights embrace inclusion in Pope John Paul II’s touring press pool, protection of Operation Enduring Freedom aboard the USS Enterprise after the Sept. 11 assaults and documenting the legacy of the Atomic Age within the American West. His private tasks deal with the dramatic gentle, individuals and landscapes of Colorado and the Four Corners. He is pushed by his perception in pictures as a drive for creating an emotional response within the viewer for understanding and optimistic change.

Nick Kogos: A Durango-based photographer with greater than 25 years of expertise capturing the fantastic thing about the American West. Originally from the Midwest, his profession has taken him by means of Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, the place he focuses on landscapes, wildlife, motion sports activities and life-style imagery.

Shanda Akin: A contract photographer primarily based in Durango whose work is rooted in a deep love for the pure world. After retiring from a 25-year profession within the United States Air Force, she turned her lifelong ardour for journey and storytelling right into a full-time pictures enterprise. Her portfolio spans landscapes, wonderful artwork, industrial and actual property work, with photos captured throughout 48 nations and counting.

Divine Windy Boy: A photojournalist and portrait photographer primarily based in Ignacio. A member of the Chippewa Cree Tribe and a primary descendant of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, she has labored for the Southern Ute Indian Tribe for the previous seven years. Since 2022, she has served as a reporter and photographer for the Southern Ute Drum, masking group information and cultural occasions. She is a member of the Indigenous Journalist Association, Colorado Press Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Her pictures displays a robust dedication to sincere storytelling and Native illustration in media.

Not solely are the 5 exhibiting their work, they are going to be judged as properly, with a complete of $3,000 up for bids, with $1,000 every going to Best in Show, Audience Favorite and Best Train photograph (should function a Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad practice). D&SNGR is the present’s presenting sponsor and is placing up the $1,000 for the practice photograph, Turner stated. Keep an eye fixed out for the judges: Included is The Durango Herald’s personal Photo Editor Jerry McBride.

“This event is a true celebration of the incredible talent and artistry we have in Colorado,” Al Harper, proprietor of the D&SNG stated in a information launch. “It’s a unique opportunity for the community to witness the power of visual storytelling on a grand scale.”

Between every photographer, there will likely be a celebration break with music by DJ Mowgli.

Turner stated the photographers have been requested to take part this 12 months, however the hope is to have future present slots juried, the place their work is chosen.

Along with 5 professionals, there may even be college students photographers, whose work will likely be featured throughout the Showdown within the Youth Photography Showcase, sponsored by Alpine Bank. Area center and highschool college students have been chosen to have their pictures displayed on the occasion and exhibited at Durango Arts Center (Nov. 17 to 22), the place they will promote their items and preserve the proceeds with out paying a fee. There will likely be a reception on the DAC at 5 p.m. Monday, he stated.

And for Turner, the night is all about enjoyable and celebrating the native arts group.

“In today’s society, everything is so fast. It’s nice to catch your breath,” he stated. “We advertise this as a party, not a show. In a movie, you have to sit on your hands and be quiet so you can hear everything and catch all the imagery. In this program, we tell people, if you see something you like, clap, scream and yell, especially if you’ve got a favorite photographer there, because you might influence the judges.”

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