In September of this year I received an email from the New York chapter of the APA seeking submissions for an exhibition that was to be held in December at the SoHo Photo Gallery and juried by the esteemed Elizabeth Avedon. Thinking it would be a great opportunity, I decided to submit my work for the single image category and while I really hoped to get in, being able to attend the opening as a guest to connect with the community was good enough for me. Well, as the title suggests, a couple of weeks later I received an email from APA saying that I was selected for the show!
Yejin with Chinese Pipa
The selected work is a photograph I took in the studio of Chinese musician Yejin with her traditional instrument called a Pipa. This image is very dear to me as it was one of the last photoshoots I was commissioned to do before I left for NYC. I’m not one to find symbolisms in my daily life but I do find it funny that a shoot I did shortly before closing the chapter of my life in California ended up opening some doors for me in New York.
Once my photo was show ready, it was sent to the gallery in preparation for the opening gala. On that night the gallery was packed and the walls were all filled with amazing photos. Flawlessly curated, I slowly made my way through the gallery taking time to slowly look at each image until finally, I arrived at my own.
Framed and hanged
A word by Elizabeth Avedon
It’s hard fully conveying all the feelings I had seeing my work hung in a gallery for the first time but one thing I can say for sure say is that I had an intense feeling of gratitude. Here I was displaying the love I have for this art form in the company of like minded people who were all there to celebrate the talents of their own community members.
So to end this entry, I would like to thank APA New York for creating this opportunity and Elizabeth Avedon for seeing something in my work and selecting it to be displayed amongst other top Photographers in the industry. I would also like to thank Scott Farrell for his invaluable service in helping me get my image show ready. Lastly, I’d like to give a big thanks to my friends and everyone in the New York photography community for coming by on opening night to give us your immense support. It was an experience that I will never forget.
