We find beauty not in the thing itself but in the patterns of shadows, the light and the darkness, that one thing against another creates - Jun'ichirō Tanizaki.

Praxis Gallery seeks the submission of photographic art that explores the formal, conceptual, and metaphoric implications of the shadow. Submissions may focus on the shadow as pure visual form expressed through the creation of line, shape, pattern, and texture. They may also examine the cultural and psychological implications of the shadow - exploring ideas of foreboding, internal conflict, passages into the unconsciousness, or other ephemeral interpretations.

All genres, capture types, color and black & white, traditional, and non-traditional photographic and digital post-production processes are welcome for submission.

Water, sky, and the liminal space between them are, by definition, poetic and symbolic. There exist infinite iterations of the qualities of water and sky: water may be fluid, frozen, rippling, reflective, tranquil, turbulent, crystal-clear, submerged, or flowing. The sky may be celestial, atmospheric, airy, cloud-covered, ethereal, canopied, or infinite. The colors of water and sky span the spectrum from warm to cool; reflective silver, dark indigo, cerulean, cyan, azure, to crimson and blazing gold. Black & white photography features the fundamental nature of water and sky by emphasizing their form, texture, and contrast while stripping away the elements of color.

​From ice to ether, oceans to puddles, starry nights to clouds reflected in glass—Praxis Gallery seeks photographic artwork that explores the ideas of water and sky in their myriad forms. All genres, capture types, black & white, and color, traditional and non-traditional photographic, and digital post-production processes are welcome for submission.

Theme: The Shape of Things | Juror:  Alan Sheflan

The rhythm of surfaces, lines, and values is for me the essence of photography; composition should be a constant of preoccupation... an organic coordination of visual elements. – Henri Cartier-Bresson

The term composition means ‘putting together’ or the act of combining parts or elements to form a whole - often adhering to compositional principles that make a work of photographic art more appealing or intriguing to viewers. These principles include the development of rhythm, movement, contrast, balance, unity, proximity, and continuity to create expressive and compelling compositions – while emphasizing different visual concepts.                                

Praxis Gallery seeks the submission of works of art that explore composition as a fundamental aspect of the photographic aesthetic – be it pure visual formalism or in support of thematic objectives. All genres, capture types, black & white and color, traditional and non-traditional photographic and digital post-production processes are welcome for submission.​​​

Photography is more than documentation—it is creation. Staged & Constructed - The Art of Setting the Scene explores the artistry of staged, propped, and deliberately composed photographs, where every element within the frame is purposefully arranged. This theme highlights the orchestration of sets, props, lighting, composition, and subject to construct immersive visual narratives.

From cinematic tableaux to intimate theatrical vignettes, this exhibition showcases images that blur the line between reality and artifice. Whether inspired by theater, film, or pure imagination, these works reveal the power of photographic illusion, inviting viewers into carefully crafted worlds.

All genres, capture types, black & white and color, traditional and non-traditional photographic and digital post-production processes are welcome for submission.

Theme: The Artist Intervenes [some assembly required] • Guest Curated by: Aline Smithson

Photographic artists are reconsidering the potential of a photograph with a shift to making rather than taking photographs.  By using vintage and contemporary photographs as a starting point, artists create physically layered works of art that result in an object, often in reaction to the flood of ubiquitous imagery that digital and cell phone photography has afforded. 

Praxis Gallery seeks submissions of photographic art or lens-based artwork that utilizes physical interventions and investigations of photographic surfaces that can include sewing, cutting, drawing, painting, tearing, bending, and weaving, all ways of interrogating the material qualities of a physical photograph to create new realities. All genres, capture types, black & white and color, traditional and non-traditional photographic and digital post-production processes are welcome for submission.