The Contemporary Portrait

The Portrait. We use portraits as objects of remembrance and reverence, of seduction and glorification. From the keepsakes in lockets as tiny remembrances of love, to the likenesses of leaders meant to inspire and seduce with their power. They can stir, and confront, and drive us to action. Just as they can lull in longing for a time since passed. They act as a mirror in whose reflection we find the inward experiences of ourselves, or as a window from which we look out toward the virtues of another.

Analog and digital manipulation in all its forms welcome. Monochrome or color, all subjects, analog, digital or antique processes, photographers of all skill levels and locations are welcome.

Entering Your Images  

You can enter your images online at Smarter Entry. For best results, make sure your image is 1200 pixels @72 dpi on the longest side. Images should be in JPEG format, sRGB color space. Please name your files: Port.Last Name.First Initial_Image#.jpg (Examples: Port.Smith.J.Image1.jpg, Port.Jones.R.Image3.jpg) If you need help entering your images or are unable to, please contact info@sec4p.com or call 864.605.7400. No exceptions will be made for late submissions. Please allow for ample time to complete your entry.

Eligibility 

Submissions are welcome from anyone who makes photographs. This program is inclusive, and work will not be chosen on the basis of the status of the photographer. It is the imagery that counts. All photographers regardless of location, age or skill level. Images previously selected for exhibition at the SE Center for Photography within two years of the current exhibition are not eligible.

Fees 

$35 for up to 5 Images, $6 for each additional image up to 15. 

Members, $28 for up to 5 Images, $5 for each additional image up to 15.

No refunds for images not selected for inclusion.

Juror

Aline Smithson is a visual artist, educator, and editor based in Los Angeles, California. Best known for her conceptual portraiture and a practice that uses humor and pathos to explore the performative potential of photography. Growing up in the shadow of Hollywood, her work is influenced by the elevated unreal. She received a BA in art from the University of California at Santa Barbara and was accepted into the College of Creative Studies, studying under artists such as William Wegman, Allen Ruppersburg, and Charles Garabian. After a decade-long career as a New York Fashion Editor, Smithson returned to Los Angeles and to her own artistic practice.

She has exhibited widely including over 40 solo shows at institutions such as the Griffin Museum of Photography, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, the Fort Collins Museum of Contemporary Art, the San Jose Art Museum, the Shanghai, Lishui, and Pingyqo Festivals in China, The Rayko Photo Center in San Francisco, the Center of Fine Art Photography in Colorado, the Tagomago Gallery in Barcelona and Paris, and the Obscura Gallery in Santa Fe. In addition, her work is held in a number of public collections and her photographs have been featured in publications including The New York Times, The New Yorker, PDN, Communication Arts, Eyemazing, Real Simple, Los Angeles, Visura, Shots, Pozytyw, and Silvershotz magazines.

In 2007, Smithson founded LENSCRATCH, a photography journal that celebrates a different contemporary photographer each day. She has been the Gallery Editor for Light Leaks Magazine, a contributing writer for Diffusion, Don’t Take Pictures, Lucida, and F Stop Magazines, has written book reviews for photo-eye, and has provided the forewords for artist’s books by Tom Chambers, Meg Griffiths, Flash Forward 12, Robert Rutoed, Nancy Baron, among others. Smithson has curated and jurored exhibitions for a number of galleries, organizations, and on-line magazines, including Review Santa Fe, Critical Mass, Flash Forward, and the Griffin Museum. In addition, she is a reviewer and educator at many photo festivals across the United States. Smithson has been teaching at the Los Angeles Center of Photography since 2001and also teaches at a variety of institutions such as ICP, SFW, MMW, and others.

Exhibition Details

35-40 selected images will hang in the SE Center’s virtual gallery space for approximately one month. In addition, selected images are featured in the SE Center social media accounts (FB, IG, Twitter) and an archived, online slide show. A video walkthrough of each exhibition is also featured and archived.

Sales & Copyright

The SE Center encourages sales during exhibitions and receives 0% commission on work sold. The artist receives 100% of the sale price. If a print is sold it will be ordered from the photographer at the time of sale. 

Artist retains all copyrights to their own images. Artists whose work is chosen for exhibition inclusion grant the SE Center for Photography permission to use images for promoting the exhibition, artist, or SE Center and its programs, and current and past exhibitions. Images may be placed on social media for promotion and features. Artists grant usage as stated without further compensation.

Calendar          

Submissions Open 3/26/25

Submissions Close 5/25/25

Selections Announced 6/10/25

Exhibition Opens 7/1/25

Exhibition Closes 7/30/25

Thank you for submitting and good luck!