Camera Work: Shadow and Light 2026

Camera Work: Shadow and Light is a juried thematic show at Black Box Gallery, a Portland, Oregon photography gallery directed by Todd Johnson, who holds an MFA in Photography from the San Francisco Art Institute and acts as juror for the gallery's calls. The premise is straightforward: photography is the documentation of patterns of darkness and light. Selection runs across approaches — dramatic black-and-white contrast through ethereal, moody color work.

The selection structure is two-part: 26 photographs are chosen for the physical gallery exhibition, with 50 additional photographs included in an online gallery annex. All 76 selected works are reproduced in a printed Blurb catalog.

What's unusual: the gallery covers all printing, matting, and framing for selected work. Archival printing is on Epson Premium Luster Photo paper. After the exhibition closes, prints are retained in the gallery's flat files for ongoing promotion for two years, then shredded.

Entry fee is $40 per submission of up to 5 photos. Submissions are by email to info.blackboxgallery@gmail.com — JPEG, max 1200 pixels longest side, 72 PPI, under 5MB, named firstname_lastname1.jpg. Eligibility is open worldwide to amateur and professional photographers. Sales terms: 50% gallery commission, photographer retains all rights — and can opt out of sale entirely if they want exhibition only.

The exhibition runs June 1–25, 2026. Submission deadline is May 8, 2026; juror decisions communicated 7–10 days after.