the imperfect lens exhibition, juried by Amanda Smith, was in the online gallery from October 1  to November 30, 2025. The juror selected forty three images from twenty artist for the exhibition. Renee S Elkin’s Meditation received the Juror’s Award. James Rohan’s image Suspension Tower, Brooklyn Bridge received the Director’s Award and Visitors’ Award.

Juror’s Statement

For years, my personal cameras of choice were those with either plastic lenses or pinholes, simple light boxes that dissolve the rigid boundaries created by f-stops and film speeds. With those in hand, the world becomes a playground of possibility. There is no technical chatter to distract, only the pure act of searching for wonder and magic to place before the lens, and the quiet thrill of pressing the shutter.

The images I selected for this exhibition all capture magical moments—moments that only a plastic or pinhole lens can truly reveal. Renee Elkin’s image, Meditation, which received my Juror’s Award, depicts a little boy sitting beneath a mysterious tree. The scene instantly reminded me of the Lost Boys from Peter Pan, always watching and waiting for Peter to return. The sense of wonder and anticipation in the photograph, combined with the unique qualities of the lens, creates an atmosphere that is both nostalgic and enchanting.

Michael Trupiano’s stunning image, Black Swans, captures two swans swimming together. The elegant curve of their necks to the ever so slight ripples in the water create a scene of serene beauty. This harmonious composition exemplifies pure perfection, embodying the quiet magic that defines the exhibition.

Awed into silence, an image by Kristie Cornell, beautifully captures the haunting majesty of a cypress tree deep within Louisiana swamps. From the vantage point of her kayak, Kristie used a home-made 8×10 pinhole camera, carefully mounted on a tripod submerged into the water, to create this magical image. The result is a scene that invites viewers into a world of quite wonder and reflection.

Thank you to all the artist who shared their magical images with me. Each photograph brought a unique sense of wonder and creativity to this exhibition, and I am truly grateful for your inspiring contributions.

Amanda Smith
October, 2025

Director’s Statement

Plastic and homemade lenses along with pinholes eschew perfection — like drawing with the charred end of a log or singing opera to the accompaniment of ukuleles. The drawing can be exceptional and the music sublime, unexpected. Removing the technical and using simplistic tools allows the image maker to focus on what is in front of them to achieve their creative vision. Images captured using toy, pinhole, or any camera using homemade lenses are the thing. The camera that the lens is attached to is immaterial. An exhibition of these images becomes a celebration of imperfection, beauty devoid of artifice.

Amanda’s choice for the Juror’s Award, Renee S Elkin’s image, Meditation, is a perfect example of the sentiment above, with its wonderful lens blur and indeterminate depth of field. Janet Politte’s image, Through the Door, embraces visual chaos, transforming uncertainty into a compelling compositional strength. Ron Butler’s, Skaters, and Michael Trupiano’s, The Hand of God #1, both make striking use of imperfect, blurred flashes of color, allowing ambiguity to enrich the viewing experience. James Rohan’s, Suspension Tower, Brooklyn Bridge, my Director’s Award selection, is captivating in its visual complexity complicated by imperfection – is it a photograph, an etching, a drawing?

Thanks to all who entered and to Amanda for her thoughtful and discerning selections. Together, these works remind us that imperfection is not a flaw to be corrected, but a language capable of expressing beauty in its most unexpected form.

Kevin Tully
November, 2025

link to online exhibition

link to exhibition catalogue