2005 PSA International Exhibition

The Annual PSA International Exhibition is unlike any other photographic exhibition in many ways.

First, the exhibition offers a much wider variety of competitive opportunities than any other PSA-recognized exhibition anywhere in the world. In 2005, the exhibition offered a total of 27 different competitive venues in a variety of digital, print, and slide formats plus video. And as if 27 sections might not be enough, additional slide, digital and print sections will be added in 2006!

Second, most exhibitions are conducted in a "local area." The PSA Exhibition is different! In 2005, sections were hosted and judged from California across the nation to Massachusetts and this year, the first section hosted outside the United States was in Luxembourg.

In a sense, the exhibition process starts and ends in Oklahoma City at PSA Headquarters where Kara Goodson and Sharon Oliver help the exhibition in any number of ways from shipping the medals, handling the deposits, paying the bills, helping with the budget and providing financial statements. Without the fine help and support from these staff members, the exhibition could not function. Thanks to both Kara and Sharon.

The section chairmen are the real "engines" for the exhibition's train; they are the ones who make it all happen. This year's chairmen included Frenz Biewers of Luxembourg for electronic imaging; Christine Haycock, FPSA, of New Jersey, video; Byron, FPSA, and Marilyn, APSA, Hindman co-chairs for stereo slides/prints; Vijay Karai, APSA, of Minnesota handling the small prints; Jean McDonough, also of Minnesota as color slide section chair; Susan Mosser, FPSA, of Massachusetts, photojournalism; Heinz and

Dotti Otto, FPSAs, of New Jersey handled the large prints; Floyd Rockwell of Arizona taking care of photo travel entries; Sam Shaw, FPSA, in California took over in the nature sections, and David Thayer of Massachusetts for stereo electronic. To merely say "thank you" to these people is about the ultimate in understatement. The geographically spread-out nature of the exhibition means these Section Chairmen pretty much live and die on their own. Each of these individuals plus their helpers has spent a lot of time and effort to make their sections into successes. PSA members can all applaud their dedication and achievements!

Showings at Salt Lake Conference

Another unique aspect of the Annual PSA International Exhibition is the many image shows presented from accepted slides and digital files. This year the 450 attendees at the PSA Conference were able to see a wide variety of shows and to view dozens and dozens of prints. The prints were large, they were small, they were medium size and they depicted countless subjects. This year's print exhibition was as interesting as it was popular. In 2006 the Baltimore conference will have an even larger area to display the prints!

Thanks go to Mike Prokosch (color slide sections); Jacob Mosser, FPSA, and Barbara Rozavsky (photojournalism slides/print); Larry Durbin (photo travel slides/prints); Pauline Fredrickson, Hon. PSA, FPSA, (stereo slides); Heinz and Dotti Otto, FPSAs, (large prints); Vijay Karai, APSA, (small prints); Sam Shaw, FPSA, (nature slides/ prints); Nick Muskovac, APSA, EPSA, (electronic imaging) and Christine Haycock, FPSA, (video).

Canon, Nikon, Fuji, Tamron and Freestyle were the exhibition's sponsors. Their generosity along with magnificent support from the exhibitor community has made it possible for the exhibition to publish a large catalogue with many color reproductions. The images may also be viewed at www.psaexhibition.com

Thanks go, too, to the 30 photographers who served so ably as exhibition judges. The winning images tell that the exhibitor community gave the judges some wonderful photography and the judges selected an outstanding collection of images: the winning images ranged from whimsical to pictorial and truly displayed the variety of quality photography done today.

An exhibition can only be counted a success when it has the kind of support from the photographer community that the 2005 PSA International Exhibition enjoyed.

And, most importantly thanks go to the hundreds of exhibitors who supported the exhibition with their photography and their enthusiasm. The PSA International Exhibition not only had a 12% increase in entrants, the really great news is that it had a lot of entries from new exhibitors (one of whom won a PSA Gold Medal for Best of Show). The 743 entrants live in 42 American states and 41 countries including a first-ever entry from Egypt.

Congratulations to the following Gold Medal Winners: Color Slide section--Open: Chian Tsun-Hsiung (Taiwan) for The Tea Garden #2; Color Slides--Creative: Chan Tin Sang (Canada), High Jump; Electronic Imaging--Color--Open: Paula Davies (United Kingdom), Proud Housewife, Electronic Imaging--Color--Creative: Pierre Leeluyse (France) for Le Camp; Electronic Imaging--Monochrome--Open: Nicolas Berlingieri (Argentina) for Those Who Miss The Train; Electronic Image--Monochrome--Creative: Veikko Wallstrom (Finland), Polar Bears.