JUDGES 2017

KIM KOMENICH  is an assistant professor for photojournalism at San Francisco State University. He was a staff photographer and editor for the San Francisco Chronicle (2000-2009) and the San Francisco Examiner (1982-2000).
He was awarded the 1987 Pulitzer Prize in Spot News Photography for photographs of the Philippine Revolution he made while on assignment for the Examiner. Komenich has photographed the ramifications of conflict in the Philippines, Vietnam, Guyana, El Salvador, the former Soviet Union and most recently in Iraq, where photos from his three trips to the Sunni Triangle in 2005 earned him the Military Reporters and Editors’ Association’s 2006 Photography Award.
He has received the Distinguished Service Award from the Society of Professional Journalists, the 1983 World Press Photo News Picture Story Award, and three National Headliner Awards.
He is a 2005 recipient of the Clifton C. Edom Education Award from the National Press Photographers’ Association.
He was a 1993-94 John S. Knight Fellow at Stanford and a fall, 2001 teaching fellow at the Center for Documentary Studies at U.C. Berkeley.
In 2006 he was named a Dart Ochberg Fellow, working with the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma at Columbia University, curating photo exhibitions and giving presentations to journalists about the human toll of covering traumatic events.
http://kimkom.com
http://revolutionrevisited.com

We are delighted to announce that Kim  is about to publish his book Revolution Revisited: The 1986 Philippine Revolution, through Kickstarter. His book is offered with the best paper and one of the best photo book printers in the world. Please consider visiting his Kickstarter campaign for more information about his book.
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ALLISON FAIRFIELD 
I am honored to be a judge for the InFocus juried photography show this year.
     This is the same place where I started exhibiting my photography and where I was able to meet other artists and photographers in the area and beyond 20 years ago!
I made a career change about 17 years ago and decided to leave the helping profession and pursue my passion for photography- especially in darkroom work. Bob Westgate, was my instructor at Columbia College and was extremely instrumental in encouraging me to pursue photography both as an artist and as an educator. He encouraged me to apply for the adjunct position at Columbia College after he left. I ended up teaching at the college for 5 years. I eventually earned my MA degree in photography through the Savannah College of Art and Design.
     I have photographed over 400 weddings and more portraits then I can count and eventually realized that my real calling was in teaching photography. I started working in programs that utilized photography as a tool for healing and self-discovery. I am currently working as a high school photography teacher in Martinez, California where I teach all levels including Advance Placement.
     I feel extremely lucky to be doing what I love as well as being able to work with adolescents. My passion for photography continues to be about teaching in a way that helps build self knowledge, identity, encourages self- expression and teaches us how we all look at the world differently and all in amazing ways. I continue to learn so much more from my students.
     My favorite subjects are nature abstracts, surreal portraits and my dog Moxie.
My name is EVAN RUSSEL and I am the acting Curator at The Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite National Park.  Growing up, I spent many days traipsing and photographing around the park.  After graduating from college and working towards a Masters in Architecture, I decided to throw caution to the wind and give up on the idea of life as a formula.  I moved back to California, and began to live right in the heart of Yosemite Valley.  Today, I continue to photograph and explore as many landscapes, near and far, as I can. . . but mostly, I enjoy endless adventures through my big back yard that is Yosemite National Park.