Entries and artist statements in the Photography category for the 2024 Reflections contest sponsored by Adams Middle School PTSA. The entry that receives the Award of Excellence advances to the next round. Click here to return to the 2024 Gallery main page.
My photograph expresses how imperfections can bring clarity and beauty. I deliberately blurred the leaf part of the photograph to make the contrast more perceptible. I wanted to convey that there is beauty in nature, no matter its blemishes and imperfections. By looking through the hole in the seemingly imperfect leaf, you see something amazing that you might never expect. This can be a metaphor for imperfections or rough times in life, and seeing the good in them.
Every cloud is different…like how every person is different. It is important to embrace your imperfection and who you are, regardless of the pressures of the world. We know that nobody is perfect, so everybody should accept their imperfections and see themselves coming together in beauty like the imperfect clouds came together in this beautiful picture of the sky.
While you might call this imperfect food, it is just as good as the one you see in grocery stores. Over 20 billion pounds of food is wasted in the US alone each year, just because it's slightly miscolored, in the wrong shape, or just too big or small! But, imperfect foods are just as vitamin-packed, as nutritious, and as tasty as the foods that are considered ‘perfect.’ I would like people to consider accepting imperfections in food to fight food waste.
Love Locks: None of these locks on this fence are perfect, but they are there for a perfect reason. The locks are a symbol of locking two people’s souls together. Therefore, these imperfect locks are accepted as is.
This picture is accepting imperfection because even in the wake of a fire, in all that it can destroy, you can find something imperfectly beautiful… even though a fire is so destructive.
"When I heard that the reflections category was accepting imperfections I immediately thought of nature. That was because nothing is perfect, especially in nature. I knew the South Coast Botanical Gardens would be an ideal place to find an imperfection in nature. Even though I took about 100 photos, this one would be perfect. It shows two white flowers in a field of purple flowers."