Exposed DC

for the love of DC photography

2022 Best in Show Winner: Iñaki Sánchez Ciarrusta

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Counting down the days until the 16th Annual Exposed DC Photography Show, and we’re down to the fingers on one hand now! Please join us this Sunday, May 29 from 3-6 p.m. for an opening celebration at Lost Origins Outside in the alley adjacent to Ellē at 3221 Mount Pleasant St NW.

In this final week leading up to the show, we’re announcing the Best in Show winners of this year’s exhibit. Each of these images was chosen by one of our guest judges—five distinguished, local photographers. The winning photographers each receive a $100 cash prize.

Today, we are announcing the Best in Show winner “The Human Comedy” by Iñaki Sánchez Ciarrusta selected by judge Michael McCoy. Regarding his selection, McCoy stated that the image “speaks to the height of the world during a pandemic.”

You can view more of Iñaki’s work on Instagram.

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Michael McCoy is a Washington, D.C. based 2022 Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist, Fujifilm X-Photographer, and two time combat veteran. His recent work includes covering the confirmation hearing for Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to the Supreme Court and the Black Lives Matter movement. His photography has been described as engaging, affectionate, insightful, and alluring. He loves telling the story about the relationships between individuals, capturing those special moments of joy and contentment, and the “in-between” moments that are the most candid and authentic.

You can view his website here and follow him on Twitter and Instagram.

2022 Best in Show Winner: Andrew Merluzzi

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The 16th Annual Exposed DC Photography Show is just around the corner! Please join us this Sunday, May 29 from 3-6 p.m. for an opening celebration at Lost Origins Outside in the alley adjacent to Ellē at 3221 Mount Pleasant St NW.

In this final week leading up to the show, we’ll be announcing the Best in Show winners of this year’s exhibit. Each of these images was chosen by one of our guest judges—five distinguished, local photographers. The winning photographers each receive a $100 cash prize.

Today, we are announcing the Best in Show winner “Untitled” by Andrew Merluzzi selected by judge Dee Dwyer. Regarding her selection, Dwyer commented, “I chose this photo because it’s creative how the photographer used black and white in a poetic way. The message in the image is powerful. It’s well cropped, the motion of the children’s hands are greatly shown.”

You can view more of Andrew’s work on Instagram.

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Dee Dwyer is a diversified photographer from southeast Washington, D.C. Her community has anointed her “The Visual Voice for the People.” Her goal is to show all aspects of human life with the primary focus being humanity. She developed her fascination for photography as a teenager, never leaving the house without her disposable camera to capture daily life of family and friends. Her love for photography blossomed when she had to shoot and develop her own film in a B&W photography class while receiving her BFA in Filmmaking and Digital Production. She’d spend half her days snapping candids and the other half in the darkroom. Her work has been in exhibitions such as PhotoSCHWEIZ, Photoville, and Catchlight and in publications such as Vogue, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, BET, and The Guardian.

You can view her website here and follow her on Instagram.

Friday Links: May 20, 2022

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Photo by Diane Krauthamer

Just over a week until the 2022 Exposed DC Photography Show opens at Lost Origins Outside in Mount Pleasant! Join us for a special celebration to kick off the show on Sunday, May 29 from 3-6 p.m. Whether you join for the opening or visit during the exhibit run, we invite you to share an image on Instagram and tag #2022XDC, @exposed_dc, and @capitalphotographycenter in the caption to take part in our giveaway. Get all the details on that here and share your image by June 30 to be eligible for the prizes: a $100 gift certificate for Capital Photography Center and a SpyderX Pro monitor calibrator. Can’t wait to see you and your images!

  • We’ll be announcing the Best in Show winners of this year’s show next week. Get to know our awesome judges and then check back to see which images took home their votes!
  • The 2022 Pulitzer Prize winners and finalists have been announced. Special shout out to our Best in Show judges Michael McCoy and Kenny Holston who were part of the New York Times team that won the National Reporting category.
  • Join Leica for a conversation with Cheriss May (another one of our guest judges!) next Thursday at 4 p.m., free, online.
  • The first ever global music photography competition, Abbey Road Studios Music Photography Awards, announced this year’s winners with the Zeitgeist category going to none other than Chris Suspect. An Exposed alum, you’ll likely recognize his name and work, and you can see two of his images in our show this year too.
  • Join Critical Exposure for “Shutter Speed: How We’re Living Now” on Thursday, June 2 to see and hear the unique perspective of D.C. youth on how they’re living inside of new norms and grappling to make sense of what has been, what is, and what will be.
  • The Event Horizon Telescope produced images of two black holes now, with scientists dreaming of movies next.
  • The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities issued a request for applications from qualified artists and District nonprofit art galleries or organizations for its Fiscal Year 2023 Art Bank Program with a deadline of June 24. There’s also a curatorial grant program with a deadline of July 8.
  • Join Focus on the Story for the Visual Storytelling Summit on June 4 at the Eaton Hotel for a day full of celebrating emerging voices. All events are free but require registration.

2022 Exposed DC Best in Show

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Each year, we invite five distinguished local photographers and creatives to serve as special judges for our annual photography show. They review all of the winning images, and each judge chooses one image to receive a Best in Show award, which comes with a $100 cash prize. Get to know our judges for this year’s show and check back here to see the winners announced in the week leading up to the show!

2022 Best in Show Winners
Updates will be provided here as we announce this year’s Best in Show winners in late May.

Join Exposed DC and Lost Origins Gallery for the opening reception at Lost Origins Outside in Mount Pleasant on Sunday, May 29 from 3-6 p.m. Please note this is entirely outdoors, not at the indoor gallery; you can now find Lost Origins Outside on Google Maps here! There will also be an after party at Lost Origins Gallery with Hannah Atallah and MISS CHELOVE at the closing of the Flood Pulse exhibit.

Dee Dwyer

Photo by Farrah Skeiky

Website | Instagram

Dee Dwyer is a diversified photographer from southeast Washington, D.C. Her community has anointed her “The Visual Voice for the People.” Her goal is to show all aspects of human life with the primary focus being humanity. She developed her fascination for photography as a teenager, never leaving the house without her disposable camera to capture daily life of family and friends. Her love for photography blossomed when she had to shoot and develop her own film in a B&W photography class while receiving her BFA in Filmmaking and Digital Production. She’d spend half her days snapping candids and the other half in the darkroom. Her work has been in exhibitions such as PhotoSCHWEIZ, Photoville, and Catchlight and in publications such as Vogue, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, BET, and The Guardian.

Andrew Harnik

© Andrew Harnik

Website | Instagram

Andrew Harnik has worked as a newspaper and magazine photojournalist since 2003. He has received awards from Pictures of the Year International, the National Press Photographers Association, and the White House News Photographers Association including the Political Photograph of the Year in 2012 and 2017. His work has taken him around the world with top U.S. diplomats and across the country with Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in their race for president. For many years his work was focused off Capitol Hill and away from the White House, telling stories of the nation’s capital that are often overlooked. He believes that the stories of everyday people are as rewarding and important as covering high profile events and public figures.

Kenny Holston

Website | Instagram

Kenny Holston is a professional freelance photojournalist for The New York Times. Most recently he has covered Voting Rights, Afghan refugees fleeing Afghanistan, politics, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2021 Presidential Inauguration. Kenny is a former United States Air Force photojournalist who served for 14 years and was awarded Military Photographer of the Year in 2015. He earned a combat action badge as a combat photojournalist in Afghanistan and other joint service accommodations for his efforts in war and as an autopsy photographer at the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System, Dover Air Force Base, DE. Kenny studied photojournalism at Syracuse University and attended The Eddie Adams workshop as a part of the XXVII class. He and his colleague Jensen Stidham co-founded the Military Visual Awards to recognize the best photography and videography work produced by military journalists from around the world.

Cheriss May

Photo by Gorden Campbell

Website | Instagram

Cheriss May is a portrait and editorial photographer based in Washington, D.C. She is a member of the Board of Directors for Focus on the Story, the immediate past president of Women Photojournalists of Washington (WPOW), co-chair of photography at The National Press Club, an Adobe Education Leader, and an adjunct professor at Howard University, her alma mater. She is often commissioned to speak about inclusive storytelling and provides training for organizations and educators around the world, including: Spotify, Adobe, Leica, The Merck Group, the Center for Creative Photography, and the International Center of Photography. Cheriss has been published in O Magazine, The White House website and archives, The New York Times, People magazine, ABC News, The Today Show, MSNBC, and other international publications.

Michael McCoy

Website | Instagram

Michael McCoy is a Washington, D.C. based 2022 Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist, Fujifilm X-Photographer, and two time combat veteran. His recent work includes covering the confirmation hearing for Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to the Supreme Court and the Black Lives Matter movement. His photography has been described as engaging, affectionate, insightful, and alluring. He loves telling the story about the relationships between individuals, capturing those special moments of joy and contentment, and the “in-between” moments that are the most candid and authentic.

2021 Best in Show Winner: Eric Purcell

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We can’t wait to shake off our pandemic ho-hums and celebrate local photography with you at our 15th Annual Photography Show tomorrow! This year we are partnering with Focus on the Story and Lost Origins Gallery to present an outdoor exhibit that will be installed on the exterior wall of Ellē restaurant at 3221 Mt Pleasant St NW. Join us tomorrow from 3-6 p.m. to celebrate the 2021 Exposed DC photography show opening, part of the kickoff for the fourth annual Focus on the Story International Photo Festival. 

Today, we are announcing the Best in Show winner “Rose Rosé Bears” by Eric Purcell, selected by judge Kirth Bobb. Williams commented, “I picked this image because DC has seen lots of upheaval and turmoil over the past year or so, and this image reminded me that there’s still fun to be had in DC. I like the humor of the photograph, and I picked it over lots of really amazing protest pictures because if there’s anything we’ve all seen enough of, it is protest pictures. I’ve just never seen teddy bears having brunch before.”

You can view more of Eric’s work on his website.

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Kirth is a FujiFilm ambassador, and his photographs have been published in several major publications including The New York Times, Washington Times, and HuffPost, and featured in several galleries across Europe, the Caribbean, and the Americas.