Erika Nizborski Archives

2018 Best in Show Winner: Erika Nizborski

May 2, 2018 By Noe Todorovich

**Erika Nizborski – Senate Hearing On Healthcare**

Friday, May 11 is the opening night for our 12th Annual Exposed DC Photography Show. Discounted advance tickets are available now, so grab yours soon! Every year we ask a panel of five distinguished, local judges to select one image each for a Best in Show award. The winning photographers each receive a $100 cash prize; this year the award is sponsored by Union 206 Studio. We’ll be announcing the 2018 Best in Show winners over the next couple of days, starting right now!

First up, we have “Senate Hearing On Healthcare” by Erika Nizborski, selected by judge Lucian Perkins. Lucian stated, “I love this image. It has everything going for it—a moment frozen in time that tells a story within the confines of the image and most likely historically as well. It is layered in such a way that you can study it for a long time exploring the many emotions within this one image.”

You can see more of Nizborski’s photographs on her website.

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Lucian Perkins is a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist, who worked for over twenty years as a staff photographer for The Washington Post. He was named Newspaper Photographer of the Year by the National Press Photographers Association in 1994, and he was awarded the coveted World Press Photo of the Year in 1996. His Pulitzer Prizes were won during his tenure with The Washington Post for his work on poverty in the U.S. and the conflict in Kosovo. Currently, he is an independent photographer and videographer concentrating on multimedia projects and documentaries.

Friday Links

May 9, 2014 By Meaghan Gay

Happy Friday, link lovers! This week we have a local photographer explaining the use of anamorphic lenses on his blog, new local professional development workshops, Amazon patenting shooting on a white seamless, and much more!

The May APA DC featured member is Erika Nizborski, who was also an Exposed DC contest winner. She was interviewed on their blog by Jim Darling, who also happens to be a former Exposed winner.
George Steinmetz’s work is on the cover of National Geographic this month. His creation of the photos of factory farms got him arrested last year.
Kickstarter for a panoramic camera that makes images in fancy 4k resolution, called CENTR.
Local wedding photographer Sam Hurd wrote an excellent post on his blog describing how he uses an anamorphic lens. The post was later picked up by PetaPixel.
The Los Angeles Times has redesigned their photography section, and there is plenty of great work to enjoy.
In extremely weird news, Amazon has patented shooting on a white seamless background. No word yet what the estate of Richard Avedon will have to pay in royalty fees.
Interested in professional development? Local photographer E. Brady Robinson will be hosting workshops at The Fringe.
Polaroid made a camera in the 60’s called The Swinger, and fittingly the commercial is full of sexual innuendo.
The title of this article says more than enough, “Man Photoshops Himself Into Girlfriend’s Childhood Photographs.” An alternative title could have been, “How To Quickly Make Yourself Into An Ex-Boyfriend.”
Who controls an artist’s work after their death? The Wall Street Journal looks at the posthumous production of prints from negatives created by Vivian Maier and Garry Winogrand.
Photographer Sophie Gamand takes a hard look at one of the most humiliating part of a dogs life, bath time.
The Calumet website is back online. Calumet was sold to C & A Marketing, and you can read some legal documents about the case here, and here. You can also read the perspective of a college student struggling with the loss of the camera store.
And finally, the Philadelphia zoo creating a cat walk crossing that allows tigers to leave their exhibits and travel across the zoo can only mean one thing – Road Trip!

2014 Best In Show: Erika Nizborski

March 11, 2014 By Meaghan Gay

Hyattsville Carnival 2013- Magruder Park by Erika Nizborski — Carnival Giraffe by Erika Nizborski

We’re happy to announce the second of six winners of our inaugural Best In Show prizes for the 8th annual Exposed DC Photography Show. We invited a panel of distinguished Washington-area photojournalists to, in their esteemed opinion, pick their favorite photograph from our group of 49 images. Each Best In Show winner receives a $100 prize made possible by the Corcoran College of Art + Design.

We’ll be announcing the winners each day through next Monday. Tickets for the show, which opens next Wednesday, March 19, are available now.

Today’s Best in Show image is the moody “Carnival Giraffe” by Erika Nizborski. Congrats Erika! Her photo was chosen by judge Dan Westergren, Director of Photography for National Geographic Traveler.

Exposed: Can you give us some background on this photo, where was it taken, why was there a giant giraffe on a trailer, and what were you doing there?

Nizborski: My photo titled Carnival Giraffe is part of a larger photo series called The Hyattsville Project which I have been working on for about one year now. It’s a personal project that I have assigned myself in which I document my neighborhood. Carnival Giraffe was shot in Magruder Park on Hyattsville Day 2013. One day each spring the city comes together for a parade that starts on one side of town and ends at Magruder Park where a carnival then takes place. I was leaving the carnival and I spotted the giraffe in the parking lot with the street light behind it. I thought it was really strange, why didn’t the giraffe statue make it into the carnival? I was also drawn to the amazing light coming from behind it. I had my tripod with me, because I was taking other nighttime long exposures, so I set it up and took a few frames. I have also made it a rule to shoot this entire project on black and white film. I have found that with my professional work (which I only shoot with a digital camera) I sometimes end up taking far more images than I would ever need for one event. By shooting film for this project I am teaching myself to slow down. Film isn’t cheap and I only get 12 frames per roll, so I am very conservative with it.

Exposed: Your Flickr photos are funny and odd street scenes like this photo, but your professional work is weddings and portraits. How do you merge these two styles?

Nizborski: I haven’t ever thought of merging my professional work with my personal work before. They are very different. I am a wedding, event, and portrait photographer by day, and I like to think of my personal projects as assignments to strengthen my eye and craft. In my line of work capturing moments is a must, so I am constantly looking out for them.

Exposed: Dan Westergren awarded your prize. Do you read National Geographic Traveler and are you familiar with his work?

Nizborski: When I saw that I was one of the photographers that won the Best in Show I was honored and thrilled! I saw that Dan Westergren had voted for my photo. I read National Geographic Traveler from time to time, and while I did not immediately recognize his name, as soon as I pulled his website up I recognized his work. While his style and subjects are far different than mine, I see that his work relies heavily on moments as well. The whole experience of being a part of Exposed DC has really inspired me so far.

You can view more of Erika’s work on her website.