Aperture portfolio prize winner

Aperture in New York has the 2008 winners of their latest portfolio contest on their website at www.aperture.org/apertureprize/ The winner, Michael Corridore, an Australian, shows people bathed in dust while watching sporting events such as car racing. Dusty indeed. 
    The reddish picture above is one of my pure abstractions titled, After the storm. Now back to Michael's images.
     His winning picture is default photography-- a girl in focus and situated at the bottom of the frame and near the middle. Generally we are looking at dust which is not that exciting although the cult. judges describe his image a minimalistic because of the dust. The picture might have been more interesting printed up side down just to add variety. But Michael went to the Photography Studies College and certainly knows which way is up.
      His picture maintains the normal paradigm for snapshot photography. The dust is interesting but a portfolio of dust is, well dusty, and hopefully not a trend setting style. 
     I am not sure why it won. It is a clear signal to keep taking snapshots. Dead souls like John Szarkowsky would be proud of  Aperture's choice. 
   This image, group of images, tells us the folks in New York City don't really demand very much from the medium. A "different" subject matter is all it takes; but don't change the style. 
     Sleep peacefully New York and practice the piano.