Onexposure.net in pursuit of the sublim

By Jacques Bron on Tuesday, April 01 2008

This could be the best photo website around...
Onexposure.net is a photography website and community, where each photo is screened which means it has to be approved by an editor before before being published. Then anyone can comment, criticize and discuss it in the forums. Onexposure.net is a photo community, but where art is the main concern. You don't have to look at hundreds of less-than-everage photos to have the chance to see some great pictures. Founded by two serious amateur photographers from Sweden, onexposure.net has an interesting vision and philosophy :

"The idea of Onexposure is to create a collection of some of the most beautiful photos in the world. We stand up for photography as an art. Onexposure is intended as an oasis of quality in a world of never ending commercial messages and constant noise of impressions, a place to rest your mind for a while.

We want the collection to be a source of inspiration, because our firm belief is that anyone can become an artist, if you are determined to improve and put your heart and soul into your work. Art can be anything from painting, making sculptures and composing music to sweeping the street or cutting the grass. No one can deny that cutting a bonsai tree is art. Fundamental to creating art is that you care about your work. Self-criticism and having your work honestly evaluated by others are essential for developing as an artist.

Photo is about expressing yourself. The one general rule about photo is that every photograph you shoot is in fact a self-portrait. Even though a photo resembles reality, the photographer decides where to point the camera, at what time and what settings to use depending on past experience, personality, and mood.

Everyone has the right to be recognized and everyone can find their own meaning in a photograph. We want to provide a place where you will meet others and ultimately find yourself through images".

Wow ! I could read that again and again !
I have been a member of several online photo communities (and I even have been the creator of one). As time goes, I often get disappointed by the lack of quality, the lack of artistic vision. Most of the time, photography forums only want to make the highest possible page impressions and money income from ads. They want to be the largest, the biggest community in order to get sponsors and ads. For that reason, they don't filter or select quality material.

Onexposure seems to be different. I have browsed some of Onexposure's photographer's portfolios and have seem many, many great photos. Interestingly, many of the photographers published on onexposure.net are photobloggers.

I wish I could have some of my photos published there. For me, discovering this site is a has been a wonderful moment. Onexposure.net is a source of inspiration and of great motivation !

If you have the chance to visit onexposure.net, please let me know what you think.