Viewpoint Gallery’s annual juried exhibit Twelve encourages photographers to interpret an idea suggested by the theme of the exhibit. Natural Magic is the Twelve theme for 2013.
Natural Magic alludes to the explanations and speculations of Giambattisa della Porta, one of the most famous men in Italy during the Renaissance. In 1558 della Porta published a series of thoughtful investigations on diverse subjects from horticulture and cryptography, to meteorology, astrology and optics entitled Natural Magic. He improved the camera obscura by adding a lens and used it as a projection device in theatrical performances. Though he was interested in explaining natural phenomena through observation and study, della Porta was arrested for sorcery! Photographers surely know the magical influence of light and luck, certainty and risk, reality and illusion. The subject matter and photographic technique for Twelve Natural Magic is open.
Viewpoint welcomes your creative interpretations. All photographers are invited to submit up to six images

The juror for Twelve: Natural Magic is Keith Sutter, known for his extraordinary editorial projects across the Taklamakan Desert in China for the Royal Geographic Society and in Baja California for National Geographic. He has been published in National Geographic, Architectural Digest, Outside, Men’s Journal, Real Simple, Sunset, Sierra, National Geographic Books, Dance, Summit, The New York Times, The Sunday Times (London), The South China Morning Post, and many other publications. In addition to his stunning nature photographs in Alaska, Italy and California’s own Sierra Nevada, Keith is an award winning commercial photographer with over 20 years of experience. An ardent supporter of the arts, his work with the Sacramento Ballet captures the exquisite beauty, romance and drama of dance. He is a graduate of Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara.
Exhibit dates: December 11, 2013 to January 4, 2014.