Colorado photographers had a specific challenge from the Littleton Fine Arts Board this year as they considered entries for the 53rd “Eye of the Camera” exhibit: It was seeking printed photographic work exploring the concept of “Evoke” (to call forth, or to summon a particularly strong mental image, feeling or emotion, or reaction to the conscious mind.) It could be traditional, non-representational or part of the artistic process. Really kind of a natural for an artist to consider.

Juror Gary Emrich, a fourth-generation Coloradan and a photographer for more than 40 years was chosen to select prints for the show, which had 184 pieces entered by 54 artists. Of those, Emrich selected 49 prints by 41 artists for the exhibit which runs through March 24 at the Littleton Museum, 6028 S. Gallup St., Littleton.

Emrich has exhibited regionally, nationally and internationally and is represented by Robischom Gallery in Denver. He taught at CU-Denver, Metropolitan State and Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design. He recently participated in the “New Territory: Landscape Photography Today” exhibit at the Denver Art Museum and is described as “deeply interested in the quality of everyday life, he uses a variety of photographic and video formats to explore personal memory and collective history.”

“I am interested in how and why humans endow certain objects, events and images with special meaning by preserving them,” he writes.

“Juried shows are a reflection of the juror’s interest. I chose work I thought was challenging, pushed the boundaries beyond,” he told the crowd who attended the opening reception. “In choosing the winners, I kept going back. Every time you look, you see something new and different …

“Regarding the best of show, it is well-crafted and has a quality of light…” He commented that “Another Martyr” by Gabrielle Graves was influenced by a historic painting. (Former art history students will probably recall “Death of Marat” by French painter Jaques-Louis-David, which records the ending for radical Jean-Paul Marat.)

Graves works in the Photography, New Media and Painting Departments at Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass. She will receive $1,500 and has been invited to participate in a two-person Best of Show Exhibit at the museum in 2020.

Emrich’s other choices for awards: First place: “Healing Process: Privacy, Shinjuku Crosswalk,” by Devin Johnson; second place: “Youth Won’t Stop” by Steffany Murcia-Wing.

This annual exhibit draws entries from across the state and includes a wide range of visions. It probably warrants more than one visit by those seriously interested in photographic technique. Many prints exhibited will launch a visitor into a spin of storytelling.