Group exhibition: 'Key Light'

SCAD President and Founder Paula Wallace created the Key Light Alumni Photography Challenge as a platform for graduates of the university’s award-winning photography program, inviting them to take inspiration from the 2021 exhibition Albert Watson: The Light Behind the Lens, organized by the university and presented at SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film in Atlanta. A team of judges, including professors, curators, and Watson himself, evaluated the photographs, shared their critiques, and awarded standout works.

“Key light” is a photography term that describes the central or most important light source in creating the form of a subject. The word “key” can also reference music, solving a problem, the act of unlocking, or deciphering a map. When discussing his work, Watson often speaks about the importance of positioning the key light. For this presidential initiative, alumni were challenged to consider Watson’s expert use of light as a point of departure from which to achieve their own vision.