Spring by Summer '07 contender Sarah Claire Ahlers.

At first sight, I wanted to describe contender Sarah Claire Ahlers' photographs as 'feminine', but that's not what they are. With femininity there is a primary concern with beauty and aesthetics, which is not the case with Ahlers' photos. Instead, I find them to be overwhelmingly maternal, since she appears to be taking care of her subjects through the photograph. Her portrayals of people are never sarcastic or intentionally ironic. She is kind to her subjects and depicts them in an honest, simple fashion, which in turn gives her a sense of integrity as their photographer. Nowadays, that's a rare and refreshing quality to see in someone who bears the power of a camera.

The above photo of two young boys comes from a series wherein she followed and photographed one family. About this work, Ahlers explains:

Our lives are shaped by the circumstances and experiences surrounding our families. I am curious about the definitions and connections that bond a family together and make us who we become. I befriended and began photographing this family in small-town rural Massachusetts in 2005. I followed them closely through highly scheduled days filled with tasks that coordinate a family’s life and experience together,: sitting down for dinner, playing in the yard, band practice, family pets, and boy scout outings. The every day mundane--the small important points in time that make up our lives. My photographs document the routine and the unexpected. They are portraits of this family, their relationships, with each other and as individuals.

Sarah Claire Ahlers was born in Duluth, Minnesota in 1978. She attended the Rudy and Lola Perpich Arts High School, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and the New England School of Photography. She is an editorial and documentary photographer currently living in Boston, MA.

The Hey, Hot Shot! deadline is fast approaching, so enter the competition before crunch time!