John Faber Memorial Photography Contest and Show


This popular annual Smith Mountain Arts Council contest draws casual, amateur, and professional photographers from a wide area surrounding Smith Mountain Lake, including Roanoke, Lynchburg, Martinsville and beyond.

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Photo Show 2023 - April 28-30

Bethlehem United Methodist Church
13586 S Old Moneta Rd
Moneta, VA 24121

It’s time to get ready for SMAC’s annual
John Faber Memorial  PHOTO SHOW!

April 5, 2023 Entry form Deadline

Important 2023 Photo Show Deadlines and Dates:

  • Wednesday, April 5, 2023: Entry Deadline (forms and fees due).
  • Tuesday, April 25, 8:30 a.m.- Noon: Photographs must be delivered to Bethlehem United Methodist Church.
    (Please arrange for drop-off/pick-up of your entries if you are unable to do so at designated times.)
  • Friday, April 28, 6.:00 p.m. Awards Reception, Bethlehem UMC.
  • Saturday, April 29, 10 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. and Sunday, April 30, Noon – 3:00 p.m.: Public Exhibit open.
  • Sunday, April 30, 3:00 – 5:00 PM: Photographs must be picked up from Bethlehem UMC.
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Past Event: 26th Annual Photo Contest and Show 2022

Apr 23-24, 2022

Bethlehem United Methodist Church
13586 S. Old Moneta Rd.
Moneta, VA 24121

Exhibit Hours

Sat Apr 23 10am – 4pm
Sun Apr 24 12pm – 3pm

Award Winners list below.
Download pdf here.

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Judge - Craig Shaffer

After 50 years of photography and millions of images, Craig Shaffer continues to tease reality with imagination through photography. He still shoots every day, exploring the world through a viewfinder of dreams. He specializes commercial, illustrative and photojournalism work, along with advanced Photoshop art composition.

To live is to create. To create is to live,” he noted. ” As Henri Cartier-Bresson said, “It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera…they are made with the eye, heart, and head.”

More about Craig at matrixphoto.smugmug.com

Craig Shaffer
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Gallery - click on photo to see larger image

Best in show - Allan Raasch
1st place winners
2nd place winners
3rd place winners
Reception photos
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About John Faber

John Faber

Source: 2007 Smith Mountain Eagle article by Rebecca Jackson

  • Renown photojournalist, retired at SML with wife Trudy, passed away in 1993
  • 1950-1983 served as Eastman-Kodak technical and public relations representative to the largest news organizations in the nation.
  • Worked closely with Margaret Bourke-White (first Life Mag cover) as liaison between her and Eastman Kodak
  • 1963 became the first westerner to interview the Dali Lama. Faber photo was used as the Dali Lama official portrait for many years.
  • He documented the history of news photography, interviewing the great photojournalists, and compiling the results into a book, “Great News Photos and the Stories Behind Them. Nominated for a Pulizer Prize in 1979.