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Proof is commonly defined as “evidence sufficient to establish a thing as true, or to produce belief in its truth.” It has been the name of an award winning Broadway play and a Hollywood film. It is used in the court of law, in mathematical conclusions and in determining the strength of alcohol. In photography, it is the trial print of a negative, also called a contact sheet.

Proof sheets are often the first prints a photographer makes in order to view a roll of film. From these contact sheets, they select the frame from which a print is made. The contact sheet is akin to a diary -- few artists ever let the public see these, as it reveals their process and way of thinking. PROOF brings together 26 photographers who exhibit contact sheets alongside the chosen photograph. We salute the photographers who have agreed to be part of PROOF and thank them for letting us see how their eyes framed a specific scene.