The eighth annual Survey Exhibition of Contemporary Photography in Hawai‘i brings together images that reflect the latest in local photographers’ talents, skills and creativity.

“We’re trying to identify what is taking place in photography in Hawaii every year,” said David Ulrich, director of Pacific New Media, a branch of the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Outreach College that sponsors the exhibit. “It’s a combination of fine-art photographers, documentary photographers, photojournalists. … Technical mastery (and) content is really important. Is the photographer saying something in the work, or is it merely a pictorial picture of a palm tree?”

The exhibit, juried by Jay Jensen, curator of contemporary art at the Honolulu Museum of Art, consists of about 50 photos drawn from about 500 entries — certainly only a tiny fraction of the photos that are shot here, since “statistics reveal that more photographs are shot in Hawaii than any other state,” Ulrich said.

Artists could use an array of photographic processes, submitting entries in analog or digital format, color or black and white, and mixed media. Many photographers used traditional or alternative processes to create their prints, while others opted to print their images on a photo-quality laserjet printer after touching up the image on the computer.

Ulrich said this year’s exhibit differed from previous years in that it showed that many more local photographers were focusing on content and that they were “getting turned on to the quality of the print.”

“Most of the pictures in this show are larger than in previous shows, and they’re notably well printed,” he said. “Nowadays so many pictures are viewed on a computer screen or tablets, so the printmaking art in photography has been diminishing. I’m glad to see that people are taking it seriously again.”

An example is Daniel Finchum’s, “What? — a vibrant black and white image of a young hula dancer with a Mona Lisa-like mien, but with just a hint of defiance. It was created through the wet collodion process, a photographic technique dating to the 1850s which involves using a vintage camera and lenses, a portable darkroom and some hazardous chemicals. The entire process, from exposure to print, must be completed in about 15 minutes.

“The chemicals, as I understand it, are explosive, so you have to be very careful with it,” Ulrich said.

History is referenced in other ways as well, especially in two images by Berkeley Fowler. His “Hamburger” shows a collection of objects — varieties of produce, some kitchen implements, money and a hamburger with packages of ketchup — strewn on a tablecloth, while his “Doughnut” features a doughnut coated with sprinkles.

Ulrich likes the photos because he’s found that when it comes to photographs, photographers “don’t often have a sense of humor,” but these images do. “The photographer is mimicking the traditional still lifes of Renaissance painting but doing it with highly contemporary things,” Ulrich said.

Alison Beste’s image reminds you that photography, like all visual art, is about light. Her “Light Pollution Grid #2” is a grid of square blocks in various colors, from smouldering black to a blueish gray to a rusty brown. It could be a close-up of a warm tapestry, but in fact the blocks are all images of the sky in Honolulu.

“The colors are coming from the atmospheric haze or pollution in the air and light pollution from city lights,” Ulrich said. The title refers to “the kind of light pollution that an astronomer would talk about, where you can’t see the stars anymore because there’s too much light in the sky.

“Many strong photos have a sense of paradox, where although you’re looking at this photograph for its beauty, on the other hand, once you recognize the subject, it brings you up short because you realize that it’s something that is inherently a problem.”

With its elements of surprise, wit and political commentary, this show goes far beyond the classic beach and sunset images that we can see every day without having to look at a photograph.

The exhibit is on display at The ARTS at Marks Garage through Saturday.