Gallery Photographers Image City Feature Articles
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All images copyright by the individual photographers
Dead Sea 8
Emily’s
outstanding Dead Sea images have a magical quality that truly captures
how nature can be as beautiful and awe-inspiring even in the absence of
any living animals or plants. I particularly admired print 8
because of the exquisite palette of pastel colors that sweep across the
landscape, together with the impressive and inspiring foreground. In the
latter, one witnesses a small grouping of saplings that tragically
illustrates the life and death struggle for survival in one of the
harshest environments on earth. That nature should try and grow and
nurture anything, even on the edge of this salt lake is astonishing, but
it does support the fact that there is a sacredness that the environment
is still alive. What is heart-warming, is the fact that the dead
spindly, tree -like structures have created an uplifting and creative
design that resplendently towers above the lake. Thankfully, all this
was achieved before the high salt content choked off all the nutrients,
killing the plants, but their skeleton forms still dance to nature’s
music in defiance to the utter stillness that pervades this landlocked
lake. Visually, it is remarkable that in this hostile setting, the lake
surface delightfully glows with a panorama of delicate hues that is
unsurpassed in their radiance. The early evening illumination
entrancingly transforms the distant hills into a pastiche of warm
delicate pinks, pale oranges and reds that look resplendent against the
pale blue sky. This soft diffuse lighting spills over across the sea
itself, being reflected as gorgeous pastel hues which take on more
bluish tones towards the foreground. Gentle undulations on the surface
of the Dead Sea create a mystery of their own, and I wonder if these
ripples are trying to create music of their own, in competition with the
sounds that the dead saplings are creating. This is a truly memorable
image that shows how nature can create visual wonderment in an area that
is so forbidding.
Otago Tree Birds Ted is an amazingly talented nature photographer
who has traveled to all seven continents, often to remote and sometimes
inhospitable areas, to bring back outstanding and memorable images, many
of which are in his current print exhibition at the Image Gallery. The
artist is a master observer and interpreter of nature, eminently
displayed in his uplifting and resplendent photograph,
Otago Tree Birds. Like many of Ted’s inspiring images, it is printed
and mounted on an aluminum substrate that imparts a clarity and
brilliance that is unsurpassed. When viewing this remarkable print, one
has an exalted inspiration that nature itself would be justly proud of
the artist’s interpretation of this lovely scene. In diffuse early
morning light, with barely a breath of wind in the air, the photographer
has expertly used a long exposure to record this epic image. The viewer
is aware of a large lake set against a dramatic mountain vista, and in
the lake there is a resplendent tree. The latter has a large trunk which
gracefully and artistically curves to one side, probably as a result of
the prevailing winds in this region. From this splendid trunk system, a
series of mostly vertical limbs curve upwards, from which delicate
foliage effortlessly spreads out to form a canopy in which a flock of
birds use as an overnight roosting site. The intricate arrangement of
the branches and greenery create a superb visual pattern set against the
mountains and the striking sky that is filled with horizontal layers of
impressive cloud formations. The long camera exposure eliminates any
visible ripples on the lake’s surface, but there is subtle water
movement which helps define and characterize the colony of small rocks
in the foreground. The size of these rocks indicate that the lake is
shallow, which would strongly support why the tree is surviving so well
in a lake environment. One creative and imaginative result of the long
exposure and quiet light, is that the landscape is bathed in lovely blue
tones that makes this entrancing print even more magical, and
awe-inspiring. This is an unforgettable image of breathtaking beauty for
every viewer to admire and enjoy.
Peace on Earth
Dick’s stellar
and inspiring exhibition is a great tribute to his passionate love of
nature and the environment, and hopefully his fine art prints will give
viewers the opportunity to be further aware of the beauty of the
remarkable world we live in. Peace
on Earth is a majestic and captivating print that would grace any
Christmas calendar with its creative eloquence and reverence for nature.
Under spectacular soft, diffuse lighting, one is enthralled by an early
winter scene in which light snow is gently falling on a lovely sweep of
a grassy meadow, which backs onto a magnificent stand of tall trees. The
author has creatively used a shutter speed that renders the snow as
small distinctive particles that contribute gracefully to the overall
atmosphere and perception of this wonderful print.
The amount of snow does not completely cover the grass, leaving
grassy patterns that flow effortlessly across the foreground before
curving around the left hand side of the print and disappearing into the
forest. The lovely lighting and diffuseness of the snow particles reveal
the power and majesty of the trees, and even many of the stately
vertical tree trunks are just visible, adding to the beauty of this
pastoral landscape. Into this inspiring vista, one is captivated by the
presence of a red fox. The latter is no ordinary fox, for he is in
magnificent shape, all the way from his thick bushy tail to his
resplendent red coat and remarkable facial features. This is an animal
in peak physical condition, that has access to other sources of
nutritional food than that which is the result of hunting prowess.
Remarkably, the fox has obligingly stopped at the right spot in the
frame, and with no fear has allowed his curiosity with the photographer
to override his natural survival instincts In such a sublime setting,
the fox’s presence is further evidence of how wonderful nature is, and
how memorable it is for Dick to capture this decisive and special
moment, where being at one with the environment has resulted in a
spectacular image for every viewer to marvel at and enjoy.
Datdawtaung Cave
Josh Bulriss, in his excellent
Datdawtaung Cave
photograph, uses the strong directional light from the outdoors to
beautifully illuminate the statues and rocks inside the cave. It is the
play of light which makes this image so outstanding. He accomplishes
this by placing his camera close to a right angle from the light's path
and at a height which allows the light to flow diagonally across the
full frame of his image.
Congratulations to Josh Burris for using powerful natural light and
interesting subject matter to produce a superb photograph with strong
three-dimensional communication.
Towers A frequent visitor to Image City and an original
participant in “Through the Student Lens,” Bruce’s work (as well as his
students) often focuses on architectural design. Bruce frequently
engages large geometric shapes with plenty of lines and angles to
showcase his passion for design. This particular image,
Towers, follows Bruce’s
technique, but with a twist – literally! If we didn’t know, from the
other examples in this exhibit, that Bruce takes advantage of
architectural design; we might be fooled into believing that this image
was of something else – perhaps from another world. It appears as a
diptych, yet the right and left seems to mirror each other. The curves
of the building on the left appear similar to the curves on the right.
Perhaps there is a reflection working in this image. Additionally, it is
difficult to tell where the straight sides of the building become
curved; a bit of intrigue. Another fine image produced by Bruce Elling.
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Image City Photography Gallery ♦ 722 University Avenue ♦ Rochester, NY 14607 ♦ 585.271.2540 In the heart of ARTWalk in the Neighborhood of the Arts |