All images copyright by the individual photographers

Partners' Picks of Featured and Guest Photographers
	Sibling Rivalry by Dick Beery This photograph is part of the “young” series of photos that Dick has displayed along with the “old” photos to balance the ying and yang of nature and life. This is a very playful image showing the mother and her young chicks. The mother seems almost detached from its offspring, looking off into the distance, not involved. The chicks seem full of life and playfulness. What makes this a wonderful photograph is Dick’s use of light…the chicks are bathed in this bright light, almost shining through the chicks. This focuses the viewers’ attention on the chicks, with the graphic shape of the mother counterbalancing them and completing a circular composition…keeping the viewers eyes within the frame of the image. Nature photographs can something be “just” a record of what a particular bird or animal look like, or, like Dicks photographs, show the interactions and gestures of nature’s creations. This makes for so much more powerful images.
	Three Dancers by Lisa Cook Lisa has been a visiting artist for the last several months, this is her final exhibition and ends on a very high note. Three Dancers is a very creative photo, employing both an interesting subject (the three dancers of the title) and a magical “stage” on which they perform. Details of the women are obscured, making the viewer focus on their body positions, shapes and interactions. One of the dancer’s has a classic dance position while the other two seem to be more sedentary, grounded. Lisa uses a texture mask very cleverly, to achieve the dream like quality of this photograph. It removes the dancers from a traditional stage and puts them in an almost new dimension and place, timeless. The lack of detail in their clothing contributes to this separation from reality. Photos like this beg to have the viewer create a story about them….is this just a dance performance or is there a deeper meaning? This is up to the viewer to ponder, and there are probably a great number of different meanings that can be imagined.
	The Bottle House by Don Delong Don has a very nice collection of photographs in this exhibit.  I really like the “Cows” and the “Umbrellas” at the beach, but I especially enjoy the Bottle House. One of the most important skills a good photographer possess is what he places in the frame and what he leaves out. Second to that is how individual elements are arranged within the frame. Don carefully places the door and steps to the right side of the photograph. His post processing has the door glowing as if lit from behind. The rickety 4 steps lead up to the door. This element takes up a mere 10% of the entire image, yet it is so powerful. The remainder of the photograph is bottle bottoms – thus the title – and its pure texture.  A photograph is 2-dimensional, yet Don has managed to create a contrast heavy surface with deep and rich B&W tones that urge us to “feel” the exterior and enjoy its rich texture. Finally, Don has employed just the right amount of negative space to support the primary subject, the door. The space is grand and luxurious but does not detract from the door itself. Well done.
	Villa Council Room  by William Edwards  Bill has created a beautiful series of Platinum prints displaying the beauty he encountered in San Marino, a former home of Napoleon. The platinum tones range from warm black, to reddish brown, to expanded mid-tone grays that are unobtainable in silver print. Unlike the silver print process, platinum lies on the paper surface, while silver lies in a gelatin or albumen emulsion that coats the paper. As a result, since no gelatin emulsion is used, the final platinum image is absolutely matte with a deposit of platinum (and/or palladium, its sister element which is also used in most platinum photographs) absorbed slightly into the paper. This is a classic process which is fitting for the subject matter. The lighting is subtle, streaming through the windows and leaving a small triangular mark on the carpet, which resonates with the triangles of the carpet’s design. The photograph doesn’t really reveal the paintings surrounding the top part of the chambers but doesn’t detract from the wonderful composition. Although these photos were made in 1995, they still move the observer and make them want to visit this historic location.
	Spiraling by Rick Garvia Welcome to an episode of “The Twilight Zone.” Rick said that his B&W photography has become about experiencing something and documenting the moment in a way that tells a story. Spiraling is story being told.  The dark foreboding hallway has a staircase that spirals into – nowhere. The tormented and well-lit face in the poster seems to be calling out to someone who is not there. Perhaps they’ve exited right as the sign implores. The twisting railing leads us down (and up) the stairs. The texture on the bottom half dozen steps is delicately illuminated by light. All the pieces are here for a stranger than life story. Add to that all of these clever photographic elements and you have a solidly put together Image.
	Jeff Spevak by Jones Hendershot Jones has provided us with a small portfolio of images in which the tone, the lighting and placement of the subject in each artfully create an environment that inspires the viewer to take time to study each of the photos. Jeff Spevak is an excellent example of Jones’ work. Jeff is a local writer and reviewer of music and other cultural events in the area. He currently writes as a freelance writer and for his own blog, reviews for City Newspaper, and reviews music for the local radio affiliates for NPR. Jones places Jeff alone at a local bar (Nox Cocktail) sitting in front of his classic typewriter with paper rolled in to begin typing. To the left of the typewriter on the bar is a glass of wine. Jeff and the typewriter are in focus and positioned in the lower right-hand power point of the photo. Jeff’s face, the corner of the chair and the typewriter are on the same plane perpendicular to the camera lens and are the only part of the photo in focus thereby drawing the viewers eye to this circle of focus. Reading the photo from left to right, the bottles on the edge of the bar, the small glasses with candles, the edge of the bar and even the curvature of Jeff’s body as he leans into the bar, are parallel leading lines that allow the viewer to linger with the rest of the photo. The blacks and whites are handled expertly with all the tones of light between them. Jones achieves his goal that he set for himself with this exhibit. The portrait of Jeff Spevak is a simple photo, really. Yet, powerful in that it conveys a shared communal experience that many find in a local well-known bar and a writer who, as Jones comments, “creates spaces that allow us to feel more deeply and offer counterpoint to the inescapable hardships of the human condition.”
	Malaparte by Devin Mack Sometimes a photograph can transport the viewer to a particular place and evoke an atmosphere. Malaparte is such an image. We’ve just come inside from the streets of the West Village in New York. Outside it’s bright sunlight, and our eyes just begin to adjust to the darker inside. Some of the details are hidden as our eyes adjust, but the lights over the bar and the full array of glasses on the shelves catch our attention.  Any moment, the bar tender will look up at us with a welcome… “Sit anywhere. What can I get for you?” The window lets in some of the sounds and bustle of the street, but this is a place to take a break, to sit down and enjoy a drink and conversation. The place seems comfortable. The photographic composition helps us explore in a way that we might do if we actually walked into the bar. “Hmmm, sit by the window facing the street? Naugh…I’d rather sit on one of those round tables closer to the bar.” It’s a photograph that seems to stop the present moment, giving us that moment and the space to enjoy it. It’s a worthwhile visit!