| Image City Photography Gallery
Newsletter |
| Issue: # 97 | September 16, 2015 | |
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For a webpage version of the Newsletter Click Here
We publish our Newsletter during each of our exhibits to pass along information and reviews of the exhibit, selected images and news of participation opportunities at Image City. We thank you for your interest and we look forward to another great year of fine photographs and events. We hope to see you at each of the 13 shows we produce in 2015.
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Rochester Destinations by Sheridan Vincent
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Current Show Runs Through Sunday, October 4
 Our current exhibit at Image City Photography Gallery features photographs by Sheridan Vincent, Gallery Partner. Titled Rochester Destinations, Sheridan continues his series of photographs of the Rochester Region and destinations that are well known as well as off the beaten paths. He presents his photographs in several styles and includes large photographic prints. In describing the show, Peter Marr commented "These are images of affirmation, grace, energy and beauty, and they are exquisite in their content, grandeur and presentation. Rochester and it environs have never been captured so inspiringly and displayed so imposingly, for they truly capture the essence, the feeling, the majesty, the charm and the appeal of this great city". Sheridan will be leading a casual discussion on his exhibit and photography with an Artist's Talk at the Gallery on Saturday, September 19 at 10am and again at 2pm.
In the East Gallery,Mike Edwards' exhibit features his series of beautiful flowers. Additional Guest Photographers are Jim Dusen, Ashley Weber, and Robert Berkman and Mary Walsh.
Rounding out the exhibit are the Gallery Partners and Artists-in-Residence: Dick Bennett, Carl Crumley, Steve Levinson, Gil Maker, Don Menges, Dan Neuberger, Jim Patton, David Perlman, Betsy Phillips, John Solberg, Gary Thompson, and Phyllis Thompson.
There is no admission fee to visit the Gallery and it is accessible for all. With the new exhibits by 18 photographers you will find a wide diversity of photographic subjects and styles to enjoy.
Click Here for a link to our website for full details of the show, and a link to a Preview of the Show Gallery where you will find example photos of the artists' exhibits. There is no admission fee to visit the gallery.
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| Peter Marr's Picks of the Exhibit | | |
We are very fortunate to have Peter Marr, photographer, competition judge, and past president of the Kodak Camera Club, select his "picks" by the featured artist in the show after a very careful critical review. For Sheridan Vincent's exhibit Peter made three selections. They are also posted online, click here. See the next article for additional Partners' Picks from the exhibition.
 Oak: Memorial Art Gallery This is an exquisite panoramic image of the Memorial Art Gallery, made all the more remarkable because it is captured through a serene canopy of majestic oaks, a compelling combination of a city scape and a natural landscape. It is important to note that this superb image evokes even more visual stimulation from the use of the panoramic format and the high quality printing on AluminArte metal. What is amazing about Sheridan's exhibition, and this print is no exception, is that every viewer, even though they may be familiar with a particular scene, will be astonished at the revelation of seeing and admiring a well-known scene in a completely new and exhilarating way. Their vision will be reawakened, resulting in a sense of wonder and intuitive awareness.
In the Oak: Memorial Art Gallery print, there is a striking similarity between the nobility of the main gallery building and the majesty and elegance of the stately oaks. You can almost sense the pride and emotion that these great trees have in forming such an imperial archway to highlight the buildings and sculpture garden. In particular, the two most prominent branches curve downwards as though in homage to the gallery scene, and one can detect that every branch part and leaf are trying their utmost to imbue this incredible panorama with reverence and awe. It is a great tribute to the artist that although this scene is completely backlit, his expertise has resulted in a print of amazing depth, sharpness and highlight and shadow detail. The autumnal color palette is spectacular and inviting, particularly with the glowing hues of the oak leaves which add a warmth and patina to the entire vista. It is magical, that even though the scene is backlit, the long shadows in my mind project inwards, supporting and highlighting the sculpture garden all the way to the towering edifice of the Art Gallery itself. Finally, there is an overall peacefulness and tranquility in this memorable place. It is like as though time has stopped, and it wants to remain like this forever. Perhaps this is how the viewer would like this panorama to look at all times. Certainly for myself, this is an awe-inspiring setting that I never want to see changed.
 Pine Stand: Webster Park It is virtually impossible not to be in complete awe and wonderment when one stands in front and center of this work of art, and to feel the excitement and overwhelming amazement as the eyes scan through 360 degrees of this breathtaking panorama. Even nature itself, were it to be in this situation, would marvel at this display, even though it created its contents, it could never have imagined such an outcome. Before I comment further, Sheridan informed me that this spectacular image is an "Immersion Panorama," and that the artistically curved scene is printed onto canvas. The end result is one of the pinnacle achievements of the artist's outstanding creativity.
As in many of his panoramas, by skillfully utilizing his consummate photographic and digital expertise, it has resulted in a backlit scene of inspiring radiance, that has depth and sharpness and exquisite highlight and shadow detail that simply defies the imagination. The color palette is simply gorgeous, all the way from the warm browns and reddish ochres of this delightful woodland setting, to the infinite variety of green hues emanating from the entrancing foliage. The exciting use of a 360 degree viewpoint, allows the observer to enter and leave the scene at will, walking the large pathway in both directions, enabling one to admire every facet of this magical wonderland.
Although the panorama itself is breathtaking, allowing the viewer to explore everything in their own time, one is very aware that there is also an outstanding feeling of reverence, of exalted inspiration, tranquility and serenity, an idyllic setting for peace and contemplation. This is truly one of nature's enchanted forests, where one can be alone, immerse oneself in the fragrances of the earth and pine trees, and can even reach out and touch the trees as one walks the trail at a leisurely pace. If there ever is heaven on earth, this is one of those places, somewhere where no one would ever want to leave.
 On the Shadow Edge-LP On the gallery wall immediately to the left of the picture that I am reviewing, is an outstanding panoramic print of an iconic Rochester plaza that highlights two famous landmark buildings. Utilizing digital software technology known as "Little Planet Projection," Sheridan has brilliantly transformed the latter print effortlessly into a "Plaza in the sky." Recent research into how the brain works, has revealed that visual art activates the brain's reward circuit in how an image is projected, rather than the image itself. This seems to me to reflect and agree with many of the artist's pictures in this exhibition, particularly with the print that I am currently commenting on.
Photographically the outstanding cloud formations and the lovely blue sky add an exciting focus and realism to this dynamic print. The buildings themselves and the vibrant green trees and shrubs are all superbly rendered in both resplendent hues and striking highlight and shadow details. The viewer has to marvel at what modern technology can accomplish, transforming a great picture into an exceptional and awe-inspiring print. I am visually reminded of the classic Pixar animated movie "Up," without the human characters associated with it. I definitely feel that the plaza, with the two buildings being much more prominent than they were, is spiraling upwards leaving the friendly confines of the clouds in its wake. What is also apparent, is that the spiral is definitively in an anti-clockwise direction, largely due to the downward tilt of the largest building. This rotation is slow enough, so that Sheridan has retained all the incredible sharpness and detail of the original print. Certainly, this stellar and visionary image will intrigue and excite every observer, and no doubt prompt many of them to purchase the software and explore for themselves the endless possibilities that it offers.
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| Gallery Partners' Picks | |
After reviewing the photographs in the exhibit, Gallery Partners have chosen two of their favorites shown here with a commentary for each. The photos and commentary are also posted online,
click here.
 Boots Up and Relaxing by Jim Dusen Good portraits often rely upon details which give the viewer a sense of who the person is. This excellent photograph by Jim Dusen does this with details that clearly contribute to an understanding of who the person portrayed is. His pose also complements and amplifies the second part of the title of this... Relaxing. The straw cowboy hat frames the face of the man, offering a contrast between his grizzled face and the fine hand work of the straw hat. An even stronger combination is the bottom of the boots which seem to complement the man's face. He looks as weathered as the bottom of his boots! The background also suggests the front porch of an old house where he is sitting at a comfortable chair after a hard day at work. Jim has created a photograph which lets the viewer look into the subject's eyes, scan the environment in which he sits and judge him in the context provided by both his pose and the comforts of home. His title beautifully fits this photograph.
 Frozen by Ashley Weber Many photographs are made portraying the beauty of the fall, spring and summer seasons. Beautiful blue skies, green grass and stately trees make for compositional elements seen in many landscapes. Often landscapes are photographed with wide-angle lenses that show a vast space. Less frequently, creative "micro-landscapes" are made that show just a small detail of the overall landscape but still provide the viewer with a feeling that they can extrapolate from this small view to a larger view in mind.
Ashley has made such a "micro-landscape" and has chosen to do this with a winter scene that is devoid of color except for one red berry that has survived. We see from the composition that she has chosen so that the tree branches, covered in ice, naturally lead us to that round red object.
This photograph for some reason reminds me of the paintings of Jackson Pollock, a well-known artist whose paintings are made by careful, reasoned drips of paint. The ice-covered branches, although provided by nature, give a similar frantic, kinetic presentation. |
Call for Submissions: The Magic of Light 2016
| | Juried Exhibit at Image City January 2016
Dear Friends of Image City Photography Gallery,
After nine successful editions of our annual juried show, we are pleased to let you know that there will certainly be another. The theme of the 2016 Image City Juried Theme Show is again titled The Magic of Light. The theme is open, to give you freedom to create astonishing photographs. The exhibit of selected photographs will be in January 2016 at Image City.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me Gilbert.Maker@ImageCityPhotographyGallery.com or by phone at 585-271-2540. All Gallery Partners look forward to receiving your submission by November 15, 2015 and its even better if we receive it before October 25 - see details on the link above. Feel free to forward this announcement to any of your friends and relatives who might be interested in participating in the Image City Juried Show, The Magic of Light 2016. There is a forward email link at the bottom of this announcement. Gilbert Maker, Gallery Partner Chairman of the 2016 Juried Show at Image City. |
Image City Critiques Group next meets Wednesday, October 7
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The Image City Critique Group will meet Wednesday, October 7th beginning at 6:30 PM. We meet at the gallery on the first Wednesday of each month to critique each other's images and hopefully improve our photography. Please bring 2 prints of your best images; matted if possible. We do not critique digital images. There is a one-time $20 registration fee, but you can try it once for free. The $5 per meeting fee has been abolished.
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| Return of Gary Thompson's Photo Tips | | | Look for Images within Images -- Calf Creek Falls
 It has been about three years since I stopped writing Photo Tips of the month for placement in the Image City Photography Gallery's Newsletter. Friends and fellow photographers have been urging me to renew these tidbits of my personal experiences so I have decided to start writing the Tips of the Month again.
Often when reviewing images with my students and when doing portfolio reviews at Image City, I start seeing smaller images within the compositions of larger images. Sometimes these smaller component images are individually more powerful and interesting than the overall image. This is particularly the case with landscape photographs. There is a natural tendency to include several interesting mini-compositions within the overall landscape believing that the cumulative effect will proportionally improve the overall photograph. The opposite is generally true. The reality is that more is usually less, and less is usually more. Most of us have been down this road many times. The tendency to include too many interesting things within our photographs is tough to resist. One method to combat this over-inclusion that works reasonably well for me, is to continually ask myself, "what is the most interesting part of my composition". If a specific area stands out as the most interesting, then I know that an image of that specific area is likely to produce a simpler but higher quality photograph.
Calf Creek Falls in Utah is a very tall, narrow falls with a beautiful plunge basin surrounded by a circular pristine sand beach containing attractive willow trees. After capturing several photographs using a variety of compositions I came to the conclusion that the most interesting sub-composition was the lower 25% of the falls with its spray and beautifully colored patterns. I isolated this section of the falls with a telephoto lens and eliminated foreground to emphasize colors and patterns. This produced a more dramatic and unique photographic version of Calf Creek Falls.
Click Here where you can review this and many additional Gary's Photo Tips. |
| Calendar of Events | |
Image City Photography Gallery, 722 University Avenue
September 19 10am and 2pm Artist Talk by Sheridan Vincent
October 2 First Friday Gallery Night 5 - 9 pm
October 4 Last day of Rochester Destinations by Sheridan Vincent
October 6 Opening day of Image City's Special 10th Anniversary Show
October 7 Image City Critique Group Meeting 6:30pm
October 9 Reception - 10th Anniversary Show
Image City Photography Gallery
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, Noon - 6
Sunday, Noon - 4
There is no admission fee to visit Image City Photography Gallery
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| Contact Information | | |
Image City Photography Gallery, 722 University Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607
In the Heart of ARTWalk in the Neighborhood of the Arts |
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