Image City Photography Gallery
Newsletter
Issue: # 76February  6, 2014

 

  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 2014.

In This Issue
Our Current Show: "A Sense of Peace" by Tom Dwyer
Peter Marr's Picks of the Current Exhibit
Dan Neuberger in the East Gallery
Course: Marketing your Pictures and Yourself by George Wallace
Course: Adobe Lightroom 5.3 by Steve Levinson
Rescheduled -- Image City Critiques
Show Changeover Video by Carl Crumley
Calendar of Upcoming Events at Image City

A Sense of Peace by Tom Dwyer 

First Friday is tomorrow, February 7 from 5 - 9 pm 

Current Show runs through Sunday, February 23

 


The second exhibit of this year is A Sense of Peace by Tom Dwyer, a landscape photographer from near Syracuse. His beautifully presented photographs demonstrate his artistry with scenes from Central and Upstate New York... the Finger Lakes and Adirondack regions, as well as from locations in Maine, Alaska, California, Arizona, Vermont, and the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Tom also leads photographic tours/workshops. First Friday Gallery Night is on February 7 from 5 to 9pm, where you can meet Tom and discuss his photography directly with him. Examples of his photographs and a discussion by Peter Marr follows in a later article of the newsletter.

 

Guest Photographers for the exhibit are Dick Beery, Jim Burns, Len Davidow, Kamil Kozan and John Retallack. Camera Rochester photographers return with club award-winning photos by Cheryl Challenger, John Ejaife, Luann Pero, Loretta Petralis, David Ridley and John Williamson.

 

Rounding out the show we have photographs by Artists-in-Residence, Jim Patton and David Perlman and Gallery Partners Dick Bennett, Carl Crumley, Steve Levinson, Don Menges, Betsy Phillips, Gary Thompson, Phyllis Thompson, and Sheridan Vincent. See a following article about Dan Neuberger's special exhibit in the East Gallery.

 

Click Here to see our website listing and link to a preview of a selection of photographs in the show.  

 

There is NO admission fee to visit Image City Photography Gallery and the Gallery is accessible to all.
Peter Marr's Picks of the Show

 

After the photographs in the exhibit are installed, Peter Marr, a noted photographer and judge, regularly views the photographs by the featured and guest photographers and selects several for his "Picks of the Show". He then writes a brief commentary on each that we post with the photograph, online and in the newsletter. Click Here review Peter's Picks as well as three Gallery Picks by Gallery Partners. 


Peter's first choice is Spring Leaves by Tom Dwyer. "Set against a backdrop of impressive mature trees, where the morning mist hangs gracefully in the air, a young, lone sapling elegantly reaches upward, culminating in a burst of new green foliage. The cascading leaves, caressed in part with gentle drops of dew, have a delicacy that is enhanced by the soft light and the absence of shadows, and nature has arranged their distribution to combine aesthetically with the strong verticals of the background trees, to create an inspiring visual and ecological statement. It is important to note that trees are the stately and eloquent voices of nature. They do not scream for attention, but peace comes to those who are aware of their voices, and who stop to listen. Trees are the embodiment of grace and spirituality. Here in solitude, we are entirely absorbed by their presence, away from all of the distractions of what we accept as the real world. The scattering of the sun's rays by the mist reduces the contrast between light and dark hues, and softens the lines, shapes and textures, evoking a sense of mystery that captures our imagination. The solitary tree in the foreground seems to glow as though illuminated from within, stimulating our emotional response. One is very aware that this young tree has profound ambitions, to mature in size to rival the giants that grow so precariously near the edge of the steep gorge, we fondly hope that it will succeed. It is certainly pertinent to add that the soft lighting has resulted in a breathtaking color palette from delicate greens all the way to gorgeous browns and neutral hues, resulting in a superb landscape, that is both awesome and uplifting."   

 

The next of Peter's choices is Morning Dawns, again by Tom Dwyer, "This sublime image is truly a magical moment in time, as the sun rises over the horizon and its gentle rays brush the foreground trees, whilst a gentle mist rises from the valley floor, resulting in a lyrical landscape that is a picture of poetic delicacy. One witnesses the calming and soothing presence of nature, one in which there is a sacredness that the environment is still alive, and for every observer, there will be an enthusiasm and an immediate emotional response to the scene. The soft lighting is simply gorgeous, resulting in an idyllic landscape of peace and serenity. What is really extraordinary is that although the light intensity is not strong, it is able to reveal incredible detail in the forest of trees in the background, all the way from the tree trunks and canopies, to the consummate green foliage. Where the light has touched the foreground trees, the end result is a radiant warmth and glow, together with impressive detail in the elegant conifers and deciduous trees that grow in harmony and in unison on the slopes of the valley. Against this inspiring panorama, occupying a towering presence in the foreground is a truly imposing and stately deciduous tree. This monarch of the valley could not have been painted in more spectacular fashion by an artist. Being backlit, the tree's outline dramatically enhances every feature, from the trunk to the limbs and branches. Close inspection of the very tips of each branch reveals dormant buds that are anxiously awaiting that moment in springtime, when the leaves will burst forth with both strength and beauty, to join their honored place in this serene environment. It is a great credit to the artist, that this exquisite landscape has been seen and artistically captured, as a result of countless hours of waiting and watching, for just that small moment in time when the lighting and the mist combined to reveal a magical scene, that he captured so inspiringly. It is certainly worth noting that this outstanding image was creatively matted and framed for every viewer to enjoy to the fullest."

 

For the third pick, Peter liked Aurora by Jim Burns noting that  "It is very apparent that the artist has developed the power to see his subjects in a truly personal way, experiencing the excitement of creative work that has made a direct appeal to his own passion and interest. The inspired concept of projecting images onto the human form has resulted in his display of fascinating and unique prints. The portraits are not meant to be a likeness of the subject, but a new reality, whose meaning resides as much in what it evokes as in what it actually portrays. Like an artist who begins with a blank canvas, Jim uses a nude model as a transitory surface onto which he projects his graphic designs, resulting in images that he skillfully creates in the camera viewfinder. In Aurora, the flowing, mesmerizing designs are artistically displayed on the model, whose back faces the camera. The distinctive patterns are set against a tapestry of warm reddish hues and positively glow with a creative ambience. It is as though the model was dressed in a skin-tight dress, and the geometric patterns reflected the flowing folds of the dress, whilst also emphasizing her body's graceful contours. The more that one studies this striking image, the more that one is aware of four distinct areas where the warm hues have been supplanted with green and aqua colors, and more importantly, by a significant area of the model's lower back which resembles a dark brown, almost black horizontal shield. These areas are certainly part of the overall design, but their significance is a definite conversation topic for viewer discussion. I would like to add my own personal comment as to the mystery of the 'shield'. Unlike the graceful, flowing lines in the rest of the projected pattern, this dark area has distinctive edges, and its hue is more reflective of the dark black background which serves as an ideal backdrop for the overall colorful image. I would surmise that this 'shield' is the last piece of the memorable jigsaw puzzle, that the artist has deliberately left out for every viewer to decide what really fits into this space. Aurora is a very creative and masterly print, a great tribute to Jim's inspiring vision and technique." 

Gallery Picks of the Show
Gallery Partners' Selects

In addition to the Peter Marr selections, Gallery Partners have picked another three photos to feature.

Tired and Rusty by Dick Beery. We are all drawn to photographs of old cars and trucks. Often times these pictures simply document the subject. Dick has coupled this interest along strong photographic creativity, with finding wonderful representatives of vehicles that dramatically show their age. With Tired and Rusty, he presents the counterpoint of two cars of the same color, with their strong red-orange tones that complements the rust patina that has been created over the years with being outside. These cars become organic as Dick has shown how weeds have surrounded the cars in an attempt return them to the earth. Strong composition, nostalgia, and decay all combine to make this a very striking photograph. One can both imagine these classic cars in their prime as well as observing them in their state today!

  

Submerged Leaves #3 by Kamil Kozan. Kamil has produced an excellent photographic portfolio of leaves beneath moving water in his series titled, Submerged Leaves. While several of his images could justifiably be awarded an Image City Gallery Pick, we have selected his Submerged Leaves #3 image for the award. Kamil creatively photographs autumn leaves filtered through the turbulence of flowing water. The result is a grouping of subtly colored images resembling water colored abstracts. The common photographic practice in shooting this kind of subject matter is to focus on a particular area and contrast these sharply focused areas against softly slurred water. Kamil's creative approach is unique in that he emphasizes balance of soft color and uses only limited sharpness to maintain interest and give some grounding to the photograph. Moving water images are difficult to photograph. The glare on moving water tends to shut down meter readings thus producing dark underexposed prints. Kamil has skillfully mastered the art of opening up his camera's exposures to produce brightly colored images. Another difficulty that Kamil has creatively mastered is selecting shutter speeds so that the moving water creates some softness but not total blur. In Submerged Leaves #3, Kamil uses a shutter speed that captures the pleasantly curved horizontal lines of the moving water. The interaction between the water lines and the leaves is quite pleasing. Although the yellow leaf is somewhat centered, the two adjacent orange leaves create a good feeling of balance.

 

Sophia by John Retallack. In this photograph John displays his skills in capturing the essence of a lovely young girl. Instead of simply showing a single portrait, John shows a diptych of the same model facing herself but in a very clever way. When people close their eyes and are photographed they often show a completely different and sometimes mystical look. Photographs of subjects with their eyes closed are a very effective technique in portrait photography.  Coupling this image with an additional photograph of the same model with her eyes wide open and a very compelling gesture with her hand makes for an excellent contrast. As with many of John's photographs, the viewer cannot simply look at it and walk away, but is encouraged to spend time with this photograph and think about the personality and the thoughts of the model. In this series of diptychs John clearly moves away from the traditional portrait and has developed a wonderful way to capture his impressions of the models with whom he works.

"Among My Favorites...." a Retrospective by Dan Neuberger

Dan celebrates his 85th birthday with an exhibit in the East Gallery

 
During the current exhibit we have another special in the East Gallery. Dan Neuberger, one of the founding Partners at Image City, presents his choices for a retrospective, "Among my Favorites..."  Dan is celebrating his 85th birthday this month and it is certainly a pleasure to see his personal "dynamic range" with the art that he has selected. In addition to his art, Dan brings a zest to the operation of the Gallery and is well known to have a story, joke, or quote for most every occasion. Recently, he passed along another of his favorites that is worth quoting here
 
"Don't go for looks; they can deceive.
Don't go for wealth; even that fades away.
Go for someone who makes you smile,
Because it takes only a smile to
Make a dark day seem bright."

 

Marketing your Pictures and Yourself by George Wallace
A New Course held with two sessions February 11 and 18 

There are a limited number of openings left for a new course offering at Image City -- "Marketing your Pictures and Yourself" by George Wallace. Reserve your spot early and sign up at the gallery for the course that will be held with two sessions on Tuesday, February 11 and February 18 from 7 to 9 pm. The course fee is $70. For full description and details Click Here. George describes the course

"Poor Van Gogh. He sold few pictures while he was alive. He thought he was a failure, that no one liked his pictures except his brother, Theo. But family will tell you anything. They love you. Van Gogh could have used some marketing help. The only problem was marketing, as a discipline hadn't been invented yet. Van Gogh was not and is not alone. Lots of artists sell no work. And many faced with failure to sell, give up, and abandon what they love. But, it doesn't have to be that way. In two sessions MYPY will show you how to market yourself and your pictures, will help you develop a useable marketing plan, and set you on the way to selling your pictures. Your hobby will begin to help pay for itself. PS I sell hundreds of pictures a year."
Creating Great Photographs with Adobe Lightroom 5.3 by Steve Levinson
Course with four Sessions April 10, 17, 24, and May 1

After taking this lecture and workshop course by Steve Levinson, you will be have a workflow (or standardized process) that you can efficiently follow for every photograph you make: (1) importing images into your computer so that you can easily find them at a later time, (2) selecting the best images using an organized process (3) creating a fine digital image and then (4) making a fine digital print or posting on the Internet. Time will be available to practice and discuss both provided images and images from your own portfolio. RAW is the preferred original (camera) format for images, though high quality JPEGS will also work. For full description and details Click Here.

Image City Critiques Rescheduled for next Wednesday, February 12


The Critique Group normally meets the first Wednesday of the month. Participants meet and review photographs that they bring in a friendly critiquing session. The February session was recently cancelled for the bad weather. It has been rescheduled to meet again on Wednesday, February 12 at 7:00 pm. This will give you one more week to make some images for the group assignment -- using shapes for creative expression. Continue to send them to dmenges@rochester.rr.com. Image File Format: change to 100 dpi and save the image as a jpg file, use your name in the file name and email to Don.  

Show Changeover Video by Carl Crumley
See our behind the scenes effort!

At Image City we change over our exhibits every four weeks. Having produced 111 exhibits over the years we have a pretty efficient effort to take down the previous show on a Sunday night and install the next show the following Monday. At the end of the year, we took some time to paint our exhibit walls between the Holiday Show 2013 and the Magic of Light 2014 show where we installed 170 photographs. During these efforts, Carl Crumley, Gallery Partner, set up a couple of cameras in a timelapse mode to record it all and then honed his editing skills to produce a 10-minute video. Carl estimates that we invested 145 man hours in the show changeover. He has posted the YouTube video and you can see it online by clicking on the video image below or Click Here. Many thanks to Carl for his skill and expertise in production of "Holiday Show to Magic of Light Show in Four Days".

 
Holiday Show to Magic of Light Show in Four Days
Holiday Show to Magic of Light Show in Four Days

 

Calendar of Events
Image City Photography Gallery, 722 University Avenue 

 

February 7 First Friday Gallery Night 5 - 9 pm

February 12 Wednesday Rescheduled Image City Critiques 7 pm. 

February 23 Last day for A Sense of Peace by Tom Dwyer

February 25 Open day for Peter's Picks Retrospective 2012

February 28 Artists' Reception for Peter's Picks Retrospective 2012

 

Image City Photography Gallery  New Hours: Tuesday - Saturday Noon - 6, Sunday Noon - 4

 

There is no admission fee to visit Image City Photography Gallery and we are accessible to all.
Contact Information

 Image City Photography Gallery, 722 University Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607

585.271.2540 
website: www.ImageCityPhotographyGallery.com 

 

In the Heart of ARTWalk in the Neighborhood of the Arts where our mission is
to create a satisfying exhibition and learning experience for photographers and the art loving community.

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