Gallery Photographers Image City Feature Articles
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All images copyright by the individual photographers The Finish Line.
2013 What is so inspiring about Anthony’s
awesome exhibition, is that every print upliftingly reflects that one is
envisaging artistry and nature coalescing in spectacular harmony. What
is certainly obvious is that he has a love and passion for nature and
the environment, and a tremendous enthusiasm for the subject matter. It
is pertinent to point out that he has extensively researched areas of
our National and State Parks that offer dramatic photographic
opportunities, especially those that are more off the beaten path, and
where nature’s magnificence can only be seen and photographed by the
true adventurer. The Finish Line print is an inspiring example
of what results from what I just stated. A hike of over 3 miles in
Arches National Park resulted in the artist capturing this outstanding
image, one that truly exemplifies the rugged grandeur and nobility of
nature’s design. The natural side lighting highlights every facet and
contour of the prodigious rock formations, and reveals a lovely warm
palette of colors that results from extensive erosion of the red
sandstone. Nature has gracefully constructed 3 different design
elements, separated by deep canyons, the central core resembling the
extrusion of dough from a mixing machine, which curves and pushes its
way towards the distant rock formations, and actually doubles as the
hiking trail. In effect these elements create powerful diagonal lines
that highlight the dynamic graphic features that are almost always found
in nature. There is no ambiguity, for the viewer’s attention is directed
to all of the important features. The lighting, besides revealing the
lovely range of warm harmonizing hues, upliftingly captures an amazing
array of different surface textures and creative designs in the
sandstone strata. The three diagonal lines of these massive structures
culminate in a breathtaking vista of towering spires and pinnacles, that
stand out majestically against a resplendent sky, which together with
lovely cloud formations complement this amazing scene. In looking at
this inspiring image, for which nature would be justly proud, it is easy
to understand that for Anthony, an hopefully all of us, this really is a
spiritual experience, an exalted inspiration of how nature dwarfs all
mankind. Peter A. Marr Winter Sunset, 2015 This is another sublime example of
how Anthony’s photography is an expression of his true self, resulting
in an inner spiritual response and liberation to the world around him.
Here, the forces of nature in relation to land and water beautifully
illustrates nature’s life progression. This is meaningful art, and there
is visual excitement in capturing the mood, majesty and austere beauty
of Chimney Bluffs. One has the impression that the lake’s serenity and
calmness is just a welcomed pause so that it can rest under a
spectacular sunset, time to admire the dramatic cliff formations, and to
reflect on how it has helped to sculpture the “Bluffs.” The water has
receded behind its own artistic formations of small frozen ice floes
that fill in the foreground, and meanders in a series of gentle curves
along the shoreline. The
snow in this accessible area has been traversed by random impressions of
footprints and sled tracks, and where the snow has disappeared, there
are sandy areas which create fascinating patterns of their own. Behind
the starkness of the cliff outlines, the late evening light expressively
illuminates the eroded slopes, highlighting earthen structured details
that reflect the power of the forces of nature. In many ways, the sky
itself mirrors in itself the history of these historic formations. From
the bright blue expanse at the left representing the cliffs in their
original form eons ago, one follows the white wispy clouds through the
darker cloud structures shrouding the setting sun before ending in a
more unstructured composition where the sky joins the lake in the far
distance. The clouds at the far right probably reflect the condition and
appearance of the “Bluffs” today.
There is an overwhelming sense that time has stopped temporarily.
One is very aware that the skeletons of trees proudly displayed against
the blue sky and along the exposed ridge, together with the dormant
vegetation in the foreground and the presence of snow and ice certainly
signifies winter is here. There are no more battles to be fought this
tranquil evening, the lake and the land have temporarily ended
hostilities. What this does mean though, is that the viewer can admire
this delightful image, captured so eloquently and creatively by a
consummate artist.
Peter A. Marr
Tango Every one of Chip’s stellar images
relate to precious moments in time, in which he has brilliantly and
artistically captured scenes that tell emotional and awe-inspiring
stories that cover the gamut from humor to sadness. In Tango, there is a gracefulness and
passion that is unsurpassed, where all of the elements work harmoniously
together. What is especially memorable, is that even in rather modest
surroundings, exemplified by the bare wooden floorboards and the highly
colored cement block wall, these entertainers are so decisive and
passionate about their music and dance, that one could easily imagine
that they were performing before a large audience in a club or concert
facility. The ambient lighting is virtually shadowless, yet it
highlights every important detail, and greatly contributes to the
inspiration that one gets in watching and listening to this intimate and
joyous stage presentation. The classic pose of the dancers as they
perform the tango has been impressively captured by Chip, beautifully
illustrating the couple’s passion and their love for the dance and
music. Obviously, the two musicians in the background play an important
part in this ensemble. The accordion player sits in a very stoic pose,
virtually ignoring the dancers so that he can concentrate solely on the
music, which no doubt he has played countless times, yet one knows that
he is very cognizant of the couple’s every movement. The singer in the
background adds her own vocal talents to the group, and it is left to
the viewer to fully enjoy the quartet’s interpretation of the tango.
Certainly one can imagine the dancer’s fervent and exciting movements,
and definitely one can hear the romantic music. I would be remiss if I
did not mention of how Chip has creatively captured this uplifting
image, and of special note is how the singer’s right arm follows and
blends beautifully with the upraised arms of the dancers, just as though
the action was choreographed to near perfection. Shattered The first thing you are aware of in this image is the
bullet hole in the window. How could you miss it? Other than some of the
raindrops, it’s the only thing sharply in focus including the fissures
emanating from the gaping hole.
As in all good photography, this is just the beginning of the
story. As we are moved more deeply
into the image by the window casing just inside the pane of glass
occupied by the “hole” we notice the white building in the background,
Although out of focus, it commands our attention in that it occupies
significant square inches of the frame.
Julie is an accomplished “street” shooter and this is one of her
best urban landscapes. The
subject matter is intriguing. The use of selective focus is perfect.
Only the “hole” is focused, but there is enough detail in the rest of
the image that we start to ask ourselves questions.
The multiple layers within the
image give it incredible depth. There is a nice leading line from lower
right to upper left creating movement. The tonality of the black and
white is spot on. The longer a viewer stands before an image trying to
understand it, in many cases, determines its success. I spent quite a
bit of time with this one! Congratulations Julie on a really well done
urban-scape.
Seagulls Symmetrical Paul’s symmetrical rendering of a
‘flock’ of seagulls on a beach with the background of a cityscape evokes
a lazy summer day of lounging and watching life go by.
It portrays an orderly, calm and pleasant world of nature that is
desirable, but unreachable given current events. This composite begins with a vision by the artist
of the final outcome of his work. Images are taken and, using the
computer “darkroom” assimilated together to complete the projected
image. This textured panorama is pleasing to the eye with
a foreground of the birds, the sea in the middle and a cityscape in the
background. To enhance the symmetry, the original image is flipped
horizontally for maximum effect. The pastel colors further calm the
soul. Excellently conceived and produced, I want to bring
in my beach chair and sit and view this scene with a mai-tai and hear
the quiet calypso music in the background.
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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 |