Peter Marr's Picks of the Exhibit
	Brass Reflection by Dick Bennett It is not always necessary to show the entire subject; sometimes just selecting one portion can be more powerful than showing the whole. Dick has done this with an excellent series of photographs from the Rochester International Jazz Festival.  This is one of the major Jazz festivals in the United States and Dick has chosen to show just the bell of a trumpet against a dark background. A simple image upon first glance, but it becomes far more interesting as the viewer can then see the entire concert: the audience, performers and venue in the reflections on the brass surface.  So… a simple image can summarize a great deal about the overall subject, and selecting this way to invite the viewer into the entire experience of the Rochester International Jazz Festival is very successful. A set “stage” shot of a group performing makes for a good record of the event, but does not display the creativity of the photographer as Dick does with this image.
	Green Iguana in Full Colors by Clyde Comstock Clyde Comstock has done a marvelous job of capturing the amazing colors present in the scales of the iguana. The key to a good photograph of an animal is being sure the camera's focus is on the eye, and in this case Clyde nailed the focus perfectly. Nearly as important to a good animal photograph is to properly expose the image so no loss of detail occurs in the lighter parts yet darker areas show good detail as well. In this case Clyde's exposure is spot on. This image displays a strong use of diagonal lines that makes for a pleasing composition. By leaving the animal at an angle it implies motion as though the iguana is moving across the frame. Choosing not to include all the animal in the photograph gives the viewer a better look at the detail that would be missing if a wider composition had been chosen. This is an excellent example of Clyde's skill at capturing the beauty and complexity of animals and he is to be congratulated for making this wonderful photograph like so many he has produced for this exhibit.
	Shepherd’s Hut, Italian Alps by Clyde Comstock Clyde is sharing with us a wonderful collection of images, but Shepherd’s Hut is so well composed that I admit it’s my favorite. The first thing I feel when I look at this image is how dimensional it is. The layering begins with the light straw in the foreground and proceeds through the green grass, the “hut”, the trees, the valley, the Alps, and finally the sky! It made me feel as if I could put my hands on the matt and launch myself right into the scene. I can feel the cool in my lungs as I breath in fresh mountain air. I want to go right up to the hut and open the doors. Other than the layering, many of those important photographic elements are contained in this image. The foreground land makes a really nice diagonal line the parallels the line the mountain makes off in the distance.  The fence posts create another line in the opposite direction leading us to the hut. The trees on both sides of the hut frame it nicely. The dark mountains with the foreboding sky set the scene as a comfortable light from behind the photographer illuminate the scene.  Technically this image could be used for classroom instruction, but the really important factor here is how it makes me feel. Photographs should make the viewer react in some manner. This one does exactly that.
	Untitled Number 3 by Lucia Falsetti Guarino Some of the best photographs are not always “easy” to understand, they do not provide a simple story rather they ask questions which are unanswered. This is such a photograph.  The viewer looks through a fence separating him/her from a pair of dogs in motion. Then in the foreground are a series of small religious statues, seemingly carefully placed among the stones, including a carved plate. They are initially out of place, but then we think are they there as some sort of memorial and if so to what?  Why are they separated from the racing dogs by a fence?  What is the meaning of juxtaposing dogs, religious medals, etc. in the same photograph?  A barren landscape is beyond the fence and the racing dogs, which bring a strong sense of movement into the image. The use of Black and White really focuses one on looking at the components of the image, not being distracted by color.  What is great about this photograph is that it challenges the viewer to create their own story. It would be interesting to gather the impressions of say a half a dozen people after seeing this photograph and comparing the disparate views.