Gallery Photographers Image City Feature Articles
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Brass Reflection
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
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 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
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.
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