All images copyright by the individual photographers

	InSink No. 1 by Amy J Carpenter Too often we walk by photography opportunities, not paying attention, and miss some great subjects. Skilled photographers are “present” all of the time and really look at their surroundings and are able to make excellent photographs. Amy in her introduction describes how she has focused on a copper wash basin, revisiting it every Monday, discovering new subjects for her photography. Insink No. 1 displays this approach with a very successful photograph. By isolating just part of the sink she has composed this photograph in such a way that it appears as almost abstract, bands of colors and an amazing solar system look. Oranges merge into more neutral colors and then blue in the center of this “world”. Amy has selected a portion of her sink to get this striking composition. She utilizes the reflected lights in her subject sink…adding to the three dimensionality and complexity of the final image. This is truly a wonderful example of (as Amy puts it) “finding beauty in the ordinary”. A tarnished sink is a great example of really looking at the world around us and taking the time to make images like this one. By Steve Levinson
	Mohawk Man III by Megan Crandlemire Megan is an exemplary photographer with a very good sense of what makes a good story. Her work, for this her second show as a visiting artist, exemplifies aspects of street photography. Some years ago, while living in Connecticut, she embarked on a 52MagicMondays Project. Every Monday for a year she took the train into Manhattan to take photos in a particular section of the city and in some cases in a specific spot or location. A section of whimsical photos demonstrate what Henri Cartier-Bresson described as the Decisive Moment – capturing an event that is ephemeral and spontaneous. Megan’s technique is to be aware of her surroundings and quickly snap a photo of something that catches her eye. She might also discover something within or different than what she saw when she snapped the exposure button. An example is The Cross. Do you see the cross? I didn’t at first. I also enjoyed her labels, giving insight to her sense of humor. The three photos that really drew my attention was the story of the Mohawk Man. Yet another technique of street photography is the need to plan, and then be flexible and patient for the photo to appear. One of Megan’s frequent visits was the windows of Macy’s department store. There she had frame with the mirror to assist in composing a scene. One short story that developed through her year of work was the number of different men who had mohawk haircuts. My selection for Gallery Pick is the final photo of this set. For after taking several photos of the man with the headdress surreptitiously she approached him about her project. You’ll have to view her exhibit to find out the end of the story. His back to the “mirror”/window his headdress down his back with splendor down to his shins, the column and marque in the background both ground and frame him to the spot and his view is directed toward the heavens. For this exhibition that is mainly about people, Megan correctly processed this in black and white. In color, the multiple colors of the headdress would become the focus. This and the other two photos of the series are about the men and the black and white rendition of the picture continues and adds a fitting end to this series. Thank you, Megan for sharing one small part of the journey on your 52MagicMondays Project. By Dick Bennett
	What Remains By Andrea Gluckman Andrea’s work is dark; literally and figurative.  She enjoys digitally manipulating her photos to “create other worldly characters, scenes, and emotional archetypes.” What Remains is one such photograph. Several of her tools were employed to make What Remains such an intriguing image. I was quickly drawn to this faceless photo. The face in an image tells the story. Photographs that include faces often draw me so I can try to figure out who the person is. What were they doing? What is their expression telling me? What emotion do I take away from what I’m looking at? The fact that there is no face tells a different story. This faceless person now allows me to put myself in the cloaked figure and then I can create a narrative the belongs to me. Technically this appears to be a B&W photograph, yet there is a bit of sepia around the head. I like the treatment and tonality of this image and I enjoy some of the “tricks” employed.  Is there a shawl wrapped around this figure? Was the hood added later? Is that a beard or long hair? Is there someone standing behind the person closer to the front of the photo?  When I have this many questions about a photograph it makes me want to spend more time with it and, after all, isn’t that one of our goals? A successful photo Andrea, but you must tell us if this is a self-portrait! By Don Menges
	What Lurks By Julie Oldfield The title that Julie has given this photo sets the stage for story telling or, perhaps, its story remembering. The large moon just over the rooftop, the leafless branches in silhouette and a dark and abandoned barn together ask “What lurks in the shadows?” We can look more closely, into the scrubby bushes that separate us from the barn, in the dark opening behind the bushes, into the loft area…. Are those eyes? Is there a face there? The image is expertly crafted – the sharpness, the brightness of the moon and the deep shadows in the foreground, the “lurking” color, the perspective – all creating a dream-like reality. Well done! An aside observation….  The bright and beautiful moon in this particular photograph carries dark mysteries into the shadows. In other photographs with a bright and beautiful moon – the feeling is peacefulness and calm. Still others we might just wonder at its beauty. What do we bring to the photographs we see?  What are we bringing to this one? By John Solberg