CPA 4th Annual Digital Show — Cary Photographic Artists

Best in Show - Jellyfish - Andrew Trenholm. Photography was an early interest of mine, but life intervened and I did little until 2008 when I took up digital photography to keep myself busy in retirement. I am primarily a nature photographer, though I keep trying to expand my horizons. I started shooting birds, broadened out into flowers and macro and in the last few years have dabbled in varied other subject matter. I am self taught and have learned photography though lots of reading, tons of trial and error, and rubbing elbows with fellow photographers who know more than me.

1st Place Color - The Home of Tyche - Alexandra Lane. “Sasha”, as she is colloquially called, is a native of Slovakia and a resident of North Carolina. Spanning across two continents, her work is a woven mosaic of color, texture, shape, and dimension, portraying what she encounters on her journey through life: people, landscapes, cityscapes, florals. She is intrigued by techniques that can meliorate a common moment into a piece of art through employing a unique focus, a strong directional light, or a powerful composition. In 2019 she received an award as a storytelling finalist in Click Magazine’s Voice contest from among 46,000 entries for her piece “Serenade Before Dementors Come” where she delved into the darkness of life with dementia. In her spare time, Sasha enjoys spending time with her family, laughing with friends, music, travel, gardening, skiing, swimming, a cup of hot tea and good chocolate

2nd Place Color - Davenport's Cafe Diem - Michael Izquierdo. Bobby Izquierdo is a fine art photographer who loves to create stunning images that look like paintings. He converts photographs using photographic software post-processing. His recent works involve transforming daytime photos into nighttime scenes using Lightroom mask tools and Photoshop. The process is like light painting, but it uses software rather than lighting the scene when taking a photograph. But his true passion lies in still-life photography, where he uses light painting to bring out the beauty of a composition. He retired from electrical engineering after forty-two years. He lives in Pittsboro, NC, with his wife Paula and has two daughters and five grandchildren.

3rd Place Color - Tulip Magnolia - Linda Smith. Being a life-long resident of Louisiana, Linda Lea Smith offers an emerging view of her home and its surrounding properties through her photography. She has experienced the state’s uniqueness through its food, sports, nature, and cultures, and now seeks to capture the uniqueness of her home state through her images of flora, wildlife, and scenes at and near her home and the surrounding properties. She understands the importance of the plants, flowers, pollinators, birds, and animals, not only for the property’s ecosystem, but also for sustaining its livelihood. Linda Lea aspires to share the story of her home and its surrounding properties, by offering a unique view into her home and life in Louisiana through her images.

1st Place Mono - Larry the Longhorn - David Schafer. David W Schafer is an Adventure Photographer located in Denver, Colorado. He has a passion for ranching, education, travel, and photography and has combined all these in his chosen career. David is a self-taught photographer. In 2013, he was the featured artist for the Arizona National Livestock Show. In 2023, he received the “Golden Camera” Award from the Universe of Colour Photography and the “Silver Camera” from the Noir Club of Black and White Photography as well as Photographer of the Year from both groups. David enjoys traveling and seeing the world. He has traveled extensively across the U.S. and visited all seven continents. Highlights of his travels include an African photo safari, cruises down both the Amazon and Nile Rivers, black water rafting in New Zealand, and an expedition to Antarctica. David’s greatest reward is seeing someone’s face light up when they look at one of his photos and remember special moments in their life.

2nd Place Mono - Rooted - Michael McGovern. Michael McGovern was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. In 2004 McGovern received his BFA in Photography from the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon. In 2009 McGovern received his MFA in Printmaking from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois. Since 2009 McGovern has been rooted at Portland Community College Rock Creek campus teaching Printmaking and Digital Photography. As of 2017 McGovern has become a full-time continuous appointment instructor and is currently serving as the Faculty Department Chair at the PCC Rock Creek campus.

3rd Place Mono - Shimmering Shadow - Maurice O. Weaver. When I was twelve, I discovered my parents' basic darkroom equipment. With permission, I converted an old kitchen into my darkroom. Thus began my enduring photography experience. This early foray became secondary to, and informed other, more technical pursuits into electronics - my lifelong career. I continued to use film photography, recording friends' and family events. Digital photography better fit my technical mindframe, so pursuit of it and digital videography began. Alas, this tech mindframe left my creative mind lacking. Pursuit of that creativity has been significantly improved by association with other photo enthusiasts. My thanks to them.

Honorable Mention Color - Entangled - Christopher Forslund. Christopher Forslund is an award winning, US based, landscape and nature photographer and full time RV Nomad. His images have been displayed in galleries throughout the United States. Christopher's upbringing took place amidst the tranquil coastal mountains of Northern California, fostering a deep love for nature, photography, and the arts. Starting with his early days in the Boy Scouts and spanning a seventeen-year career in law enforcement, along with a stint as a touring professional musician, he has been fortunate to journey across the country. During these travels, he has had the privilege of experiencing the nation's awe-inspiring landscapes and wildlife, capturing their essence through the lens of his camera. In recent years, Christopher has shifted his lens towards avian photography, delving into the enchanting realm of birds in their natural habitats. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for capturing the beauty of their form, his images invite viewers into the captivating world of feathered creatures. Through thoughtful composition and a deep appreciation for the nuances of light and color, Christopher's photographs celebrate the elegance and vitality of avian life.

Honorable Mention Color - It Does Brighten up the Neighborhood - Mary Eileen Carson. My interest in photography started in 1996 when I decided that I was tired of career-related classes and wanted to study something totally unrelated to work. I found a Black & White Photography course at the local community college. I bought a used camera (film back then), I found I was hooked, and I took all the photography classes available at the college. Then life and career intervened and I had to put photography away for a long while. I waited until retirement (2013), enrolled in new photography classes with a new camera (digital now!) and have been shooting ever since.

Honorable Mention Mono - Union Station - William Stewart. Called Billy by most everyone. Billy was born and grew up in Belfast, N. Ireland. His interest in photography began in middle school and continued through high school and university. It even continued for a while as he began his professional career in France, but tapered off once he moved to the USA where family and career absorbed much of his time. Now that he has retired, his interest in photography has been rekindled. Since he enjoys traveling and hiking, particularly in Europe, and always has his trusty Nikon in his backpack, it is little wonder that many of his images are of landscapes and townscapes, and if he can include people in these images, so much the better. While out and about taking photographs, he is happiest when he finds converging lines that lead the eye to some focal point of interest, perhaps a person, a building, or even old barrels. Website: https://www.wjstewartphotography.com/

Honorable Mention Mono - Painted Hills - Jack Straton. Jack Straton earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Photography from the University of Oregon in 1977, worked as a professional Jazz drummer for three years, and returned to the U of O to earn a doctorate in Physics in 1986. His research at Portland State University ranges from Quantum Scattering Theory to Anti-racist Pedagogy . His photographic "heritage" is the West Coast school, but rather than monuments to the grandeur of Yosemite, his black and white large format and 6x7 work tends toward exploring what the light is doing in, say, ferns reflected in a pond below a giant Sequoia. His color large format and DSLR work leans toward abstractions from the landscape and quasi-landscapes found in human artifacts. He produced a 12-minute film, Into Ashes, of photographs taken in the residue of Oregon towns devastated by the 2020 wildfires, given resonant depth and structure by a song his cousin Elizabeth Straton wrote in response and performed. Over the past seven years more than 135 national and international competitions for photographers or 2D and 3D artists have invited him to exhibit one or more photographs, with a number of them winning awards therein. Straton was artist in residence in 2018 at the Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts.

Valley of the Blinded - Paul Atkinson. Paul Atkinson is a self-taught American artist working in the photographic medium. His work celebrates not only the natural landscape, but also explores the human landscape from a detached examination of what is left behind. Atkinson’s work has been exhibited nationally in numerous juried shows, and has appeared in the periodical Lenswork. He has served as an Artist in Residence at Shenandoah National Park, Virginia; Capitol Reef National Park, Utah; and Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona. He resides in Raleigh, North Carolina, and is an advocate for dark night skies with Darksky International.

The Path - Walter Ballard. I became an avid amateur photographer at the late age of 70. I found it much more rewarding than golf because unlike golf I could get better at it over time. With photography I could improve by taking pictures, reading literature, joining and participating in photo clubs, and getting my work critiqued. I also found lots of tips by taking classes and listening to lectures by professional photographers. As a result, I found my photography skills improving and feel rewarded when I take the shot and edit it afterwards . I especially enjoy landscape and flower photography which allows me to express my artistic self something I could never do with a brush and canvass.

Piercing - Steven Barger. Steve has traveled extensively spending time in remote regions of North America, Brazil, Africa, and Europe. He has images on permanent display in the Pendleton Art Center in Cincinnati, The Collective, also in Cincinnati and the Purple Paisley in Covington, Kentucky. Several of his photographs have been recognized by NANPA, North American Nature Photography Association in their annual “Showcase of Images” and published by the PPA, (Professional Photographers Association). In 2021, he was awarded a gold medal by the PPA, having had four of his images receive merits in the prestigious “International Photographic Competition” and two of these images selected for exhibition and publication in the PPA “Image Excellence Collection “. One of Steve’s images was chosen to compete in the World Photographic Cup. He was recently awarded the Master of Photography Degree by the PPA. In 2023, he and several of his photographs were featured in Professional Photographer magazine.

Aztec Warrior - Jeff Beeler. Jeff is a seasoned, San Diego based photographer who owns Capturing Life Photography and has spent many years photographing cultural events locally and around the world. He has traveled to 37 countries and photographed cultural events such as Mayan ceremonies in Tikal, Guatemala, Dia de los Muertos celebrations in Mexico, and Dragonboat races in Yokohama, Japan, as well as local events. Jeff is also a blues music photographer and presently shoots for the Gator by the Bay music festival and the Gourmet Blues Series at a local music hall. He has also been a photographer for many years at the San Diego Blues Fest, Yuma Boogie, Brews and Blues Fest, Julian Blues Bash, and Baja Blues Fest. Jeff has a Professional Certificate in Photography from the University of California, San Diego Extended Studies, is a member of the Professional Photographers of San Diego, and a lifetime member of the Blues Lovers United of San Diego.

8,091,826,881 9 (World population when image was saved) - Craig Blacklock. Since 1976 Craig Blacklock’s photographs of Lake Superior have evolved from traditional landscapes to black and white figures in the landscapes, to increasingly non-representational imagery. In his recent Light Waves photographs, the shoreline of Lake Superior and the sky above are seen only indirectly—reflecting as an amalgamation from the complex mirror of the water’s surface. For his new series, Encroachment, Craig further manipulates these images, creating works reminiscent of abstract expressionist paintings. Blacklock’s work has been shown in over 36 solo exhibitions, including the Minnesota Marine Art Museum, and the Museum at the Palm Beach Photographic Centre.

Lenten Rose with Raindrops - Ralph Blessing. Though an avid photographer for over 50 years, I didn’t enter my first photo competition until after retiring in 2009 from a 30-year career managing international exchange programs. To a certain extent my portfolio reflects that trajectory, consisting mainly of travel, street, and nature photography. Aside from a course at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1973, my skills are largely self-taught. I gained additional knowledge from work-study jobs and as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador, where I had a darkroom at my disposal. Extensive travel since retiring, plus two wonderful grandchildren, have helped to significantly expand my portfolio.

Calm Before the Storm - Alan Clark. Alan Clark is an award-winning fine art nature and landscape photographer based in Raleigh, NC. His images have been displayed in various nature-based publications and been exhibited in numerous juried shows. His work is inspired by lifelong passions for nature and photography that have come together in his retirement after over thirty years in public service as an environmental planner. In recent years, Alan has lectured and co-led workshops on the art of bird photography and judged bird photo competitions.

Night Fishing - Robert Culver. Image was captured at a boat ramp, in Jordan Lake, outside Raleigh. My interest in photography began when I was twelve years old. My father gave me a Kodak Brownie Hawkeye. Since then, my initial experience became a passion for photography. My interest has expanded to include many subjects as photographing flowers, macro's of anything interesting, landscapes, and architecture. Digital photography has expanded what I can accomplish towards creating images. I currently reside outside Raleigh, North Carolina. I am retired, now going on ten years and enjoying retirement."

From Here to Eternity - John Diephouse. I am attracted to a variety of subjects: natural landscapes, botanicals and wildlife to images that provide either abstract expression or social commentary. I am interested in sharing images that evoke a story of some kind. Images may be simply documentary, reflect a sense of time and place, or resonate on an abstract level of color, shape or form. Others provoke an indefinable question that does not readily yield answers without further study and reflection. I have exhibited widely and have earned recognition in local, regional, and national exhibitions. My photographs are also included in several corporate and private collections.

Wistful - John Diephouse. I am attracted to a variety of subjects: natural landscapes, botanicals and wildlife to images that provide either abstract expression or social commentary. I am interested in sharing images that evoke a story of some kind. Images may be simply documentary, reflect a sense of time and place, or resonate on an abstract level of color, shape or form. Others provoke an indefinable question that does not readily yield answers without further study and reflection. I have exhibited widely and have earned recognition in local, regional, and national exhibitions. My photographs are also included in several corporate and private collections.

Trapped - Don Ducey. Long after beginning his photographic journey in his high school’s darkroom, Don tries to create images that represent the life, environment and culture around him. He has an “eclectic” approach to his work, capturing pictures of nearly anything that is of interest to him. Sometimes these images are beautiful, sometimes less so. But his goal with every click is to create images that are his, that are unique to him, that give him and hopefully others some enjoyment, and that tell his story and define his view of what is around him.

Gathered Leaves - Terrell E. Ford. Terry Ford is an advanced amateur photographer who discovered the wonder and joy of photography as a hobby in high school and developed his skills and abilities through the years to improve the quality, aesthetics, and elegance of his images. It soon became obvious in his photographs of historical sites, vacations, and family gatherings, that his pictures were different from those taken by other people. He delighted in seeing things differently; seeing things others didn’t see. He calls these images Fine Art and has emphasized them in recent years. Terry lives with his wife, Debbie, in Holly Springs, North Carolina.

A School of Jellyfish - Terrell E. Ford. Terry Ford is an advanced amateur photographer who discovered the wonder and joy of photography as a hobby in high school and developed his skills and abilities through the years to improve the quality, aesthetics, and elegance of his images. It soon became obvious in his photographs of historical sites, vacations, and family gatherings, that his pictures were different from those taken by other people. He delighted in seeing things differently; seeing things others didn’t see. He calls these images Fine Art and has emphasized them in recent years.Terry lives with his wife, Debbie, in Holly Springs, North Carolina.

Graceful Elegance - Christopher Forslund. Christopher Forslund is an award winning, US based, landscape and nature photographer and full time RV Nomad. His images have been displayed in galleries throughout the United States. Christopher's upbringing took place amidst the tranquil coastal mountains of Northern California, fostering a deep love for nature, photography, and the arts. Starting with his early days in the Boy Scouts and spanning a seventeen-year career in law enforcement, along with a stint as a touring professional musician, he has been fortunate to journey across the country. During these travels, he has had the privilege of experiencing the nation's awe-inspiring landscapes and wildlife, capturing their essence through the lens of his camera. In recent years, Christopher has shifted his lens towards avian photography, delving into the enchanting realm of birds in their natural habitats. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for capturing the beauty of their form, his images invite viewers into the captivating world of feathered creatures. Through thoughtful composition and a deep appreciation for the nuances of light and color, Christopher's photographs celebrate the elegance and vitality of avian life.

Day of the Dead Purple Eyes - Paul Ingham

Chatham County Courthouse - Michael Izquierdo. Bobby Izquierdo is a fine art photographer who loves to create stunning images that look like paintings. He converts photographs using photographic software post-processing. His recent works involve transforming daytime photos into nighttime scenes using Lightroom mask tools and Photoshop. The process is like light painting, but it uses software rather than lighting the scene when taking a photograph. But his true passion lies in still-life photography, where he uses light painting to bring out the beauty of a composition. He retired from electrical engineering after forty-two years. He lives in Pittsboro, NC, with his wife Paula and has two daughters and five grandchildren.

Al's Diner - Michael Izquierdo. Bobby Izquierdo is a fine art photographer who loves to create stunning images that look like paintings. He converts photographs using photographic software post-processing. His recent works involve transforming daytime photos into nighttime scenes using Lightroom mask tools and Photoshop. The process is like light painting, but it uses software rather than lighting the scene when taking a photograph. But his true passion lies in still-life photography, where he uses light painting to bring out the beauty of a composition. He retired from electrical engineering after forty-two years. He lives in Pittsboro, NC, with his wife Paula and has two daughters and five grandchildren.

Eastatoe Falls - Lois Makoid. I have never before, in my long and eclectic career as an academic or a corporate executive, been gifted with such an abundance of natural beauty as experienced with my photography. I have experimented with more artistic representations and textures but my true inspiration is water, whether flowing off a mountain or rolling onto the sand. It’s also the critters and scenery that depend upon those waters for life that influence my work. You just have to step outside and nature will give you beautiful pictures, you just have to learn to capture them.

Winter Migration at Pungo - Lois Makoid. I have never before, in my long and eclectic career as an academic or a corporate executive, been gifted with such an abundance of natural beauty as experienced with my photography. I have experimented with more artistic representations and textures but my true inspiration is water, whether flowing off a mountain or rolling onto the sand. It’s also the critters and scenery that depend upon those waters for life that influence my work. You just have to step outside and nature will give you beautiful pictures, you just have to learn to capture them.

Pattern Line Colors - Michael McGovern. Michael McGovern was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. In 2004 McGovern received his BFA in Photography from the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon. In 2009 McGovern received his MFA in Printmaking from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois. Since 2009 McGovern has been rooted at Portland Community College Rock Creek campus teaching Printmaking and Digital Photography. As of 2017 McGovern has become a full-time continuous appointment instructor and is currently serving as the Faculty Department Chair at the PCC Rock Creek campus.

Walled Pastures - Harry O'Connor. Harry O’Connor has been photographing seriously since the mid-1970s. He is proud of the fact that his work is not shoehorned into a genre like “landscape,” “street,” or “flowers.” His goal is to make every image that he shares memorable to the viewer. He loved the red door on this stone cabin on Inis Oirr, Ireland, and he shot it from many angles. From this angle, the many small pastures that the traditional farmers used to separate their stock produces an artistic matrix.

Duke Gardens #1 - Henry Rinne. In 2018, I retired as Dean of the College of Fine Arts at Jacksonville University in Florida, after a forty-year career in higher education. My interest in photography began when I watched prints emerge in the developer in my father’s dark room. Black & white has always been my primary focus in landscape, street, and portraiture, allowing for the creation of dramatic forms in post-processing. Despite my focus on black & white, I love to find uses for color as an expressive means to draw the viewer’s attention. Duke Gardens #1 beckons the viewer to follow a flow into the landscape. The somewhat disjointed space was an attempt to express the same spatial relations as Manet’s Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe.

Lotus Bud - Andrew Trenholm. Photography was an early interest of mine, but life intervened and I did little until 2008 when I took up digital photography to keep myself busy in retirement. I am primarily a nature photographer, though I keep trying to expand my horizons. I started shooting birds, broadened out into flowers and macro and in the last few years have dabbled in varied other subject matter. I am self taught and have learned photography though lots of reading, tons of trial and error, and rubbing elbows with fellow photographers who know more than me.

Grand Canyon Hotel - Andrew Trenholm. Photography was an early interest of mine, but life intervened and I did little until 2008 when I took up digital photography to keep myself busy in retirement. I am primarily a nature photographer, though I keep trying to expand my horizons. I started shooting birds, broadened out into flowers and macro and in the last few years have dabbled in varied other subject matter. I am self taught and have learned photography though lots of reading, tons of trial and error, and rubbing elbows with fellow photographers who know more than me.

Squiggles - Jim Trull. Jim’s interest in photography began at an early age growing up in Winston-Salem by watching his father document almost every family function with his ever-present camera around his neck. During high school Jim and his brother set up a dark room in their parent’s basement and throughout college Jim enjoyed capturing many of the fun times with his fellow classmates. The demands of running a busy financial planning practice caused Jim to step away from photography other than taking snapshots of family events as the children grew up. In 2015 Jim decided to begin taking his photography more seriously. One of the biggest steps Jim took was to join the Cary Photographic Artists and the Capital City Camera Clubs to learn from the combined wisdom of more established photographers. Jim enjoys a variety of photography but he spends most of his time shooting landscapes as well as street photography. Being out in nature especially early in the morning is Jim’s happy place. Jim’s goals now are to keep an open mind, have fun and to follow his renewed passion for photography.

North Carolina Museum of Art Rodin Sculpture - Henry Rinne. In 2018, I retired as Dean of the College of Fine Arts at Jacksonville University in Florida, after a forty-year career in higher education. My interest in photography began when I watched prints emerge in the developer in my father’s dark room. Black & white has always been my primary focus in landscape, street, and portraiture, allowing for the creation of dramatic forms in post-processing. Rodin is one of the most striking and identifiable sculptors in the history of art. He is especially known for the expressiveness of the gestures of his figures. In North Carolina Museum of Art Rodin Sculptures, I tried to contrast the very dance-like gestures of the figures with the stark modernist geometry of the architecture.

Trees on an Isolated Mound-Biei Hokkaido - Robert Blum. I have been taking pictures for over 75 years. I started at the age of nine with a Baby Brownie Special. When I retired in 2008, I joined a photography workshop in the American Southwest. That experience ignited a flame in me to become more serious about photography. Over the past several years I have traveled to many out of the way places, including the Antarctic Peninsula, Bali, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Borneo, Croatia, Cuba, Ethiopia, the Falkland Islands, Iceland, Greenland, Japan, Madagascar, Montenegro, Morocco, Namibia, Myanmar, Nepal, Romania, South Africa, South Georgia, Tibet, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Zambia. I’m basically an eclectic photographer.

Grand Prismatic Spring - Jo. Although Jo has taken many “snapshots” throughout her life, her real photography journey started in 2009 when her work required photographs of real estate listings with the company’s DSLR camera. Since then, she has become a constant, mostly self taught, student of photography, both technically and creatively. While she finds the technical aspect of photography (aperture, ISO, shutter speed) a necessary evil of this medium, her favorite activities involve composing the shot, pressing the shutter and post processing a singular image or a set of images into an interesting composite.

Maude - Charles M. Clemmons. Charles M. Clemmons was born at home in the countryside near Clayton, North Carolina, on what is now a state forest. Growing up in the American South, working on his father’s farm, and exploring some 300 acres of forestlands proved to be formative life experiences. Retiring early from a corporate career at age 50, he refocused on his real passions: photography, documentary film-making, and writing. He has received two Boston/New England Emmy® Awards (writing & production) for the American Public Television documentary, Mystic Voices: The Story of the Pequot War. After 40 years in Connecticut, he returned to his roots in North Carolina in 2015. He holds a BSEE from N.C. State University, an MBA from the University of Connecticut, and an AAS from North Lake College, Irving, Texas (now Dallas College).

Brooklyn Bridge - Heidi Dehncke-Fisher. Heidi Dehncke-Fisher studied illustration, painting, and photography at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. As a child, she won several art competitions, and always had an affinity and aptitude for various media. After her time at Pratt, she worked as a video producer, journalist, photographer, and video editor. Dehncke-Fisher's photography has appeared and placed in national juried competitions as well as in several publications. She describes her photography as energizing and dramatic and focuses on capturing imagery particularly affected by light and shadow.

Slide - Fran DeRespinis. I have vivid memories of recess at grammar school in the Bronx, NY. As my classmates burned off their pent-up energy on the playground, a friend and I would sit against the fence intently observing the others at play. Robert liked to narrate their activities, framing what he saw as a TV show, but I would sit silently, capturing in my young mind stilled moments of the action before me, usually moments of surprise or the unusual. In a way, not much has changed for me. I remain attracted to observing and fixing moments of human activity that play out before me.

Alone with her Thoughts - John Diephouse. I am attracted to a variety of subjects: natural landscapes, botanicals and wildlife to images that provide either abstract expression or social commentary. I am interested in sharing images that evoke a story of some kind. Images may be simply documentary, reflect a sense of time and place, or resonate on an abstract level of color, shape or form. Others provoke an indefinable question that does not readily yield answers without further study and reflection. I have exhibited widely and have earned recognition in local, regional, and national exhibitions. My photographs are also included in several corporate and private collections.

Only when it Rains - Mike Eubanks. Mike Eubanks is a fine art photographer based in Maryland. His artwork explores subjects that are overlooked, forgotten, or slowly disappearing, and often examines humanity’s relationship with our natural environment and how it changes with evolving cultural norms. Mike’s work has been featured in juried publications, exhibits, and galleries in the USA and aboard.

Decay - John Lapp. John started with Edward Weston's Daybooks, Ansel Adams' photographs and an improvised darkroom. Later, working with a large format, view camera and a permanent darkroom, he learned to make serious, black and white photographs with painstaking attention to craft and detail. More recently, he made the transition to digital photography while maintaining the same photographic vision He had developed in the traditional darkroom. John has exhibited with several photography groups and in various juried exhibitions. He had an individual exhibition, Sancerre: Photographs from an Historic French Town, at the Page-Walker House in 2017.

Harpa Concert Hall ceiling detail 1 - David Ley. Photography captured my interest at a young age and has held fast over time and technology. My first camera was a Kodak Brownie Starflash, next was a Nikkormat which produced shoeboxes full of Kodachrome slides. My primary subjects then and now are landscapes and wildlife. So photographing this ceiling detail was a departure for me. The ceiling is characterized by a series of hexagonal glass modules that form a honeycomb-like pattern. These modules are of varying sizes and are arranged in a geometric and visually captivating manner that references the basalt columns that are iconic geologic features in several Icelandic locations.

Tryst - Alan Marks. I am a visual artist and writer based in the Bay Area of California. My professional career encompassed journalism, public relations, marketing and branding. I am now devoted to creative endeavors, including my lifelong love of photography and writing. I currently am pursuing a MFA in photography at Maine Media College in Rockport, Maine. In creating this image, I was intrigued by the symmetry of the trees and their reflection in the water, and how the trees frame the bench, which appears both abandoned and beckoning, waiting for something or someone, suggesting a memory or promise.

A Night of Rain and Fog - Jon Meyer. This image, taken on a foggy night, is part of a series of industrial photographs published in Lenswork, No. 163, June 2023, pp. 38-51 and shown at Through This Lens gallery in the fall of 2023.

Franklinville Mill - Henry Rinne. In 2018, I retired as Dean of the College of Fine Arts at Jacksonville University in Florida, after a forty-year career in higher education. My interest in photography began when I watched prints emerge in the developer in my father’s dark room. Black & white has always been my primary focus in landscape, street, and portraiture, allowing for the creation of dramatic forms in post-processing. The Franklinville Mill image invokes an air of mystery amidst the decaying structures. The small, white flowers arcing across the doorway seem to present a hope of life in an otherwise depressing scene.

Sintra Castle (Portugal) - Phillip Rosoff. I have been interested in photography as a medium of personal exploration and expression for many years. More recently, I have developed a deeper involvement in the art of what is possible, not only in the camera but in the darkroom as I have extended my range to include hand-printing my own images. I am interested in people and things as an unobtrusive spectator, attempting to capture the “decisive moment”. The image in this exhibition is a platinum-palladium print on heavy-weight watercolor paper. These are truly archival prints and will not fade with time; the image is actually in the paper itself rather than on a support on the surface. I use Bergger COT 320 paper (a French mill) in 11 x 14 inches size.