All images copyright by the individual photographers

Partners' Picks of Featured and Guest Photographers
	Wisdom by Betsy Phillips Each of these beautiful “faces of time” carries with it a mood, evokes a feeling or set of thoughts.  Time has lent some bold colors; others reveal patterns, and each has a texture left by a conspiracy between weather and time. All of these images are of nature’s creations – and the variety is remarkable. Wisdom is perhaps the subtlest of the images. Soft colors and the subtle green band bring calm and a sense of peace.  Wisdom is a good name for this image. The texture a fine porosity which makes for a visual feast to the viewer.  The crack along the top brings lakes and rivers to mind, and all of a sudden we can image ourselves at 20,000 feet, looking down at a landscape. The peacefulness is interrupted by the scratch -–handiwork, not of nature but likely of a human visitor. By producing very large photographs Betsy has significantly increase their impact on the viewer, filling their entire visual field and making these photographs a feast for your eyes.
	Landscape with Matching Girl (Death Valley by Laura Knecht Laura’s submitted works include close-ups of rocks in the Valley of Fire, Nevada State Park and grander vistas from Zion and Death Valley National Parks. What unites these photos are the earth tones of gray and tan, and the subdued oranges and somewhat brighter turquoise colors found in various amounts in each image. This one from Death Valley contains the only evidence of human activity. Whether happy coincidence or asking a friend, Laura places the girl in the photo at the power position in the lower left of the image viewing a turquoise area in front of her and to the right in the photo. The figure is on her toes and either reaching upward to view the color or walking trough the frame. Laura includes the girl in the foreground, with the turquoise pattern of rock in the middle ground and a light tan higher rock encompassing the background; giving depth and a three-dimensional feeling to the image. The rounded rock and areas of wearing on the hills provides evidence of the ancient age of the formation following millennia of erosion and wind. The piece de résistance that Laura awards us with is that the girl is wearing a similar colored top as the stone formation that she is approaching. The overall palette Laura employs is subdued and tranquil mix of colors and textures, belying the extremes of climate and daily weather experienced in the Death Valley area. Thank you, Laura for an excellent selection from what I am sure were numerous photos of your trip giving us insight into your photographic talents and compositional skills.
	Snapshot by JFK/ AJVK John has presented us with a portrait showing great respect and admiration for this man.  With no matt and a mostly black background, this photo is all about the face which is in sharp focus and well lit.  There is a cropped hand at the bottom and so we tend to ignore it, especially because our attention is immediately drawn to the eye as it is peering right at us! John has used an exaggerated broad lighting style hiding half of the face in deep shadow. The blackness of the surrounding background keeps us centered on the details of the face.  As we visually move through the image we notice the furrowed forehead, a single ear, the arched eyebrow, the pursed lips, and the wisps of white hair, but we always return to the eye as if there is no way to escape it. We are left to imagine what the expression is all about.  He doesn’t appear to be too happy. Was he day dreaming and his attention was suddenly drawn to the camera? Is he ill? Perhaps he’s just tired and would rather be left alone. Regardless, John has captured a very interesting and provoking portrait in wonderful light.
	Melissa: Softness by Jim Rappleye From the beginnings of time, the female nude has been one of the continual subjects for artists...be it paintings, sculpture or photography.  Art students often work with nude figure models during their learning process.  Jim has produced an amazing exhibit of photographs of the female nude.  They are all well posed and lit, Melissa: Softness stands out in this collection.  It is not just a photograph of a woman but is an environmental portrait, with the hint of a frame on the left side of the image, echoing the classical window that Dutch painters used so successful (bringing to mind Vermeer and others of his school). The lighting is superb, providing texture to the skin and hair...hence the title “Softness”. It is important to note that Jim used available light and traditional film to make these photographs.  This is a very classical approach to his photography and it successfully provides beautiful images of all of his models. It is interesting that the model's face is turned away from the viewer, making for a mysterious view of Melissa.  It leaves to the viewers imagination the facial expression she had when this photograph was made. This photography is a great example of the collaborative process between a model and the photographer.
	A Sentinel for Those Passed by Dick Thomas Cemeteries are the final resting place for those who have passed. Tradition is this country and many others is to commemorate the deceased individual with a stone marker.  These can be very simple (like a plaque in the ground) to massive mausoleums.  Dick's photography not only shows such monuments but overshadowing them is an enormous tree.  It dwarfs the tombstones with its four branched structure.  The branches and leaves provide shade and protection from the elements.  The composition of the photograph has this tree in the center and filling almost the entire frame almost to ground level.  By making the tree the main focus of the photograph it makes it more about the tree and its relationship to the tombstones beneath it. The palate is subtle, with an almost eerie haze in the background. Dick has found beauty in a usually sad place, making a photograph that evokes much feeling and appreciation for its beauty.
	Reflections with Netting by Justyn Sweany Wolf In her artist statement, Justyn discusses how she was encouraged to look more closely to things and see what is there, to find the beauty. This is a critical skill for photographers, not just glancing at something but really looking at it, finding patterns, colors, lighting, etc. In Reflections with Netting she has done this, using her critical skills of observation to photography on the netting and its reflections.  The actual netting and the reflection are parts of a pattern that move from the "static" vertical across the top of the photograph to the beautiful flowing wave forms that carry the pattern across the photograph. At the center is a rock, disruption the pattern but somehow undaunted the netting reflection finds it way around the rock. Water is an every changing mirror, and capturing this pattern is key to the success of this photograph.  The blue of the sky is the primary color, not of the subject but of the background as it reflects in the water. The netting pattern morphs as your eyes move around the photograph.  In the upper right it is symmetrical which on the lower left it is totally distorted, the reflections almost forming circles rather than the rectilinear shape of the netting.