All images copyright by the individual photographers

Partners' Picks by the Guest Photographers
	The Grace of Winter by Lisa Cook   When one thinks of winter in our area, the words harsh, frosty, bitter, bleak and frostbit come to mind. One would be hard pressed to think of the word “grace” as a description. Yet in Lisa Cook’s deft hands her photo, The Grace of Winter clearly illustrates the grace of winter that she experiences.  Lisa selected a grouping of trees on a slight hill that appears to me to be in Highland Park, though they could be almost anywhere in the region. The trees express an elegance of form and motion that would be more difficult to discern with an image in color. With Lisa’s decision of using black and white, one could almost expect to hear the music of Disney’s “Fantasia” and observe the trees begin a supple dance. In the spring these will be flowering trees covered in beautiful colors, but Lisa has rendered the photo for us to be able to view the internal structure and beauty of the dark trunk and branches highlighted by the light snow sitting on the branches.  Compositionally, the diagonal line formed by the trees from the lower left to the upper right of the photo assist in guiding the eye through the trees and into the circular lines, and triangles that are formed by the branches. Lisa’s elegant technique beautifully provides us with a powerful depiction of The Grace of Winter.
	Woman in the Window by Clyde Comstock  This month visiting artist Clyde Comstock exhibits another aspect of his photography, pictures taken in interesting places rather than the beautiful wildlife pictures he’s recently shown at the Gallery. Woman in the Window is a very interesting photograph; in that at first you think it’s simply a woman looking out a window and then realize it’s a fascinating mannequin as you stop and look closer. She appears almost surrealistic with her hands leaning on the windowsill, her arms almost invisible. Her makeup is bizarre with a very strange headpiece and a very interesting dress. An amazing find. She is framed against the black background of the window which makes her dramatically stand out from the rest of the photograph. Clyde brings in the interesting colors of the building, the strong blues and yellow counterpoint to the colors of a mannequin.The blue lower stripe integrates the entire photograph and brings it all together, providing a strong base to the composition. It’s always amazing when a good photographer finds things like this… which is not luck but skill.  Many people would walk by this window and not even notice it. On the other hand Clyde has obviously seen it, reacted strongly to it and composed a beautiful photograph.
	Damaged by High Water by Elena Dilai   In her photograph, Damaged by High Water, Elena has put together several elements that makes a photograph special. The composition is wonderful with the attention drawn to the tree that appears to be violently ripped from the ground. The roots are still reaching for land even as the tree appears to have long lost its battle.  What really makes this image work though is the how the drama in the sky is reflected by the activity in the water. The rocks on the beach in the lower right corner complete the land, water, sky connection and anchor the image we’re presented with. The lighting is great, and the dark treatment of the framing completes a well composed photograph. A successful photograph is one that can make us “feel” what we are looking at and this one really works. Thanks for sharing it with us Elena.
	Orchids in Bloom by Joseph Niles  The majority of photographs of flowers that are exhibited both at this gallery and other locations tend to be in color, allowing the photographer to utilize and reveal the beautiful colors as part of the composition and impact of the photograph. This is a very interesting photograph as it is in black-and-white and therefore just emphasizes the tonality of the subject and not the colors.  The viewer focuses on the elaborate and delicate structure of these orchids, making it even more dramatic with them “posed” against a solid black background. The three blooms seem to be in different stages of unfolding, almost looking like a time lapse photograph. They are grouped in such a way that it almost seems like the flowers are coming off the plane of the image and approaching you. This leads to a three-dimensional quality to the image. The water droplets break up the smooth texture of the leaves making for additional interest.