All images copyright by the individual photographers

	Coming Home by Dick Beery 12x12-in, $135 Dick and his wife Sandy are almost always traveling to one place or another and a favorite subject of his to photograph is birds, so it’s fitting that his exhibit highlights twelve years of photographing migratory birds. As an added delight he has three photos highlighting the Wood Stork. The most striking of the three is Coming Home, demonstrating the precise landing needed to be accomplished by a bird in flight to land on a single branch. The angle of the view gives us an idea of the height of the tree the Wood Stork is approaching. By placing the body of the Wood Stork in the right, upper power point the eye is drawn to the athletic ability of the bird as he nears the branch. These fifteen photographs presented by Dick are a wonderful armchair view of what he sees through his lens. Thank you for sharing, Dick. .
	Ibis in America by Peter Blackwood 21x27-in, $200 We are fortunate to have Peter returning this month as a visiting artist to the Gallery.  This is an amazing photograph as it combines both a series of beautiful birds but also introduces whimsy in having the American flag in the extreme righthand side of the image. The birds are almost saluting the flag, even though they are not the bald eagles one might expect.  The symmetry of the four birds all facing the same direction, with their downward curving beaks exhibits the patience that Peter has in making these photographs...one thinks of the term "herding cats"....how do you get four independent birds to face in the same direction, towards the red white and blue of our flag? The heads are perfectly sequenced, not overlapping at all. Peter uses a slight tilt to the photo to make the direction the viewer's eye follows go from left to right and end up at the flag. Color is minimal, except for the flag. The birds are shades of white and the green background is artfully out of focus to not distract from the birds. The wood provides a firm foundation for the quartet of Ibises. Ibis in America provides the viewer both a great nature photo and also allows for thinking and pondering about its meaning beyond simply  portraying the birds.
	Split Rock Falls at Dawn by David Braitsch 20x26-in, $200 David has captured the natural bounty that is the Adirondack Park. Some photographers have spent their entire life trying to capture the essence of the Adirondacks. We asked David to join us as a Visiting Artist because he has a keen eye and is a skilled photographer. His capture of Split Rock Falls is a perfect example of his ability to not only compose the right elements of nature, but to use his camera at just the right speed to render the falls as soft and smooth.  The light and motion of the falls draw us to them as the feature of the photograph, but they also contradict the rough hardness of the rocks they split. The spill into the pool is elegant and beautiful. Finally, the soft yellow tree stand further downstream acts as a nice balance to the falls themselves. This is a well seen and thought-out photograph. Thanks for sharing, David.
	Wet Trek by Bev Cronkite 16x20-in, $175 Bev has created a beautiful series of photographs about a beautiful animal. Just capturing images of such animals is to be admired, but Bev has made wonderful photos showing these majestic animals in their surroundings in a very artful manner. The polar bear portrayed in this photo is walking in water, stepping onto an ice patch. Making his/her way. The bear is caught perfectly in the middle of a step. Front paw in the air, back foot coming out of the water.  There is a real sense of movement in this photo. The ice frames bear, almost outlining the reflection in the water. A truly wonderful composition.   It seems to be moving quickly and we can wonder about its destination These photos are a reminder of the increasing difficulty the polar bears are having because of global warming and the disappearance of so much ice. The Arctic is feeling the heat more than anywhere on the globe.  Thank you, Bev, for reminding us of their plight and their beauty.
	Draw Bridge by Chip Evra In this very interesting series of photographs, Chip displays images that are almost all black and white, except for a purposeful introduction of color to complete the images. The color element draws our attention, it’s almost as if we don't have a choice – color in this context is like a magnet.  In Draw Bridge, the yellow stripes down the center of the image and the center of the Bridge lead us to and up the rising draw bridge.  Perhaps it is because, as drivers, we see the yellow stripes in the highway so often that they do not distract us from the road itself – they become a part of the road.  So too, in this image, the color brings us into even deeper contact with the road and the bridge.  Chip does an excellent job in composing this photograph.  The simplicity of the image – straight lines, angles, perspective are well handled.  The two white lines on either edge of the road become companions to the yellow lines at the center. The symmetry of the bridge – railings– is broken only by their brightness, letting us know that the sun’s rays were coming from the right. The sky behind offers a soft alternative to the rigid bridge structure – it is moving, flowing – and that contrast strengthens the angular character of the bridge. The light at the top left does attract our eyes, but at the same time supports the upward movement of the bridge, and welcomes us into the wild blue yonder. Overall this is an excellent example of use of strategically colored components of an otherwise black and white photograph.
	Pine Dome: Letchworth Park by Sheridan Vincent 30-in, $600 Seeing a finished photograph in a gallery provides the viewer several additional advantages to viewing on a computer screen. One sees exactly what the photographer wants you to see, there is no distortion due to a miss-calibrated monitor or viewing on a too small screen.  Also, this allows the photographer to include presentation format to the viewer…allowing for creative framing choices as well as the media that the photo is printed on. Sheridan’s latest exhibit has a wonderful series of images displayed, not only highlighting the actual image but the presentation as well.  He has utilized novel approaches, such as articulated photos that wrap around a wall, framing behind Plexiglas and non-rectangular images.  Partnering with his framer he continues to expand the range of photo’s finishing. Pine Dome: Letchworth Park is a superb example of Sheridan’s creativity.  We have all walked in the woods and enjoyed the beauty of the trees, BUT probably never visualized the trees as an actual dome, as Sheridan has done in this photo.  The trees soar upward in a circular symmetry, with the deep blue sky as the convergence point.  The viewer is almost uplifted by the composition.  They may wonder about the techniques used to make this image, which is far different from a cell phone photo or even a carefully composed image from a SLR.  The technique is not as important as the result….the viewer can just enjoy the end product or be motivated to find out more of the technical side of this photo. Creative finishing is another contributor to how well this works…..a circular treatment contributes to the impact of this photo and sandwiched between Plexiglas provides a further strong impact.