2009 Winners of the Art in the Park Photo Contest

The Worcester Cultural Commission and the Worcester Photography Center got together to bring you the “Art in the Park Photo Contest.” There were many events and happenings surrounding this years Art in the Park.  Photographers from all over New England helped capture these fun events and and sculptures and then shared the images with the Worcester Cultural Commission. There were some very impressive pieces in the park this year and the photographers really did show them off with their photographic creativity. This was the perfect challenge for a photo contest.

Last night the photographers and judges all meet at the Worcester Art Museum to look over the photos that were submitted to the Art in the Park Photo Contest. The 5 Judges (note: they were: Deb McNamara, Chair Worcester Cultural Commission, Helen Beaumont, Marketing and Business Advisor, Alex Dunn, Worcester Art Museum, Cyrus Lipsitt, Art in the Park Committee Member, Claire Forgues, Local Business Owner) had a very difficult time deciding on the winners of the contest. But after much deliberation and many enthusiastic comments the group finally decided on the 5 winners. There were 5 Categories for folks to be judged in.

The contests categories were:
The subject matter is the Art Work in Elm Park, but these are the categories folks could submit images into for the contest:
· The Art Itself: Images of the art visibly identified within the context of Elm Park
· Interaction: Public’s reaction to or interaction with the sculptures
· Daily Life: Sculpture as a backdrop to daily life in Elm Park
· The Events: Many events were held in the park with the Sculptures as the centerpieces

Each Category Winner received a prize bag containing an Award Certificate,  Joyce Tenneson Book: Amazing Men, A Worcester Art Museum Photography Show Catalog, a portfolio box from Archival Methods, among other things. There was one Grand Prize Winner that was awarded all of this as well as a very generous Gift Certificate for LB Wheaton’s Camera Store on Park Ave in Worcester.

So- Let’s show off the winning photos!

The Art Itself First Place Winner Richard Beaubien

Interaction First Place Winner Donna Dufault

Daily Life First Place Winner Anydahlia

Event First Place Winner Stephen SetteDucati

Grand Prize Winner Doug Merril

You can see all the entries to the contest at :http://www.flickr.com/groups/artparkphotocontest09/

Please take a look and we welcome comments!

The WPC Did a Workshop on IPhoto- and It Was Great!

iPhoto ’09 Tour for Mac Users
Steve Stearns
http://www.stevestearns.com

I had the unique opportunity and privilege to share some of my knowledge and experience both as a photographer and former Apple Creative (a Trainer) on iPhoto ’09 with a great group of photographers. If you have a Mac, then I highly recommend the iLife ’09 suite of applications (it’s $79 and worth way more than that). Even though, I use Apple Aperture for a majority of my workflow these days, I still use iPhoto ’09 for some of the things it does better. Both products, Aperture (or Lightroom for that matter) and iPhoto complement each other. Even if you are using Adobe Lightroom on the Mac, you can use iPhoto ’09 for some pretty cool things (i.e., slideshows, books, seamless online posting, etc.).

IPhoto Workshop

During the tour we walked through nearly all that iPhoto ’09 has to offer from importing, organization, editing, using Faces (facial recognition), Places (GPS), and seamless sharing with Facebook and Flickr. We answering great questions along the way, so everyone had the chance to ask any questions in a safe environment. We had a variety of user levels among the participants, from brand new to the Mac to more experienced users. All the participants said that got their money’s worth (Oh wait, it was free, hmm). No, all kidding aside, everyone got a lot out of the iPhoto ’09 tour.

Donna Dufault posted “This was an excellent presentation with a knowledgeable and through teacher. I learned a lot, and really like the interface. Great group today!”

Trisha Barry posted “Excellent presentation…Steve was wonderful… very informative… great group with great questions!! Thanks Steve!!”

If there is enough interest in learning more about Apple products, I would be happy to teach other workshops or tours.

If you have something that you think others might have interest in learning, let Donna Dufault know. We love it when members share their knowledge and experience.

Check out the Worcester Photography Center MeetUp Group!
http://photo.meetup.com/22/

Worcester Photo Center Photographers Volunteer at UMass Cancer Walk

Since the Walk to Cure Cancer began on Labor Day in 1999, passionate teams of walkers, formed by the working men and women of the Massachusetts- all the local, regional and state government, colleges, businesses and community supporters, have been instrumental in helping the UMass Memorial Cancer Center flourish from an idea to reality. But without volunteers- a huge event like this one would never take place. So when the Worcester Photo center was contacted by the organizers looking for help photographing this event, we said yes. So 12 photographers from the group showed up on Sept 13th, 2009 at the UMass campus and started taking creating images of everything in site. The Teams, the other volunteers, the stations, the stage, and of course the walkers.

Each year, as they set off from the starting line, walkers witnessed a changing landscape on the campus of the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

UMass Cancer Walk 2009 - Starting Line

The Walk to Cure Cancer is the largest, single-day fundraising event in Central Massachusetts benefitting the UMass Memorial Cancer Center at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Funds raised support cutting-edge research and wide-ranging preventive and behavioral studies to provide advanced cancer care to oncology patients. The center integrates some of the most vital cancer research and treatment activities available today The Center encourages innovative collaborations and actively promotes the development of projects dedicated to bringing the work of the bench to the bedside. To date, the five mile walk-a-thon has raised over $6 million enabling cutting edge cancer research, bringing us one step closer to finding a cure.

Walkers

Face Painted Ribbon

Walkers

Teams

Erb Photography leads group of Photography Volunteers to Help Boys and Girls Club of Worcester, MA.

On July 8th, 2009, Scott Erb of Erb Photography lead a group of members from the Worcester Photography Center on a photo assignment. The group gave back to a local non-profit community by offering photography and imaging consulting services to the Worcester Boys and Girls Club. The 12 photographers, lead by group leader Scott Erb of Erb Photography, picked assignments out of an envelope and disbursed throughout the Boys and Girls Club at 65 Tainer Street and photographed the key rooms that children and staff work in.

Worcester Photo Center Group at Boys and Girls Club

The purpose of the surprised assignments was to ensure each photographer and their gear were prepared for virtually any scenario of different types of lighting, action and subjects. The photographers whose photos were chosen for use were given full credit for their work and allowed to use all photos for their portfolios with the stipulation that all photos taken were not to be sold for profit.

Photography as a service is something that many businesses and organizations don’t take advantage of due to a stigma of being expensive or unnecessary. On the contrary, high quality photography offers a power image and message for a brand or cause that cannot be conveyed exclusively by words. By offering the Boys and Girls Club of Worcester and opportunity to have their facilities, staff and children photographed, the Worcester Photography Center is partaking in a unique exchange of goods for services that benefits both communities.

For more information on upcoming volunteer events hosted by the Worcester Photography Center contact Donna Dufault or Scott Erb of Erb Photography at 508-421-3912.

The photographers that participated in this event were: Dana Lane of Dana Lane Photography, Lisa Davenock of Lisa Davenock Modern Photography, Jamie Ivins of Pistol Photography, Sean Cady of Visual Impressions, Richard Karlen of Richard Karlen Photography, Steve Iadarola of Steve Iadarola Photography, George Query of George Query Photography, Nicole Connolly of Nicole Connolly Photography, David Kahn of Fine Digital Photography, Stacey Armstrong of Armstrong Photography, and Donna Dufault and Scott Erb of Erb Photography.

Jamie Ivins photographing in the Teen Room at the Boys and Girls Club

Check out the Worcester Photography Center MeetUp Group!

http://photo.meetup.com/22/

Photographing A Baseball Game- The Worcester Tornadoes

 

Photo of Fitton Field by Don Roberts

On August 14th 35 members of the Worcester Photography Center descended on Fitton Field with all assess passes to document the evening’s baseball game. We were in the stands, the press box, on the field and in the dugouts. We caught action shots, everyday folks, evening antics, and landscapes. To end the night were Fireworks! It was a fun adventure that we hope to do again next year… In the meantime, take a small peak at all the cool images we made…

 

Strike! - By Gary Phillips

 

Press Box Action by Scott Erb of Erb Photo

 

At Bat by Keith Williams

Autograph Session By Dick Tranfaglia

 

Fireworks and Fans By Gary Phillips

After the Game by Matt Harding

A great big thank you to the team, staff, and vendors who allowed us to crawl, walk and jump around the field that night! A very special thank you to Dave Peterman who help make the event all possible. We had a blast and we hope you enjoy the photos.

Photo Contest- Art in the Park – Elm Park that is…

 

Art in the Park

 

Photo Contest!

Sponsored by the Worcester Cultural Commission and the Worcester Photography Center

 

The Worcester Cultural Commission and the Worcester Photography Center are getting together to bring you the “Art in the Park Photo Contest.” There are many events and happenings surrounding this years Art in the Park and we are hoping you‘ll all want to help capture these fun events and then share the images with the Cultural Commission. There are some very impressive pieces in the park this year and having you all show them off with your photographic creativity is a perfect challenge for a photo contest.

 

What are the contests categories?

The subject matter is the Art Work in Elm Park, but these are the categories to submit your images into for the contest:

·       The Art Itself: Images of the art visibly identified within the context of Elm Park

·       Interaction: Public’s reaction to or interaction with the sculptures

·       Daily Life: Sculpture as a backdrop to daily life in Elm Park

·       The Events:

• Art in the Park Opening Ceremony, August 6th
• ART in the PARKing Lot, August 9th
• Art that Hangs Around, August 13^th
• Creative Laundry, August 14th
• Fresh Floral Art, August 15^th

Each Category Winner will receive a prize and there will be a Grand Prize awarded for the best overall image.

Each entrant may submit entries in any Category he/she wishes and may submit entries at different times during the entry period, but no entrant may submit in total more than six (6) entries. Images Must be Submitted by Oct 5^stth 2009 Midnight

For more information, rules, to learn about the Judges and the prizes: please visit the Worcester Photography Center Web Site at http://worcesterphotographycenter.org

 

Do you accept photos shot with a digital camera, or digitally manipulated?

Yes. In fact – We are only accepting digital images to be uploaded to the Meetup Web Site. Digitally manipulated photos are also acceptable, and certainly encouraged. Photographs must be in digital format. Only online entries will be eligible. No print or film submissions will be accepted for entry into this Contest. The photograph need not be taken with a digital camera; scans of negatives, transparencies, or photographic prints are acceptable.

 

What are the image specifications?

• Image Size: Image should have a long dimension of at least 1000 pixels and no more than 3000 pixels

• Save file as (JPG) with maximum quality.
• Color Space: Adobe1998 or sRGB  
• File Size: The file should be no more than 8×10 at 300 DPI. 
• You MUST label you photo with your name and what category it is being submitted for. Example: DonnaDufault_Events1.jpg

 

Where do I submit my Photos?

http://www.flickr.com/groups/artparkphotocontest09/ 

You MUST label you photo with your name and what category it is being submitted for. Example: DonnaDufault_Events1.jpg

 

Who are the judges?

To determine the grand Prize and Category Winners and Honorable Mentions, we are employing a panel of 5 judges, all from the Worcester Cultural Arena. The Judging will take place at the Worcester Art Museum on October 18^th - 2PM and be open to the Public. All Folks who enter the contest are invited to come see the images judged, hear feed back and comments about their entries, and view all the submissions! Awards will be given at the end of the evening.

They are:

Alex Dunn – Worcester Art Museum

Deb McNamara – Chair of the Worcester Cultural Commission

Kate Egnaczak – Publications at WAM

TBA Worcester Cultural Commissioner

Elm Park Area Biz Owner

 

Who can enter the Contest?

The Art in the Park Photo Contest is open to all photographers, both students and non-students, amateurs and professionals – anyone that is a member of the Worcester Photography Center. Joining the Worcester Photography Center is free and you can sign up and RSVP at http://photo.meetup.com/22

Contest Prizes

The first-place Winner in each Category will each receive a small gift basket containing but not limited to: 2 Passes to the Worcester Art Museum, Awards Certificate, and a bit of Photography Swag.

Grand Prize Winner will receive a Photo Gift Basket-  2 Passes to the Worcester Art Museum, Awards Plaque, and Photography Swag….and much more! (We are still gathering prizes from area businesses…)

 

What about copyright?

Copyright(s) remain with photographer.

Small Print: Photo Release: If any persons appear in the photograph, the entrant is responsible for obtaining, prior to submission of the photograph, any and all releases and consents necessary to permit the exhibition and use of the photograph in the manner set forth in these Official Rules without additional compensation. If any person appearing in any photograph is under the age of majority in their state/province/territory of residence the signature of a parent or legal guardian is required on each release.

By entering this contest you are giving permission to the Cultural Commission to use your images for Publicity of the Art in the Park events. Basically it is a Publicity Release and License in which the entrant warrants that he/she is the owner of the photograph and grants to WCC and its licensees the irrevocable perpetual, nonexclusive license to reproduce, distribute, display, and create derivative works of the entry (along with a name credit) in connection with the Contest and promotion of the Contest and Worcester Cultural Commission without additional compensation.  No prize transfer, assignment, or substitution by winners permitted. If a prize (or part of a prize) is unavailable, the Sponsor, in its discretion, reserves the right to substitute the original prize (or that part of the prize) with an alternative prize to the equal monetary value and/or specification, unless to do so would be prohibited by law. NONCOMPLIANCE OR RETURN OF PRIZE NOTIFICATION AS UNDELIVERABLE, WHETHER BY REGULAR MAIL OR BY EMAIL, MAY RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION AND SELECTION OF AN ALTERNATE POTENTIAL WINNER. Any of the above can change at anytime!

The Claim- “the ultimate destination for comparing photography products on the web”- Thoughts?

Announcing the launch of Head-2-Head Reviews-  H2Hreviews.com is the ultimate destination for comparing photography products on the web – you get to make your own direct “bottom-line” matchup between products in an isolated “Head-2-Head” context. H2H Reviews gives you the most complete technical information on the web, and lets you make the best, most informed purchase decisions based on the comparisons you want. We cover every photography product available from the newest pro-grade digital backs on down to the best camera to get your budding young toddler-photographer, all in our unique Head-to-Head format.

We use the most complete and advanced tools to give you the pure facts- which cameras rise to the top, which cameras are just fluff. Join us in developing the features you want- stop by the site, leave us your feedback- go to www.h2hreviews.com and tell us how we can make us your favorite site! To see our Head-2-Head comparisons simply go to the “Products” link and pick your matchup… In addition to our reviews, our industry news, our Pro Imaging Blog and, of course, our Head-2-Head features, we’ve got some exciting plans in the works- detailed user reviews, our Shoot Diary, how-to sections, our visions of the future of photography, digital photo hacks- even product torture videos… Stop by soon- and often!

Who we are: The veteran staff at H2Hreviews.com leverages decades of combined experience- professional photo industry product reviews, working commercial and fine art photography, and world-class editorial work to bring you a perspective for any devoted photographer- beginner, committed advanced amateur, or a veteran working pro. Head-2-Head Reviews will always stand by the strictest evaluations- you can always trust our tests to be completely objective and unbiased- unaffected by manufacturers or sponsors or hype. Main site- http://www.h2hreviews.com my Pro Imaging Blog- http://www.h2hreviews.com/blog/index.html Head-2-Head on Facebook: http://www.new.facebook.com/home.php?ref=logo#/pages/Head-2-Head-Reviews/127577001717?ref=nf Head-2-Head on Twitter: http://twitter.com/h2hreviews

Thanks! Ted

Ted Dillard Pro Imaging Editor Head-2-Head Reviews, Inc. The Pipeline Series- Raw Pipeline Color Pipeine Smart Object Pipeline Black and White Pipeline www.teddillard.com ted@teddillard.com AIM- shootrawsmart

We have a Winner! by Keith Williams

We have a Winner! by Keith Williams

I have a story I’d like to share.  Back in February I went to Moore State Park to take some pictures.  On the way home I stopped at L.B. Wheaton in Worcester and noticed a flyer with a photo/art contest at Broad Meadow Brook.  Having never been there, I thought I’d check it out.  Obviously, in February there are no flowers,butterflies etc. You know, the easy targets.  I hiked one of the trails snapping away at a brook, snow covered trees and decided to keep it simple and shoot some “odd” trees.  I chose 3 of my favorites and printed them 5×7 on metallic paper and put them in a 3 picture frame.  I titled it, “a closer look” and submitted it.

Twenty four artist submitted 51 separate pieces of art to the contest. 

I received an email a few weeks later that I came in second place! I won a $50.00 gift certificate at a local art and frame store. 

 

Here are the photos:

 

Photo by Keith William

Photo by Keith William

Photo by Keith William

 

 

The Digital Asset Management Workshop: Story by Jeff Langevin

The Digital Asset Management Workshop story by Jeff Langevin

Benjamin Franklin once stated, “In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.”  Well, had good old Ben lived in the digital age, he’d be wrong.  Because another certainty is digital media will eventually go bad.  Even if its never happened to you, trust me, you want to plan for it.  Enter the world of Digital Asset Management (D.A.M.). 

 

On Saturday, May 30th, 15 photographers descended on Worcester to meet at Visions by Baker photography Studio to learn D.A.M.  I went looking for alternative methods for parts of my own workflow.  But it was also clearly eye-opening for those attendees with little exposure to the topic. 

 

The workshop was divided up into two sections.  The first discussing good practices for managing photos and the second covering the three workflows used by the workshop presenters -Scott Erb, Steve Stearns, and Steve Iadarola.

 

The first section covered topics like folder and file naming conventions.  This included using codes in file names to indicate a point in the workflow or the end purpose of the image.  It also covered methods for grouping images for backing up to DVD and other media – probably one of the most important things you can do as a digital photographer.  While I’ve never lost an image, I have had hard drive failures.  Fortunately, back-ups saved me in those instances.  Believe me, I know photographers that haven’t been so fortunate.

 

The second session put into practice what was learned in the first.  The three workshop presenters showed the software they use to manage their images and the processes they each use downloading, archiving, importing, and cataloging their images.  The session covered the two biggies in the cataloging software arena: Lightroom by Adobe and Aperture by Apple.  Though there are many more software packages out there, the concepts are similar regardless of your chosen software.

 

You may be thinking to yourself, “Digital Asset Management sounds about as interesting as watching paint dry.”  Fortunately, the presenters made the topic interesting and the group interaction with questions and in-depth discussion made for an enjoyable afternoon. 

 

D.A.M. can seem pretty intimidating at first look.  But, in reality, it is fairly easy once you’ve gotten a workflow down.  And put simply, its something that all digital photographers must learn.  Because, if you don’t, you’re gambling with all that hard work you’ve put into creating your images. 

 

So the next time this workshop runs, take it.  I’ll guarantee that you’ll be glad you did the first time you experience a hard drive crash or need to dig up that image from two years ago for a client.

 

DAM Workshop Attendees Worcester Photo Center Meetup

Anatomy of a Photo Shoot by Dana Lane

Recently, a makeup artist friend of mine (Janeen Jones) detailed out a concept she wanted to do and asked me to shoot it for her. She would choose the model and styling and trusted me to set, light and visualize it for her. If you’re serious about shooting people for your portfolio, you really need to find a MUA/Stylist that you like and work with them as often as possible. A good MUA can make the difference between average and outstanding.

When Janeen asked me to shoot her concept on the lovely Caitlin, I jumped at the chance. We rented out Jeff Baker’s studio for a 4 hour shoot and I started storyboarding some basic shots prior to the shoot, to give us a jump start. We pre-visualized a handful of shots, lighting patterns, background and setups so we’d be able to hit the studio running, so to speak. I feel its important to have a plan, at least a starting point, before you start shooting. Sure, the shoot may (and probably will) take you placed you didn’t expect, but having a plan gets things off on the right foot.

 

Our plan was to start with a few simple beauty shots, mostly headshots to show off the makeup and styling, then migrate to full body and wilder makeup. Here’s how it went.

We started out fairly simply, with an icy theme, so I put Caitlin in front of black muslin
and hung christmas lights between her and the background. We then lit Catilin separately, so we could control the spill and keep it off the background.

Caitlin 1 © 2009 Dana Lane

Caitlin 2 © 2009 Dana Lane

From there, Janeen added sparkles to Caitlin and we moved to a white background to get a sort of wintery/snowy type feel.

Caitlin 3 © 2009 Dana Lane

Caitlin 4 © 2009 Dana Lane

In the back of the building where Jeff’s studio is, there is a lovely curved staircase. By
this time, it was late enough in the day where no one else was in the building so we moved out to the staircase to get some images there.

Caitlin 5 © 2009 Dana Lane

After a styling and wardrobe change, back to the staircase for a couple more images.

 

Caitlin 6 ©2009 Dana Lane

 

 

Caitlin 7 © 2009 Dana Lane

 

Caitlin 8 © 2009 Dana Lane

We ended up the day with some wild blue streaks and a wild model.

Caitlin 9 © 2009 Dana Lane

 

I’d like to give a special thanks to Steve I, for assisting me on this shoot, his help was
invaluable!

If you should contact Janeen for work, please let her know you got her name from me.

 

Text and Photos by Dana Lane

Dana Lane Photography
dana@danalanephoto.com
http://www.danalanephoto.com

WPC Blog and Traditional Home Pages

We’ve modified our Internet presence a bit and now bring you here as our official WPC home page starting point. You can still visit our more traditional one by clicking here, or clicking our logo in the right-side nav panel.

Call for Entries – Photo Contests – Who and Why!?

 

Call for Entries – Photo Contests 

By Nicole Connolly

There seems to be so many opportunities these days to submit your pictures to photo contests. So I thought it would be a great idea to see who has actually participated at a photo contest. Show us the photo you submitted. Why you submitted that particular photo, and if you actually won a price. Also what was the reason for submitting your pictures to the contest?

Here are a few pictures I recently submitted to the PDN “Faces” contest. The contest is still underway and winners have not been announced yet. The reason I submitted to this contest and why I continue to submit is the intend to get my name out there especially in front of art directors and magazine editors. The PDN contest is particularly attractive since the winners get actually exhibited at the PDN PhotoPlus International Expo 2009 and will also be featured in the PDN magazine and website. Why I chose these pictures? I wanted to show a series instead of just a single great picture, I wanted to show a unique style, plus I really enjoyed taking these self portraits. Yeah, yeah, I’m just in love with myself. So I would love to open this to see some of your entries, winners and/or get some of your feedback to my recent entries.

 

PDN Faces Comp

 

PDN Faces Comp

PDN Faces Comp

New gallery finds worth in marriage of technologies

New gallery finds worth in marriage of technologies

By Cassie Norton/Staff Writer

http://www.wickedlocal.com/belmont/fun/entertainment/arts/x124596320/New-gallery-finds-worth-in-marriage-of-technologies

Fri May 22, 2009, 09:43 AM EDT

 

BELMONT, MASS. – In the midst of the digital age, photography is changing. More people have access to cameras and the means to take thousands of photographs at one time. Stored on computers, those photos can be shared online with family and friends around the world.

 

But there are still artists who use film, and those who choose to display their artwork the old-fashioned way. Into that breech steps the Griffin Museum with a collaborative approach to sharing art with the public.

 

Based in Winchester, the museum was founded in 1992 to provide a forum for the exhibition of both historic and contemporary photography. Director Paula Tognarelli recently announced the creation of a satellite gallery in Belmont, at Digital Silver Imaging.

Dubbed “the Griffin Museum at Digital Silver Imaging,” the gallery is a collaboration that “helps make all the parties involved stronger,” Tognarelli said.

 

“I’d love to expand our brick and mortar building here,” she said, “but in the trying economic times, I don’t want to put that burden on the public through a capital campaign. Through this collaboration, they have their walls that we can put to good use. It helps the artists, the hosting organizations and the Griffin.”

 

Digital Silver Imaging is a newcomer to Belmont, and is “a marvelous resource for the photographic community,” according to Tognarelli. Located on Brighton Street, adjacent to Zeff Photo Supply, the company opened in September 2008 and specializes in making “true” black-and-white prints from digital images.

 

“We are the only lab in New England that is doing true black-and-white printing from digital files,” owner Eric Luden said. “We skip the film altogether.”

 

A laser exposes the image onto photographic paper, which is automatically cut to size and sent directly into the photographic developing chemicals. The result is a professional print that is a “blend of the best of both worlds,” he said.

 

Digital images can be sent to the company via its Web site, printed, and shipped anywhere in the world.

 

Luden, who has an extensive background in the photo industry, said a partnership with the Griffin was a natural step for both entities.

 

“I always intended to have a gallery,” he said, “and when I set up [the shop], I wanted to have display space. It was a natural [partnership]. I like the quality of work at the Griffin Museum, and I like what they’re doing.”

 

The gallery begins

 

The gallery officially opened Wednesday with an exhibit by Somerville-based photographer Meg Birnbaum, “Corn Dogs and Blue Ribbons.”

 

For two summers, Birnbaum visited 14 regional fairs in New England, ranging from small 4H events to huge expositions, and “was smitten.”

 

“I was surprised at how vividly I remembered the fairs of my youth,” she said. “I found that then and now, fairs are a complicated balance of startling innocence and huckster sleaze.”

 

Birnbaum photographed the fairs using basic, plastic cameras and black and white film.

 

“I purposely wanted to lose sharp detail and instead capture a fleeting moment, a broad stroke, the distillation of the experience in the hope of capturing iconic imagery,” she said.

 

Tognarelli said Birnbaum was chosen as the inaugural artist because her images are so accessible.

 

“They remind me of my childhood, and probably that of many others, when I enjoyed carnival rides,” she said.

 

An opening reception will be held with Birnbaum on May 22 from 6 to 8 p.m. The gallery is open to the public Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., or by appointment by calling 781-729-1158. All artwork is available for sale, and the exhibit ends June 21. For more information about Digital Silver Imaging, visit their Web site at www.digitalsilverimaging.com. For more information about the Griffin Museum, visit their Web site at www.griffinmuseum.org.