Dave's Strathmore Show

TWO PATHS: PHOTOGRAPHY AND DIGITAL COMPOSITION

The solo exhibit at the Mansion at Strathmore (August 2009) compared straight photography with digital composition by presenting pairs of pictures with the same subject, setting, or characteristics. In each case, I created a digital image. One image of the pair, however, is a digital composition not limited by an actual observation while the companion is based on a single click of the camera shutter, with enhancement limited to methods equivalent to those of a traditional darkroom.

This pair was my signature for the exhibit - Tight Groups:

	Three other pairs from the show:
Moving Alone Late one afternoon, I found a balcony in Glen Echo Park, Maryland from which to photograph passersby. The resulting "Shadowed Space" is my attempt to make use of space in a picture. "Running Away" is one of a series of compositions on dreams. Space adjoining movement again plays a major role. (There are more elements in the composition than what might be imagined at first: the San Juan Straits of Washington state offering shots of sky and sea, the Capitol Crescent Trail, and Black Hill Regional Park in Maryland.)
Tables The pattern of dinner tables viewed from above has caught my eye in several halls. One can "play it straight" as in "End of Lunch" (Corcoran Gallery, DC). Alternatively, I used another setting to imagine that one centerpiece outgrew its table as presented in the composition, "Setting Up" (National Building Museum, DC, with the camellia from Brookside Gardens).
Seating The bench is captured in a straight shot from the waiting room of an old train station in Niota, Tennessee: "Train Station-Waiting Room." The bench's simplicity contrasts with setting up an imaginary stage in "The Dais," (chairs from Montreal and stage in Bethesda). I picture the composed scene as awaiting a spirited forum with speakers representing diverse views reflecting their seats.