Local Photography goes green

When you hear that something has gone green, you most likely associate it with a safer alternative to the environment. Digital photography, unlike traditional photography with its harmful chemicals, is a good choice for photographers concerned with the environment. So professional and amateur photographers alike can feel confident they are demonstrating the beauty of the environment around them.

The environment has been a subject for photographers for decades. One of the first to become famous and successful at this was Ansel Adams. In the 1930s Adams became an active member of the Sierra Club, promoting and encouraging the conservation and beauty of Yosemite National Park with his broad and inviting images of the landscapes of the west. What Ansel Adams was able to accomplish with his work and dedication to the environmental movement, can still be seen today as photographers relay the beauty and importance of the landscapes around them.

Right here in Akron, Ohio we have many opportunities to take photo treks into nature’s beauty. Summit Metro Parks encompasses 6,900 acres of land for residents to enjoy and we're also lucky to have the 33,000 acres of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park as our neighbor. One local photographer Trish DePamphilis has taken to green photographs from our local parks for her subjects. DePamphilis's photos on various travels have demonstrated some of the same grand landscape compositions as can be seen in Adam's photos. However focusing on the microcosms of the parks around the Cuyahoga River, she's shifted the viewer’s eye from the grand landscape to the beauty in the color of green.

Viewing her photos I am amazed at the variations of the color green and textures in patches of moss. Now besides admiring the scenes of winding creeks and colorful blossoms, I am drawn to the green textural carpet that is lying at my feet. While enjoying a walk in the park I may not have thought to focus on the growth on a fallen tree, but that is the power of environmental photography, showing the viewer a perspective they may have neglected to appreciate.

* Photo from the series Moss Love Affair by Trish DePamphilis

Comments

Time to Read Mo Books

When someone starts to say "I will.." in my household, someone else usually follows with "...eat the ice cream!" We're immersed in a new creative world, children's literature and cartoons. The past few weeks the designer in me is geeking out over Mo Willems' Elephant and Piggie series. Our first book, "Should I Share My Ice Cream," was a gift. A well read over and over and over gift! Then Santa brought our household a second Elephant and Piggie book, "Waiting is not Easy." Now I'm hooked! Gerald (Elephant's actual name) and Piggie are funny and cute. But it's not just that, the design elements woven into the book help to tell the story. Storytelling, ahhh, the product of all good design! Gerald and Piggie are very simplified characters, and I've come to appreciate simplified illustrations I had overlooked in the past. The simplification helps focus on the characters' situations and emotions, which the stories re

Dear Foo Fighters

We are so sorry for the loss of Taylor. And while you, his family and friends are hit the hardest, it has deeply hit us fans too. For many of us you have been the soundtrack to our lives. Your songs supported us as we hit the hardest and life-changing moments of our lives. Then your songs cheered us on with bounding rhythms as we moved onto happier lifetime moments. We’ve bought and listened to your CDs on repeat. We’ve attended concerts anxiously awaiting that rhythm that escalates into All My Life , or the slowly building glorious entrance of Everlong into fall out rock song. And if we’re lucky - maybe this show - it will be the return of For All the Cows . You’ve been our muse at work inspiring our creativity. Our companion on long commutes, and our work safe haven, blocking out the chatter for deep focus. You’ve kept us company in hospital stays, and had preschoolers bouncing to your rhythms for their "F" show and share days. You've signed autographs, taken ph

Akron's Innovative Chihuly Rock Candy Sculpture

The city of Akron is known globally for its innovation. During the height of Industrial rubber production Akron was the home to headquarters for the B.F. Goodrich Company, the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, and the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company. Akron has also shown innovation in the art world. One look at the convergence of old and new architecture at the Akron Art Museum will show that Akron's art patrons can appreciate innovation. On the campus of the University of Akron, you'll find a sparkling blue polymer sculpture bringing innovation to public art. The sculpture is by famed glass artist Dale Chihuly. Highlighted by the reflective Goodyear Polymer Center, Chihuly's sculpture attracts the attention of many visitors. You're almost certain to see someone gazing up at the blue "rock candy," as I've heard it referred to on more than one occasion. The idea for the sculpture was a collaboration that symbolized the university's polymer pioneering

Search This Blog