Calm Photos

A February sky over Calvary Cemetery in Dayton, Ohio.

Visceral Gallery Events

This past week I had the opportunity to visit Visceral Gallery here in Centerville. The gallery owner – Francine Riley – has done an excellent job in establishing a true, artistic presence and experience in the middle of Centerville’s “historic district.” Visceral reminds me of the galleries I’ve visited in many resort towns out west and the heavily traveled, high dollar tourist towns down south. The emphasis is where it should be – on the art. The space within is warm and welcoming, encouraging visitors to linger. The lighting is exceptional with lots of attention to detail. It was obvious to me that Francine had a professional education and training in both the craft of presentation as well as in the business of selling fine art. I wish her well.

Currently Visceral is hosting a invitation-only, juried exhibition titled “Colored Restrained.” The emphasis is on black and white presentation in a variety of mediums, both 2-D and 3-D. The show is impressive with some very strong talent on display.

A 16″x24″ print of one of my recent works in monochrome conversions of high dynamic range photographs was selected for the “Color Restrained” show at Visceral. The piece – titled “Hidden Treasure” – is a macro photograph of a closed Queen Anne’s Lace in Sugarcreek MetroPark.

Fine Art Black and White Photography by Jim Crotty

Hidden Treasure Black and White Print by Photographer Jim Crotty

My most recent release via the Blurb.com bookstore – “Renewal,” featuring spring photography of landscapes in both Hocking Hills State Park of Ohio and Great Smoky Mountain National Park in Tennessee. This volume is available in both softcover and hardcover formats as an 8″x10″ coffee-table style book, perfect for office lobbies or home. In addition to presenting stunning nature and landscape photographs from these scenic areas of Appalachia the book also includes an introspective essay titled “Life’s Lessons Learned on the Trail to Ramsay Cascade.” This was an article I drafted shortly after my May excursion to The Smokies and provides some insight on how life experiences are often paralleled in the most simple journeys through the natural landscape. The price for the soft-cover version is $29.95, not including shipping.

Cover image of Renewal nature photography book by Jim Crotty

I’m also pleased to announce the first issue of what I hope to become a regular series of self-published magazines, titled “The Poet’s Eye.” This 24-page, 8.5×11 publication includes a brief introduction about the work presented and select images representing a particular subject, location or photographic technique. This, the first issue, features my recent work with converting high dynamic range photographs to monochrome – black and white – fine art images. The cost per issue is $7.84.

The Poet's Eye Photography Magazine by Jim Crotty

If you’re a regular user of Facebook there is a group page for Jim Crotty Photography. I often post new images and information regarding published images, commercial photography assignments and my photography workshops to this interactive group page which also allows followers to post their information and comments. Check it out.

I keep finding myself returning to monochrome – aka black and white – photography, particularly when converting from original digital files that are high dynamic range. My favorite digital tools for crafting these images includes Apple Aperture and the Nik plug-ins. When completed with care and attention to detail, the fine art black and white photograph should evoke a viewer reaction reminiscent of the works of the early masters, particularly Weston and Adams. I’m not sure if I will ever achieve work of that caliber, but it’s sure fun to try.