Tonight Belongs to Phantom, NYC 2008

Before moving on from my recent Cityscapes, here’s one more. When in the city to show my work to galleries, I always bring my camera out at night. Unique architecture, lights and iconic scenes can be found in most big cities, but having grown up in New York, it has a special place in my heart.

Having recently celebrated its 25th Anniversary, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera always has a prominent presence amongst the sea of signs in New York City’s Times Square. A few years back, this grand billboard stood sentinel over the heart of Broadway and I shot it from center of the square. With spotlights eerily reflecting over the spooky subject of the show, this night definitely belonged to Phantom.

Honest Abe, Washington DC 2005

A bit of a departure from my usual Fine Art work, a unique view of the Lincoln Memorial to remember President’s Day. Since a scenic is never far away…here’s That’s Just Capital. If you thought it didn’t look like the U.S. Capitol, you were correct. This is actually the Denver State Capitol Building in Colorado.

That’s Just Capital, Denver, CO 2008

A  Moment To Remember, South Beach, FL 2011

For Valentines Day, I have taken the liberty of bringing back an image I posted a year ago entitled: A Moment to Remember. Standing on the rock jetty between South Beach and Government Cut, this couple was so moved by the grandeur of the passing cruise ship that they  turned and embraced for a passionate kiss. For them, it was clearly a moment to remember, one that I was very fortunate to capture.

Light From a Pier, Dania Beach, FL 2012

A few weeks ago I attended the annual Fotofusion at the Palm Beach Photographic Centre in West Palm Beach, FL www.workshop.org. The Centre itself is a place to see the work of some of the photographic greats, ie. Kirkland, Erwitt, Tenneson, etc. (I had prints exhibited in their Museum in 2010). You can also attend seminars and meet some of the most important people in the photography world. That being the case, I recently had the priviledge of showing my work to Robert Pledge, the president and one of the founders of Contact Press Images www.contactpressimages.com. His enthusiasm and supportive words were so greatly appreciated.

As if that were not enough, I also had the opportunity to show my prints to Joyce Tenneson www.joycetenneson.com, who is considered one of the most prolific photographers of our time. Our paths had briefly crossed before when she had seen my work in NYC and then juried three of my images into a Gallery Exhibition in Ft. Lauderdale. Having Joyce Tenneson suggest that you are a great photographer, is akin to Robert Deniro or Meryl Streep saying you are a great actor. She clearly made my ….decade. Her generosity of spirit is well-known in the industry and I have been very fortunate to have experienced it on more than one occasion.

To have such significant praise and encouragement from those that you respect so much, is clearly warm, and wonderful light…from a peer.

      Moonlit Sailboats, Coconut Grove, FL 2010

Starting off 2012 right, with three images chosen for the Black & White Exhibition at the Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins, Colorado. www.c4fap.org. The exhibition was juried by Susan Spiritus of the Susan Spiritus Gallery in Newport Beach, CA www.susanspiritusgallery.com.

Susan Spiritus has been a leader in the field of fine art photography for over thirty years, opening the doors to her Southern California gallery in 1976 so that she could share her passion for photography with others. Today, the gallery handles the work of over fifty artists including photographic luminaries Ansel Adams, Ruth Bernhard and André Kertész. Also represented are many of today’s most popular and award-winning contemporary artists including Roman Loranc, Camille Seaman and Hiroshi Watanabe.

In addition to these three images (which have each individually appeared in prior blog posts here), Ms. Spiritus had previously chosen my image Moonscape, Matlacha, FL 2007 for the 2010 Dreams exhibition. This also marks the fifth exhibition in which my work has appeared at the Center for Fine Art Photography.

Catching a Wave, South Beach, FL 2012

Rotating the camera on the tripod to the south from the last posted image (South Beach Blues), you find the rocks that mark the entry to South Florida’s Government Cut. Both Cruise and Container ships enter and leave the Port of Miami from this accessway.

As the incoming surf crashes against the rock jetty, a large wave is seemingly “caught” by a fishing pole perfectly positioned to make… the catch of the day.

South Beach Blues, Miami Beach, FL 2012

Starting off 2012 with a new image from my favorite vantage point in South Beach. While many others enjoy the street photography on Ocean Drive, I head to the southern-most tip of South Beach, south of 5th Street or SoFi. Tucked behind an ultra-exclusive neighborhood of high rise multi-million dollar condos, there is a beautiful strip of beach with South Pointe Park along Government Cut to the south and the Miami Beach oceanfront skyline to the north. This view north from the shoreline captures the buildings as they light up just after sunset, contrasted against the low, moonlit, blue tide.

Ascension, Louisville, KY 2009

From  the series FLOW which has garnered a great deal of attention up to and including 2011, this image is entitled Ascension and seems to best exemplify the anticipation of reaching new heights in the coming year. Here’s hoping that 2012 rises to all our expectations.

Front Row Seats, Torrey Pines, CA 2008

Not one for shooting sunsets and silhouettes, I did feel that this image of a couple watching the sun set from high atop a cliff, best depicted a (not so) fond farewell to 2011. In a year marred by two surgeries and their aftermath, my mobility was surely limited. Notwithstanding, I was pleased to have my work recognized as follows:

-Dreams Exhibition, Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, CO, (Aline Smithson, juror);

-Artists Haven Gallery, (Wendy M. Blazier, Senior Curator, Boca Raton Museum of Art, juror);

-Portfolio Showcase Volume 5, Center for Fine Art Photography, (Chris Pichler, Publisher, Nazraeli Press, juror);

-PDN on-line, Photo of the Day (Amber Terranova, Editor);

-Featureshoot, one of LIFE’s 2011 Best Photo Blogs (Alison Zavos, Publisher/Managing Editor);

-The OPEN (“BSG is among other things, a master at close-up, intimate portraits of wildlife”);

-Freshly Pressed, Photo Blog: www.adventuresfrombehindtheglass.com, WordPress;

-SHUTTERBUG Magazine, Website: www.barrystevengreff.com, (Inspiring Images And Image-Makers, Joe Farace on BSG: “He’s created insightful works of great authority and style.”);

-The Photocloser (Frank Meo); getaddictedto.com; notcot.org, Light & Composition, etc.;

-Agency Access & Chatterbulletin (Louisa Curtis);

-Black & White Spider Awards, professional Fine Art nominee;

-added to exclusive private collections in New York City, Baton Rouge, LA, etc.;

-and starting January 2012 by inclusion in the book resulting from the Chris Pichler juried Portfolio Showcase No. 5 at C4fap.

I would like to thank all of the curators, publishers, editors and writers for their gracious support of my work in 2011 and here’s looking forward to a great 2012. Barry

…As I stated in an earlier post entitled Promise of a New Day which featured this next image:

At the fleeting moments of dusk, the sun shines a final stroke of light as it sets below the horizon. More important than the beauty each sunset exhibits, its greatest asset is …the promise of a new day.

*Happy New Year from Barry Steven Greff Photography*

Last Light, Torrey Pines, CA 2008

]]> http://adventuresfrombehindtheglass.com/2011/12/28/recap-2011-the-sun-sets-on-another-year/feed/ 2 adventuresbehindtheglass CA Sunset Couple CA Sunset Last Line_7695 http://adventuresfrombehindtheglass.com/2011/12/22/happy-holidays-lit-tree-winter-park-co/ http://adventuresfrombehindtheglass.com/2011/12/22/happy-holidays-lit-tree-winter-park-co/#comments Thu, 22 Dec 2011 20:26:58 +0000 © Barry Steven Greff 2011 http://adventuresfrombehindtheglass.com/?p=2264 ]]>

Lit Tree, Winter Park, CO 2007

* Happy Holidays from Barry Steven Greff Photography *