Fine Art Photography Daily

PhotoNOLA: Bob Avakian

This week I am sharing more work seen at PhotoNOLA

I had the opportunity to spend time with Bob Avakian’s glowing prints at PhotoNOLA.  His mastery of light, of sense of place, and his ability to create one image narratives made for a wonderful portfolio.  Bob’s background in architecture and home building, and his years on Martha’s Vineyard have given him a particular sensibility to his environment.

Bob’s work has been exhibited at the Griffin Museum of Photography, Winchester MA; Gallery Seven, Maynard MA; Greg Moon Gallery, Taos NM and in Photography Atelier exhibitions at the Griffin Museum amongst other venues. He was selected as a Photolucida Critical Mass 2012 Finalist and in the 2012 International Photography Awards (IPA) 10th Annual competition was awarded Honorable Mention in a number of categories, most notably Night Photography and Fine Art Landscapes. He is a juried member of the Cape Cod Art Association and the South Shore Art Center in Cohasset, MA.

BETWEEN NIGHT AND DAY 

I like to think of my camera as a two-way mirror that allows me to see my surroundings while at the same time I become more aware of myself. When I am out at night, alone, all cares disappear and my sense of time fades. A heightened awareness takes over as I direct my attention to the challenge of relaying the quiet and solitude I experience through the photographs I make.

For the past year, I have been photographing the natural landscape at night and at the break of dawn. At night I use long exposures, which make it possible to turn a night scene into a day scene. In the early daylight hours, by underexposing, it is possible to turn day to night. I have known some of the landscapes I photograph intimately for many years. Through my exposure and printing decisions I represent these landscapes in a way I have never seen them before. In this series I work to achieve a balance, suggesting that these images were made in a single moment in time somewhere between night and day.

When I go out to photograph I drive around, searching for isolated scenes that contain an unknown light source or have some other mysterious quality. Of course there are times when I don’t find anything. What fascinates me about this process is that there is so much surprise that it seems almost magical. Since the night is in control of setting the stage, I never know where I will wind up. It reminds me so much of life.

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