By Darlene Mae Nowell
Since the days of my youth there have been many well intended people encouraging me to take off my well-fitting, rose-colored glasses. Recommending instead a more practical view through clear lenses set in frames that rest just below the bridge of my nose. The impetus for such outlandish advice it seems, reflects a pale concern for sparing me the inevitable disappointments of life as they are enhanced by excessively colorful expectations, but to quote the a very famous frog, “Someday we’ll find it; the Rainbow Connection: The Lovers, the Dreamers and Me”! In this life there will always be a few rainy days in the forecast, but let your smile be your umbrella and make very wet splashes in the puddles on your path!
Here in the Pearl City of Jamestown there is promise of sunshine and surprises around every corner. I can’t even keep up with all of the local events, new businesses, natural and historic escapes and music venues, not to mention the enormous wealth of talent found among our: Painters, Poets, Performers and Photographers who call these hills as home. The Arts and Entertainment Industry is a rich part of our heritage here. Even in times of socio-economic setbacks the natural beauty surrounding us envelopes our souls keeping the creative and life affirming juices flowing into the estuaries of our hearts and the fires of profound thinking and personal expression burning in our minds. There is never a shortage of inspiration as demonstrated by the many keepers of the light who generously share their visions with us.
Lisa Calemiri of The Chautauqua Art Gallery, hosted a Grand Opening event on June 3rd to celebrate the new location at 318 North Main Street in downtown Jamestown. It was an inspired extravaganza and another Lighthouse is now open in Jamestown. As you might guess I met several Artists and Aficionados, extending my list of interesting interviews for future feature pages here in The Villager. Many works adorning the walls, filling the shelves and the spaces of the hall were created by local master crafters, painters, sculptors and photographers. In this article it is my pleasure to introduce to you an individual of many talents in a variety of venues. He has vast experience in Cable Television Production, Radio Broadcasting, Media Education and as is the focus of our query, Photography.
Dan Swackhammer works for our local, “Low Power to the People” radio station, WRFA. He is a masterful conversationalist and a great radio host, but it was his image of the “Lighthouse” that feverishly caught my attention. When I asked him about what motivates his interest in the photographic arts he responded, “To create images of what I see, but cannot explain or find the words to describe”.
His, “Hand of Man Travel Photography”, promotes the natural wonders he finds on his adventures while also revealing the interdependent relationship between humans and the natural world. His use of pre and post capture filters are what enables him to present his unique vision of the spaces around us.
A great example of “at the moment of capture” filtering, can be observed in the depiction of water rolling in on the bow of a boat so clearly caught on film that individual clumps of seagrass and water particulates are visible, creating an image so life like that it almost appears to be moving. Polarizing filters are what he accredits to this kind of light manipulation. While his pieces, artistic and esthetically appealing, his deepest fascination is in the science of bending and manipulating the way light is cast onto and captured by his subjects, as well as, how it is exposed in the editing process. There are endless ways to alter an image, but at the end of a project it is the view from behind the lens that tells the story.
To see more images from Dans body of work he can be found on flickr Dan Swackhammer Sample images/flickr.com. He has a website under construction and can be reached via email @ danswack@gmail.com or text @ 716-499-6036