Now On Display at the National Center for Nature Photography

Eye On Art  |  08/23/2012

Three exciting exhibits recently opened at the National Center for Nature Photography in Secor Metropark. Curious Critters, American's Backcountry and Nature in 3-D will remain open Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. through October 28. Admission is free.

First, you'll want to check out Ohio photographer Dave FitzSimmons and his Curious Critters exhibit, which showcases photographs of animals in plain white, softly-lit backgrounds to isolate and emphasize their features with dramatic results. FitzSimmons also published a book with the same title in which he demonstrates this technique.

FitzSimmons will present a workshop on macro photography on Saturday, August 25. He will spend the morning talking about "Curious Critters" and the unique macro techniques he developed to create the distinctive look of the book's images. An how-to instruction, which includes discussions on lighting, posing, and processing images will be followed by a provided lunch. Workshop participants will then have the opportunity to practice the technique using live native animal subjects. For more information, visit http://reservations.metroparkstoledo.com/programs/index.shtml?id=20805&sid=708618.2836&uid=

Next, you won't want to miss America's Backcountry, highlighting photographs of national award-winning artist Steve Perry. This exhibit takes viewers on a journey across the country and includes mesmerizing images of our diverse scenery and wildlife. Perry is an area resident and the all-time winner in the Photography Center's annual Celebrating Nature Through Photography Contest.

Finally, it's your chance to go in-depth with nature and Dr. Larry Low. Nature in 3-D puts a whole new perspective on nature photography. Low has been interested in 3D photography since he was in college, where he discovered a 3D photo set of the moon in an astronomy text. For the last 50 years he has been taking 3D photos and devising viewers to make viewing them easier (because not everyone likes crossing their eyes). The photographer has a stock of many thousands of 3D images (both film and digital). Recently he joined the Detroit Stereographic Society, entering monthly contests where the images are superimposed onto a screen and viewed with the polarized-glasses like those used in IMAX theaters.

Learn more about all three of these nature-focused exhibits at http://www.metroparkstoledo.com/metro/whattodo/item.asp?item_id=4434.