I live in Jersey City “Heights.” Located atop the Palisade cliff, my apartment building has a spectacular view of the New York City skyline. This is especially true when, after a late afternoon storm system passes through and the western setting sun illumines the buildings of both Hoboken and Manhattan. With the dark sky as a backdrop and the shining buildings in the foreground, the result is visually dramatic. Simply put, I love the contrast between the dark and the light. It doesn’t hurt that the subject of the photograph is the most beautiful building I have ever seen. For me, the most valuable element of learning the art of photography has been through studying how others make images. Whether it be those among the great and renowned (such as Ansel Adams, Diane Arbus, or Robert Frank) or those, like myself, who are on a journey of photographic self-discovery, the opportunity to consider and examine how someone else sees the world with a camera lens has been essential in my growth as an artist. Being invited to join and participate in one of SMI’s photography “crit” groups has proved invaluable.

The critique group is, to be sure, a great way to see one’s work through the helpful eyes of others. I say this not only of fellow photographers but also of painters and watercolorists, during my participation in SMI’s monthly cross-discipline “crit” sessions. To get feedback from non-photographers has offered me a perspective I have found to be both encouraging as well as insightful. Above all, these sharing venues have allowed me to meet other artists, and it is through these relationships that I have come to learn the most about myself as someone who aspires to create.