Ian Grey Photography Exhibit At Heritage State Park

12:00AM / Sunday, December 03, 2006

Photograph used with permission of Ian Grey

North Adams - The exhibit "The Natural World: Macro Photography by Ian Grey" is on display now through February 25, 2007 in the Community Gallery of the Visitors Center at Western Gateway Heritage State Park. It may be viewed 7 days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation is the sponsor of the display.

A self-taught naturalist, Grey's passion is macro or close-up photography. This collection features macro photographs of insects, flowers, hummingbirds and other wonders of nature.

Photo used with permission of Ian Grey

Spanning a period of three years, these digital works show growth in both complexity and passion, culminating in the minimalist floral compositions, "Yellow Dancer", "Hope", "Faerie Star" and "Hummingbirds In Flight" series.

One of the advantages of macro photography is the ability to minimize the background in a photo. This can be done with light, darkening or blackening out the background or by using a selective aperture to smooth and blur the background. These techniques isolate the subject, framing it with negative space and drawing attention to specific aspects. This is especially apparent in Grey's floral compositions.

Ian Grey resides in the town of Florida, MA with his wife Isabella and their two dogs. A native of central Connecticut, he is the son of a working class father and immigrant mother.

Following early graduation from high school, he joined the military where he traveled the country and received an education in computer electronics. He worked for companies such as Digital and Apple but decided he would rather work outdoors and have time to pursue his interest in the arts. After a ten year stint in music, he moved to the Berkshires. It was the beauty of the area, especially Greylock Glen which prompted him to buy a camera. The rest is history. He is now a freelance photographer who is a regular contributor to the North Adams Transcript and has exhibited his photographs in Connecticut and throughout north Berkshire County.

The park is located on Route 8 between State and Furnace Streets. For further information about the park and its activities visit www.mass.gov/dcr/wghp. To view Ian Grey's portfolio visit www.pbase.com/iangreyphotography.