I have my first individual exhibit coming up in March and I wanted to share the details. Rather than simply posting the flyer I created, our mods suggested I turn this into a thread about how the show came to be which I thought was a great idea. Here goes...

I moved to this town in 2008 for work and shot the few landmarks in town to the point where I decided to venture to nearby communities to satisfy my need for new landscapes to capture. In August 2010, I came to the realization that many of the things I was driving to shoot (the first example was kids diving off piers into the water) could be found in my town. I also kept getting lost and figured photography would help me sort out and better explore this new home town of mine. I figured I would be lucky to find enough material to post once per week and had a day off Wednesday from my real job and so 'Wednesdays in Marblehead' was born.

Over the next year, I found numerous opportunities for landscape photography within the 20 square miles that make up this seaside town. We really did have it all - ocean, harbor, lighthouse, old houses, piers, ponds... you name it. I became a member of the local art association and was invited to take part in group shows where I displayed 5 pieces each time.

A few months ago, the director of the arts association approached me about having an individual show. This would take place in a beautiful old mansion (built in 1728) and I was given the coveted parlor room to hang 15-20 framed prints. The show begins in March with an opening reception on Sunday, March 11th from 2-4pm. It would be great if Dgrinners could make it! Below are the photos that will adorn the walls with a brief write up of each.


From the Rooftops
August 2011 marked the one year anniversary of my project to explore the town of Marblehead through my photography. It coincided with my discovery of the numerous rooftop decks and widow walks that dot the skyline of the town. I set out at that point to explore the options for shooting from these unique vantage points.

During the months that followed, I was astounded by the generosity of those who invited me into their homes to see and later share the views that their decks offered.

I have now photographed from the decks of bed and breakfasts, private homes and, on New Year’s Day, the cupola of the Old North Church. Here you’ll see a select group of my favorite rooftop views collected over the past six months.

1


2


3


4


5


6



Fourth of July
Marblehead has one of the most incredible fireworks displays I have ever seen let alone had the pleasure of photographing. I have favorite photos from each of my three years in town and fond memories of capturing the dazzling displays that erupt over the water each year. In 2011, I was fortunate to witness and capture a sequence of fantastic scenes.

This began at sunset as I sought out views from Fort Sewall and captured a scene of clouds and colors making for a dramatic image over Gerry Island. I quickly headed down to Front Street afterwards to photograph the lighting of the flares that is unique to our town’s celebration. The tide and boats combined to make for another great scene.

I then walked back up to the Fort and set up behind the gathered crowd to photograph the beginning of the show. In past years, I had included people in my fireworks shots and really liked how it made for a more intimate scene. I chose to do the same with this year’s image and love the added dimension that this provided.

7


8


9



Black and White
The Lamp Post image was one that I had in mind for over a year but needed conditions to be just right in order to pull it off. On the evening of November 27th, I stepped out of the house and noted the coming fog. I quickly headed to Devereaux beach and explored the unique view of a sunset seen through a layer of fog. I then moved to the causeway and set up to capture the arc of light emanating from these lamp posts. As I explored various compositions, I noticed a couple walking towards me, I shot a few frames as they advanced and managed this one in which a distant car’s headlights served to backlight the people and add an element of contrast to them. I processed the image in the style of film noir which seemed to suit it perfectly.

10


Long Exposures
With a limit of twenty square miles in which to photograph, I have found the need to expand my photographic techniques to offer new views of our town. Recently, this has included long exposures with shutter speeds measured in minutes rather than tenths or hundredths of a second. Taking two, four or even eight minute exposures makes for a challenging endeavor as the light will fluctuate during the shots as will elements such as clouds. The beauty of this photography comes from the effects that can only be seen in these long scenes: water becomes silky smooth and the clouds make streaks in the sky. My first two subjects include the pier at Edgemore road and the house lining Little Harbor as seen from Doaks Lane.

11


12


Sea Smoke
I had heard, but never actually seen, sea smoke before January 15th. Photos of the eery mist coming off the ocean water fascinated me but also eluded me all of last Winter. When I saw that January 15th was predicted to be the coldest day of the Winter, I knew this would be my best chance to capture the image. I drove down to Front Street (after a quick stop at Dunkin Donuts) and saw an incredible amount of smoke coming off the water. The air temperature that morning was 3° F which, when combined with the 14 MPH winds, made for a wind chill of -15° F. The occasional gusts of 28 MPH? Those made it feel like -21° F!!!

I took a number of photos of Childrens Island, a lone boat in the harbor and, of course, the lighthouse. At 7:32 AM, the sun finally peaked out of the clouds and shone over the water making the smoke look like it was on fire. The show lasted for a few seconds at most and, in this image, you can make out the pink sun rays behind the lighthouse and see the effect on the water.

13


The Supermoon
In March 2011, the moon made its closest pass to the Earth in 18 years. It was coined the Supermoon and I, as well as a number of other photographers, ventured out to photograph it. I remember watching an NCAA basketball game on my iPhone while waiting for the moon rise with my tripod set up at Lovis Cove. The rise was indeed great but I had no idea how amazing the setting moon would be. I woke the next morning and drove out to Chandler Hovey Park. There I set up my tripod again and watched the moon slowly fall from the sky. I kept moving my tripod to get the angle right and, at 6:35AM on March 20th, grabbed this one frame of the moon nestling against Abbot Hall. This remains one of my favorite images that I have taken over the past 4 years.

14


Thanks for reading this and congratulations on making it all the way through - ended up a bit longer than I thought it would be

Some really great shots. 8 is by far my favorite and then 12 and 13. Congrats on the show!!!!

Terrific post, Eyal, and congrats on the upcoming show. Excellent collection of photos. I think it's terrific the way you involved the community in your decks & balconies view project. Now your neighbors will feel a connection to your photography and hopefully buy a few prints.

Excellent narrative and beautiful images. Good luck with the show!

Congratulations on your first exhibit

Simply awesome... beautiful work and great stories. Makes me want to go out and explore my town in a different way... been here so long it all seems so boring! Congrats on the show!

Very nice shots.

Some excellent work here. Numbers 8, 10 and 11 are my favorites and #10 is a gorgeous concept and composition. A real show stopper!

Congrats on the show! You've created some gorgeous images, wonderful.

--- Denise

Thanks everyone. Really appreciate the kind words. Now just have to hope for good weather and that Facebook/Twitter/Google Plus/Dgrin/Website/Print media/word-of-mouth bring everyone by to the reception

1 4 10 14 are my favorites from the set.
I like all those quite a bit.
10 and 14 are special shots.
Nice work overall and thanks for the story line.

Great set and congratulation on the exhibit. I really love the sea smoke. I'm going to try and get out to the exhibit on Sunday if possible.

congrats on the show. Some awesome shots in there.

Congratulations, and I agree that you have some terrific shots. Thanks for sharing this.

congrats on the show... it's really nice when you get a chance to show your work in a gallery setting. i really love the last one in this set... the only nit would be perhaps i might prefer the moon just a hair above the buildings, and a teensy bit to the left of the tower, just enough to show the full disk. still, a stunning photo. #7 and 10 are excellent also.

Congrats, you have a fantastic body of work to be displayed. I will try to make it up there on 3/11 since I'm only 1.5 hours away.

Thanks again everyone.
Tom and Bryan - it would be awesome if you guys were able to come out

Eyal,

We are planning to visit your show but can not make it for the opening. We want to combine a visit to your show and a stop at the Peabody Essex to see the Jerry Uelsmann exhibition. Have you seen that show yet? I really like the concept you came up with for this series. We are looking forward to seeing your prints.

Knapp and Ella Hudson
Portland, ME

That's awesome Knapp - thanks for making the trek. And thanks for reminding me about the PEM show. I had read about it months ago but forgot it was going on now. I'll have to head over there.

Wish I could be there. Did you do your own printing?

Lauren