Natural Perspectives: Photography exhibit filled with eye-catching shots

Hanging a show is part of the art, and George Hagen did a fabulous job of choosing placement of the images. A good example is the juxtaposition of two of Pam Degarimore's shots. One is a tight close-up of an angelic young girl with a peaches-and-cream complexion that was taken at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire. The other is a cranky-looking, wrinkled old Cuban woman who is smoking and glaring into the camera. What a contrast.

I noticed that many of the photos in this exhibit were taken on club field trips. I recognized photos from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the north rim of the Grand Canyon, Cambria, Morro Bay, San Diego Zoo Safari Park and Olvera Street in Los Angeles. One of the really neat things about this group is the fabulous outdoor settings that we visit together.

Vic commented that one of Hagen's shots was his favorite. I replied, "Oh, yeah, his extreme close-up of the night-blooming cereus."

Vic gave me that long-suffering look that only spouses are capable of projecting.

"No," he said incredulously, "the photo of the red and orange rocks in Utah."

I had been so taken with the close-up of the ornate pistil and stamens of the flower that I hadn't even noticed the photo of the beautiful, swirling rock formation above it. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

There is an air of frenzied excitement in a home as the resident photographer prepares to enter a show. I was doubly busy last week, first with framing my four entries for the show at the library, and then electronically entering Vic's and my photos into competition at the OC Fair. The deadline for entry was last Friday.

Now comes the hard part — the waiting. We won't know whether or not our photos were accepted until June 15. If any are accepted, there will be another frantic round of framing as we prepare our photos for delivery to the fair on June 29.

For those of you who are into photographic competition, the city of Huntington Beach is sponsoring a photo contest. Called "Parks Make Life Better!", it is part of a statewide effort to promote parks.

The contest closes June 30; photographic entries must be accompanied by a short essay on why parks make life better. Entry forms are available at community centers or online. For more information, contact pmlb@surfcity-hb.org or (714) 374-1710.

VIC LEIPZIG and LOU MURRAY are Huntington Beach residents and environmentalists. They can be reached at LMurrayPhD@aol.com.