I was in Jim Thorpe last Saturday exploring some new treasures. I have been there several times in the past. But, I was introduced to some new locations this time. All of the following images were taken with the new Olympus OM-D EM-5. Let me say, this is one amazing piece of equipment! I was expecting a lot and I can tell you, it surpassed all of my expectations.
The signs of spring abound.
The end of last month I was in Washington, D.C. for Photoshop World (PSW). In addition to attending the many presentations they offered, I planned to capture the Cherry Blossoms. However, mother nature changed my plans, somewhat, by introducing some precipitation. Well no worries, I just went underground into the Metro system and ultimately over to Union Station.
I was very honored to see the following article the Express-Times which ran in their Monday edition. The exhibit runs through the end of the month if you would like to see it.
Bethlehem photography exhibit highlights founding of South Sudan
Published: Monday, April 09, 2012, 4:52 AM
By Lynn Olanoff | The Express-Times
Express-Times Photo | JIM MIDDLEKAUFF
Upper Saucon Township resident Frank T. Smith’s photography exhibit called “The Birth of a New Nation: South Sudan” is on display at the Bethlehem City Hall Rotunda through April 29.
The Bethlehem Fine Arts Commission was looking for something a little different for its monthly exhibit in the city’s Town Hall.
And different is what it got: documentation of a new country’s creation.
Upper Saucon Township resident Frank T. Smith was in South Sudan on July 9, 2011, the day the republic broke away from Sudan. Five days later, South Sudan became the 193rd member of the United Nations. A sampling of photographs he took during his trip makes up the Town Hall Rotunda Gallery’s April exhibit.
“This is literally one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences. How often do you get to see a birth of a nation?” the 59-year-old asked. “It was a real honor for me to be able to do this.”
Smith got the opportunity through volunteer work his wife, Karen, does with the African Leadership And Reconciliation Ministries, founded in 1994 in response to a crisis of Christian leadership in Africa following the Rwandan genocide. ALARM, as the group is known, was looking for new photographs for its website and hoped Smith could join his wife on her summer 2011 trip to Uganda and Sudan.
When the trip looked to coincide with South Sudan’s independence, Smith jumped at the chance to go. The country broke off from Sudan, with which it has had a long, still-ongoing conflict.
“I thought about it for like a nanosecond and was like, ‘Of course!’” he said.
Getting up close
ALARM was able to get Smith photographer credentials to the independence ceremony. Because he is American, people assumed he was a noted photojournalist and let him get up front, he said. Several of the photographs in the exhibit are close-up shots of state officials.
Smith’s favorite photographs in the exhibit may be of residents of Juba, South Sudan’s capital, as they awaited the big day. Several of those photographs include children peeking out of windows in anticipation.
“If you can imagine being at the Super Bowl times a thousand, you can understand the emotion of the people,” he said.
The emotion Smith was able to capture is especially what impressed Dolores Sproule, who along with Bethlehem Fine Arts Commission member Bev Hoover, selects the rotunda exhibits.
“He really has an eye for what’s out there. You almost feel like you know some of these people,” she said. “His pictures are fabulous.”
Commission member Barbara Fraust nominated Smith’s work to the group. The two served on the board of the Allentown nonprofit Community Services for Children for many years, but Fraust said she didn’t know about Smith’s photography skills until she served as his real estate agent about five years ago.
“I had no idea that his work was as well-known as it is and as valued as it is,” she said. “It was like, ‘Wow, we have to have this guy.’”
Smith’s rotunda show, called “The Birth of a New Nation: South Sudan,” “is just hugely powerful,” Fraust said.
Benefiting nonprofits
Smith has had several photography shows locally over the last decade, including an exhibit on the former Allentown State Hospital with David Rehrig at ArtsQuest’s InVision Photo Festival in November. Industrial ruins may be his favorite subject but he’s also done international photography in India, Kashmir and Bhutan.
He donates all of the proceeds from the sale of his photographs to charity. Three local organizations are his regular beneficiaries — the Salvation Army, Big Brothers Big Sisters and ArtsQuest’s B-Smart program — but his South Sudan show also will benefit the ALARM organization.
Smith for a long time had never wanted to sell his photographs, which are very personal to him, and never had to — thanks to his day job in commercial real estate with NAI Summit. But after numerous requests, he finally gave in, but only with his plan to help out nonprofits.
“I’m very fortunate I have a full-time job so I don’t need this to support me,” he said.
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NOW SHOWING
The “Birth of a New Nation: South Sudan” will be on display through April 29. The free exhibit is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays in the Town Hall Rotunda Gallery at Bethlehem City Hall, 10 E. Church St.
© 2012 lehighvalleylive.com. All rights reserved.
Located on the Allentown Fairgrounds, the Ritz is an iconic establishment that has been around for many generations. In my younger years, it was quite the “hangout” spot.
My shooting plan was to capture the image during the “Blue Hour”. This is the time during the day (morning and evening) when there is neither full daylight nor complete darkness. The time is considered special because of the quality of the light at this time of day.
For almost a full year, I was afforded the opportunity to catalog the interior and exterior of the Allentown State Hospital. I did this with fellow photographer Dave Rehrig. We just completed a joint exhibit that ran from November 2011 to February 2012 at SteelStacks in Bethlehem, PA. Several people from outside of the area that were not able to come to the exhibit, have asked me to post some of my images. The following are some of my images that were in the exhibit. For those of you who are not familiar, the Allentown State Hospital was a psychiatric facility located at 1600 Hanover Ave. in Allentown PA. It served the counties of Lehigh, Northampton, Carbon, Monroe and Pike. It was one of seven remaining psychiatric hospitals in Pennsylvania. The Allentown State Hospital was planned as early as 1901 but the opening was delayed until October 3, 1912. The hospital cost $1,931,270 to build. The population hit its peak in 1950 with 2,012 patients. Now 100 years later, the facility is closed. If you would like to see additional images click HERE.
This past weekend turned out to be a perfect time for a spring hike in the middle of winter. I went to the Bethlehem Tow Path, which provides for great views of the blast furnaces of the former Betlehem Steel plant.
I just returned from my annual conferense in Las Vegas. I tried some different perspectives and different views this time. There is never a lack of subject matter in this place.
This past weekend Bo and I visited Trexler Park in Allentown, PA. My dad use to take me here as a kid & I haven’t been here since that time. The park was originally developed by industrialist and civil leader Harry Clay Trexler as a sanctuary for birds and other wildlife. The historic Spring House structure is located here which was built in 1741. The log cabin served as the summer home of the Trexler family.
Frank's Photography Blog 