Panoramic Images of the Western Landscape

"Panoramic Images of the Western Landscape"

At Albany, CA, Starting October 19

Desert Survivor Robert Spertus is displaying his panoramic
photographs of western landscapes at the Albany Community Center in
Albany, California.  Twenty of his prints are on the walls of the Foyer
Gallery as you walk in from the Marin Avenue side.  The address of
the Community Center is 1249 Marin Avenue in Albany, just a few
blocks from San Pablo Avenue, toward the hills.

Mr. Spertus' photographs are large, about one foot by three feet,
printed in black and white.  He uses a special landscape camera and
special film to capture the width of the view, putting the viewer deeper
into the frame.  This avoids the "fish-eye" effect you get when you
attempt to get a panorama with a commercial 35-millimeter "off-the-
shelf" camera.  The photos capture the essence of the broad landscape,
an effect appreciated by desert visitors, who are accustomed to
horizontal landscapes with long views, instead of the vertical
orientation of high mountains and tall trees.

Subjects on display include a wide valley scene with a distant playa
("Wall Spring"), two scenes in Panamint Valley, one in Deep Springs
Valley in the Eastern Sierra country, two vistas in the desert of Eastern
Oregon, and a couple of granite rock studies in the Alabama Hills.  A
photo of a joshua tree grove is especially intriguing and evocative.
Other subjects are the Sierra Nevada and local Bay Area parks.

Mr. Spertus' photographs will be on display at the Community Center
from October 19, 2003 to January 18, 2004.  These large-format prints
are also offered for sale, with prices starting at $285.00.  For
information about purchases, contact Mr. Spertus at
<rspertus@comcast.net>.