This is going to seem more like a journal entry than a blog post, but it’s been a fun weekend and I wanted to share my day in the sun.

Two months ago, I walked into a beautiful art gallery, the Silver Sycamore Gallery of Fine Arts in Sainte Genevieve, Missouri. It’s a beautiful art gallery located about an hour’s drive south of St. Louis, Missouri. After looking at some of the work then on display, I showed the gallery manager (Leon Basler) some of my own work on my iPhone.

To my surprise, Leon took an immediate intense interest in my work and offered to display my photography, further offering to designate me to be the “featured artist” during  a citywide celebration: “The Ste. Genevieve Annual Holiday Christmas Festival.”  Of course I said yes.  Leon eventually decided to display all 30 images that I hauled down in a van earlier this week. Displayed, they took up half of the gallery. What an honor! The gallery owners and the people stopping by the gallery treated me like a celebrity, which is serving as an antidote for my bout of imposter syndrome. More about that below.

The opening was this weekend. If you click on the title to this article, you will find a gallery of many photos from this weekend, including some of my displayed photos.

Also on display this weekend were dazzling paintings by at least three other artists who were in attendance, including 90-year old Charles Rhinehart and 92-year old illustrator/painter, Don Langeneckert, who still paints every day, and who will be the featured artist in an upcoming show.  Leon’s own works were also on display. Leon, who also works as a pilot and an engineer, has explored so many styles of painting in so many ways, that you would be certain that a room filled with his work was actually the work of 5 or 6 different artists; check out his website.  Also at the gallery, across from my photos, one can admire the exquisite paintings of Ali Cavanaugh.  It’s truly stunning work, which you will see if you visit her website. 

I was afflicted with imposter syndrome because I’ve never before been called “an artist” for my photography, and never before has my work been displayed next to the work of prominent career artists. Other than two small displays in neighborhood coffee shops, I had never before been asked to blow my work up big and offer it to the public. I love many of the images I have created, but until this weekend, you would not be able to see any of them in an art gallery. But it really happened. It’s a good feeling and it makes me want to push my art to the next level for a future show.

It’s now Sunday evening, so the “Opening” is over. I’m sitting on a hotel bed writing this article. My images will remain for at least several more weeks at the gallery.

Yesterday I gave a 15-minute talk to discuss my photography, including the techniques and software that I use in post-processing. I created these photos over the past four years. The genre of most of these photos is urban exploration. I’ve also included a few additional photos from my international travels. I find it awe-inspiring, sad and beautiful to explore the rich colors of the interiors of distressed structures, which are being transformed, by neglect, water and gravity. These are natural light photos, so no strobes were used.

Here’s a bit more about my process: Most of the photos in the exhibit are High Dynamic Range (HDR) photographs. Each of these images results from “exposure bracketed” images (I use 3 to 5 photos of the exact same scene using exposures ranging from dark to light). I then use Aurora HDR software to combine the bracketed exposures employing numerous adjustment parameters. I do further processing of the images using Lightroom to get the final image. To get these images to look the way I want requires of trial and error. Cameras: I used a Canon 7Dii for the urbex photos and a smaller Canon G7xii for my travel images.

By day I work as a consumer attorney, and that’s mostly how I’ve spent my time for decades. I’ve pursued photography with some intensity since 2010.  I had some personal mentors, especially Steve Grappe, who now resides in Arkansas. For urban exploration photos, Tim Rice took me under his wing and we explore several sites together.  For photography, generally, I attended many workshops, and also purchased many Internet courses, as well as learning immense amounts of information from YouTube University. I’m not quite self-taught, but I have no formal training in photography.

I focus on portraits, urban exploration and international travel, although I also enjoy the many other aspects of photography, including glamour, macro and architectural.  Many more of my photos and my contact information can be found at my photography website: https://erichvieth.com

As I mentioned in my talk yesterday, high quality photography is now within the grasp of anyone who wants to work for it.  I know I’m not in league with Ansel Adams.  I’m under no such illusion.  But I’m proud of my work and I just spent a weekend listening to people tell me how much they enjoyed these unusual photographs.  I don’t know the persons for whom I’m really writing this article, but perhaps there is someone out there who wants to get better and better at their photography.  You are living in an age where that is guaranteed to happen as long as you work hard for it and you don’t need to get a formal degree in photography to be an excellent photographer.  If you work hard, maybe, someday, you’ll have the opportunity to have your work displayed in a public art gallery.

I’m excited that Leon and I are already discussing future projects – – It’s especially gratifying to have formed this new friendship and to plan future trips to St. Genevieve.