So after Photorama, Peter and I headed to the Allentown Museum of Art, about an hour and a half away, to see the double bill show of two great photographers living in my neck of the woods … Larry Fink and Judith Joy Ross. Timestamp … The Photographs of Larry Fink and Judith Joy Ross is a small and intimate show. The space devoted to both photographers could have easily been filled by the work of just one of them. Yet for those that have never seen either of their work this might be a good place to start.

The exhibit focuses on Fink’s photographs made on the streets of Harlem in the Sixties and Ross’s outdoor portraits made in the areas where she grew up, Weatherly and Hazelton Pennsylvania.

The work of the two photographers and how it is presented could not be more different! Fink’s photographs were made with a 35mm camera. Ross’s images were made with an 8 x 10 view camera on a tripod. Their choice of equipment and negative size notwithstanding, seeing both artist’s work side by side made me think about what goes into the print that will be displayed to the world … beyond that of the subject matter itself. Fink’s pictures were quite large; probably about 20 x 24 inches in size. All of Ross’ work were 8 x 10 contact prints except one pretty good sized enlargement.  Fink’s prints were made with an ink jet printer. Ross’ prints were made on gold toned printing-out-paper. Fink’s hybrid process prints looked like ink jet prints; the pictures resided on top of the paper’s surface. Ross’s prints had an incredible depth to them. Fink’s prints were much larger than necessary in my opinion, and didn’t force you to really study all that was going on in them. Ross’s prints were intimate studies that drew you in.

Ross’s one silver gelatin enlargement provided the opportunity to do an apples to apples comparison, and as far as I am concerned it wasn’t close in terms of emotional reaction. The Ross print made on silver gelatin paper just had so much more depth and feeling, as well as a real sense of immediacy to them. You’ll just have to visit the show to see if you agree!  In the end, while I was drawn more to the content of Fink’s outstanding work, I felt it was underserved by the presentation.  All of this having been said, Timestamp … The Photographs of Larry Fink and Judith Joy Ross is a fine show and well worth the visit!

An added bonus to the show was the opportunity to meet its curator Leah Frances who happens to be a wonderful photographer … I checked out her website when I got home! See her work at www.leah-frances.com.  We had a nice chat and I look forward to further conversations.

Stay well,

Michael