Felony Flats: Changing the Focus
Photograph credit from left to right: Beverly J Kanewske, Diane Beals, Gil Nicholson-Nelson
Reception: January 7 | 5-8pm
Artist Chat: January 7 | 6pm with Diane Beals
Show: January 7 - 28
Several years ago, Beverly Kanewske and Gil Nicholson-Nelson were invited to take a course on Street Photography with their hero, Diane Beals. An ice storm cancelled the class but then Diane proposed a project for the three photographers to pick an area of town and wander the streets to see what we could find. The area we chose is widely known as “Felony Flats.” Beverly and Gil were so excited to learn from and work with Diane and the area is diverse and varied so no persuasion was needed. We wandered the area from State Street to Cross and 14th to 25th.
The two ‘rookies’ were surprised at how many folks were happy to have their photos taken and only a few people declined to sign our release! We shot people working on gardens, splashing in pools and sprinklers, working on cars and building fences. From babies to very old; in Halloween costumes and Easter dresses; Family reunions and Birthday Parties.
One definition of Street Photography as opposed to Documentary Photography says that Documentary often has an intended message that the photographer is trying to show. But in Street Photography one follows their curiosity to find out what’s there. Most often Street Photographs feature human beings.
We learned from Diane to chat with folks and find out what’s interesting about a person or family. We learned to notice the background and the lighting. We approached anyone we saw and learned something about so many people.
We offer a huge thank you to the people of “Felony Flats” and we hope you get to know them a bit through our images. Enjoy!
Diane, Gil and Beverly