ENTRY DESCRIPTION
I photograph the landscape at night and at dawn. The camera captures the frames as stills, freezing time, regardless of the length of the exposure, and creating an image different from what the eye perceives.
The camera allows me to see my surroundings with new eyes. Out at night, alone, the day's cares recede and the sense of time fades. Allowing a heightened awareness to take over, I direct my attention to conveying the quiet and solitude of the night. It is this shift in attention, I believe, that allows me to experience the moment with a different vision.
What fascinates me about this process is that magical element of surprise. I venture out in search of scenes that contain an unknown light source of have some other mysterious quality. Of course there are times when I don't find anything. Since the night sets the stage, I never know where I will wind up. It reminds me so much of life.
AUTHOR
Bob Avakian and his wife Gail visited Martha’s Vineyard for the summer in 1973 and it has been home ever since. Trained in architecture, engineering and building, for years he has worked in the construction field as a custom homebuilder. As his photographic vision has evolved he has been drawn to the natural landscape and an exploration of night photography.
Bob has been the recipient of numerous awards. Recently, he was awarded 1st place for his night photography in the ND Awards, Special Category. He was selected as a Photolucida Critical Mass 2013 Top 50 photographer. In the International Photo Awards Annual competition Bob won 2nd place in the Night Photography category. In Photo Nights Boston’s “Photorama” his photography won 1st place. His work was also chosen to exhibit in the Danforth Museum’s “Photography Biennial” and at the Cape Cod Art Association’s “All New England”, where he was awarded Best of Show.
On the Vineyard, Bob shows his work at The Granary Gallery, where he had an opening this past August. His photos were also exhibited in the Cape Cod Art Association’s “The Solo Show”. He has also exhibited work from his series "Between Night and Day" at the Davis Orton Gallery in Hudson NY in a two person show with photographer Stephen DiRado. He was awarded a solo show of the series at the South Shore Art Center in Cohasset MA and in March 2013 he was the Featured Artist on the Photographic Resource Center, Boston's website PRCNEO.
His work is in the collection of The Boston Athenaeum and the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital’s permanent art collection.
Bob is a juried member of the Cape Cod Art Association and the South Shore Art Center in Cohasset, Ma.
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