Photographs by Milton McLain and other photographers are on display at the Gallery at Blackwell.If you go
What: Photographic Society of Chattanooga winter showcase. When: 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday through Jan. 16. Where: Gallery at Blackwell, 71 Eastgate Loop. Contact: 894-7112. Cost: Free.
The theme for the Photographic Society of Chattanooga's winter showcase at the Gallery at Blackwell is "Member's Choice," meaning the photographs on display cover a wide range of subjects.
The society changes out the works quarterly and other themes might be nature, color or architecture, according to president Milton McClain. This exhibit of almost 60 photos represents works from a portion of the 175-member society.
"We are predominantly amateurs," McClain says, "though we do have some folks who do professional photography. They might do portraits or weddings, for example."
Among the photographers who have works on display are McLain and his wife, Mary, Janis Rowland, Russell Robards, Rosemary Williams, Pat Gordy, Wendell Gordy and Leslie O'Rear. Most have several pieces in the showcase. The photographs on display range in size from 8x10 inches to 16x20 inches.
Janis Rowland, a retired TVA employee and member of the society since 1975, has five photographs on display. They were taken at Parksville Lake near Benton, Tenn., on an early fall morning.
Milton McLain poses for a portrait at a Chattanooga Photographic Society gallery on the walls of the Lexus Automotive Center in Chattanooga."I'm not a nature photographer, really, I just shoot whatever looks good to me," she says.
McClain retired from banking and now spends much of his time taking pictures of nature and on his travel adventures.
The society, which began in 1952, maintains the gallery, which is at Blackwell Automotive near Eastgate Mall, and both Rowland and McClain say the space is a bonus for society members for several reasons.
"I think that it's very important for organizations to have various activities for their members to participate in," McCain says. "That gives an outlet for the members to show their work and a welcoming place for them to try out doing gallery showings of pictures."
He adds, "It's a little intimidating to put together a showing at a gallery that you are not a member of, and this gives them a chance to try it."
Rowland says it also encourages members to have photographs actually printed and framed, and it gives newer or less experienced members the opportunity to see quality work and to learn from them.
"When you start comparing your work to theirs, it makes them a better photographer," she says.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.