Not From Around Here – Digital Images by Judy Graham
Judy enjoys photography of stark and dramatic landscapes. Her presentation is of photos she’s taken of the American Southwest, Iceland and Patagonia.
Biography
Armed with an $85 instamatic camera, in 1992 Judy made her first trip to the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley. Judy was drawn to the region by the fascinating geology and was mesmerized looking out over these unworldly places. She took a hundred pictures or more. As soon as she got home she had her film developed hoping she might have captured the sights as they appeared to her standing there. But alas Judy had nothing more then what she now calls “calendar shots” or even worse.
A few more trips, including two rafting trips down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, and hundreds more photos proved to Judy that photography was about more than spectacular scenery.
In 2002 Judy enrolled in her first photography workshop through the Grand Canyon Field Institute. It was a chance to combine her love of the canyon with taking better photos. Since then she has been privileged to photograph some incredible places. She has hiked and hauled her camera gear to many locations which are unlike any place else on this planet and some few will ever see except in photos. And it has been well worth it. Hopefully you will agree when you view Judy’s images from “Not From Around Here”.
About Judy … she has lived in Washington, D.C. area all but one year of her life and the summer of 2010 when Judy lived in Page, Arizona working for Overland Canyon Tours. She guided photographers from all over the world in slot canyons and to remote jewels of the southwest. Several of her photos have been featured on the front and back covers and the pages in between of Gateway to Canyon Country, a magazine distributed in northern Arizona to tourists who pass through the region.
Judy joined NVPS in January 2011 with the goal of meeting local photographers, doing more local photography, and learning more about the art of photography. While she remains primarily drawn to stark dramatic landscapes, she’s learning to appreciate photographing what’s in her own backyard, especially if it’s a chance to do so with one of her many new friends.
Judy currently shoots with a Canon 5D MKIII and she never goes anywhere without her trusty tripod. As for future plans, a two week southwestern trip is in the planning stages for early October and she’s signed on for a trip to Greenland in August 2018.
Prints by George (Butch) Karamarkovich
Although Butch had photography interests when he was a teenager, his first experience with a 35mm camera was assisting his college yearbook editor by photographing some of his fellow athletes. After graduating from college and becoming a Marine Aviator, his first tactical assignment was as a helicopter pilot in the Republic of Vietnam, and it was during this assignment that he bought his first Nikon camera at China Beach. During subsequent tours in the Far East, Butch and his fellow helicopter pilots took their cameras with them to every port taking photographs on black and white negatives. They developed their own negatives and used the dark room aboard the aircraft carrier to print their photographs. The passion was there, but, as Butch became more senior in the military and his schedule less flexible, his photography was limited to his family gatherings. After retiring from the military, he worked for a decade in the civilian sector and is currently a consultant. Eventually the allure of photography returned to the forefront. He recognized the world of photography had changed and digital photography had become the new standard. With research, Butch stepped through the door toward his former passion and purchased a Nikon digital camera and Photoshop CS5 and entered into today’s world of photography.
The focus of attention of Butch’s photography still includes his family but a large measure of his effort is shooting wildlife, particularly things that fly. He can be seen at athletic events in Grand Rapids, Michigan area where his three grandsons participate in athletic events. A proud grandfather, he suffers from Elephant Head because of the athletic excellence his grandsons have demonstrated where he has digitally captured their performances. However, when the grandsons are not center stage, he takes advantage of the nature in Michigan with day trips to different locations. Additionally, he has his photographic gear with him during all visits to National Parks, and the Northern Virginia area is his photographic landscape when he is not on the road. He travels south several time a year and a number of the photographs that have made the ribbon list at the NVPS competitions have been taken in Florida. Gatorland, near Orlando, is by far his favorite haunt but he has made many day trips in Florida in an attempt to capture that winning photograph.
Although keenly interested in taking better photographs, it was Ceasar Sharper he met by coincidence at the Accotink Reservoir at Fort Belvoir who convinced Butch to attend an NVPS meeting. This consequential encounter was the occasion that opened the opportunity to elevate Butch’s photography. He has been a member of NVPS since 2012. The majority of the photographs on display are submissions during the nine months of the year that NVPS conducts competitions. The camaraderie of the members of NVPS, the Judge’s comments at competitions, and the weekly briefings have made a significant difference in the development of Butch’s photographic endeavors. Butch’s future photographic goals are to remain an NVPS member and continue chasing creatures that fly.
Butch’s presentation is called “NVPS Experience.”
