Monday, June 18, 2007
By LESLEY FARREY PACEY
Correspondent

AL.com link

    

Click image to View

FAIRHOPE--The Eastern Shore is a picturesque place of wildlife and family life. It is home to both alligators and dairy farms. It is a place of bay piers and pecan orchards.
Add the people of the Eastern Shore, captured in moments both mundane and magnificent, and you can expect an amazing collection of everyday images that paint a picture of a special place.
Sixty-five photographs have done just that in an exhibition at the Eastern Shore Art Center titled "A Day in the Life" on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay. The exhibit will hang through June 30, but photographs cataloging the show can be purchased at the art center for $25. "It is everyday scenes, but it is everyday scenes of a very unique place that we all call home," said Robin Fitzhugh, managing director of the Eastern Shore Art Center. "I think the project is special because Baldwin County is growing and changing so rapidly. I think it is important that we capture these moments in time because they disappear."
The project invited photographers to capture everyday life from Spanish Fort to Point Clear, Fitzhugh said.
"We did not want them to stage anything," she said.
So on Friday, April 13, professional, amateur and student photographers descended on the Eastern Shore to document the community. Together, they captured brilliant color as well as compelling black-and-white images creating a time capsule of life on the Eastern Shore.
"A lot of the photographs feature people, but a lot of the photographs are reflective of the beautiful place we live," Fitzhugh said.
The exhibit invites the viewer to see the familiar faces and places of the Eastern Shore like never before. In one stunning photograph, a newborn infant inhales its first breaths while jubilant family members and a longtime Fairhope obstetrician beam.
Another shot features dozens of children at J. Larry Newton School during field day. Physical education teacher Emily Pharez, recently named the best P.E. teacher in the nation, leads them in a routine on an outdoor stage.
Another picture shows a girl riding a bicycle under an oak at the historic Grand Hotel in Point Clear. A great blue heron munches a fresh catch in a nearby snapshot. Just a few photographs away, Fairhope City Councilwoman Debbie Quinn stands smiling in downtown Fairhope flanked by skateboarders leaping frozen in midair.
A massive alligator finds a fine perch in a marsh in another shot.
There are pictures of senior citizens engaged in exercise, a haircut at Ken and Vernon's barbershop, and a barbecue pork sandwich and fries at Original Ben Jr.'s Barbecue. Some pictures show locals sitting on benches at the Fairhope Pier, fishnets under repair at Fly Creek, and a grinning Barbara Stewart, also known as Fairhope's Tomato Lady. "We were so impressed with the work that we had a book made with the same title," said Fitzhugh, adding that the project may be repeated in the future. Proceeds from the book go to the art center. The city of Fairhope, the Fairhope Single Tax Colony, Gwin's Printing and RBC Centura Bank sponsored the book.
"The Eastern Shore Art Association has been a cornerstone of the Eastern Shore community for over 50 years, encouraging local residents to take part in the arts and inviting visitors to the area to sample some of the wonderful work produced by local artists," said Fitzhugh. "As supporters of the artistic heritage of this beautiful region, we are especially delighted to offer this photographic journal that will be a keepsake and memento of beautiful Baldwin County in all its diversity."
Kristy Johnson-Snell and Stephen Savage, both professional photographers with work in the exhibit, had a difficult time judging the show and weeding through the 600 photographs submitted for consideration. "It was a pain," said Johnson-Snell, who designed the book along with Rebekah Phillips. "We had over 38 photographers. Basically, we went through and looked at everyone's CDs and dug through them. We were looking for the best quality shots they had to offer and we were trying to keep a broad scope for the entire exhibit. We are very pleased with the finished project."
Ann Marie Coile and Kim Pearson also helped with the project, Johnson-Snell said.
"Kristy Johnson-Snell and Stephen Savage are both professional photographers so they were able to look at not only the subject matter but also the quality of the photography and the composition and what goes into unusually good photography," Fitzhugh said.
Savage said he is proud of the project and the people who participated in it.
"I think it is a terrific show," he said. "You can really tell the people who did the most planning."
Savage started planning two months before shooting his pictures during the 24-hour period on April 13. He captured several images in the exhibit including the photograph of the baby in the delivery room at Thomas Hospital. In the picture, Dr. Fred Diegmann hoists up baby Breyden while mother Mollie, grandmother Cathie and Barbara Price burst with joy.
"I am very proud of that moment," he said. "I was honored to be there."
Another one of Savage's photographs captures a fleeting image of a Fairhope fixture.
In the photograph, Sharon Davis stands in the foreground near her elderly father, Joseph "Joe" F. Fram Sr. A long-time resident of Fairhope, he and his late wife, Adele Fram, had owned and operated Fram's Southside Market for more than 35 years in Fairhope.
"The wonderful thing about this project is that Joseph Fram died a month later and because of this project, they have these photos," said Savage. Fram, 86, died May 15.