Stella & Al Gerk
What does it take to create a great photography? The right light, the right place, the right time makes for a great photograph – Right? Unfortunately not!
A good photograph may contain these attributes plus a lot of technical expertise but this alone does not help an image surpass the ordinary. A great photograph needs more; it has to touch the viewer. It has to invoke an emotion or a memory, a desire or sorrow. It has to be personal, tell a story. The more people react to it the more successful it is. Of the thousands and thousands of images a photographer may take, only a precious few may approach what it takes.
In the roll of Landscape Photographer Stella and Al have traveled the world looking for those “precious few”. We try to focus on creating collections of photographs that contribute to a theme or tell a story. It is not unusual for us in our gallery editions to group images from Ireland, Turkey, or even Laguna Beach on the same wall when we believe they speak together.
Al developed a passion for fine art photography in Graduate School where he had access to the best equipment and darkrooms available. Stella migrated from the UK to Australia as a young women and became active with a group of documentary photographers. Marriage, career and family then put a hold on artistic growth until their retirement ten years ago. Since then together they have been able to successfully pursue a second career in fine art photography. Early on they had prize winning submittals in contests and local county fairs and were awarded one man shows in Orange Coast College and the Donald Dugan Library. For the past five years they have been a permanent member of the Artist Eye Laguna Gallery and for several years have participated in the Laguna Beach Art-A-Fair Festival.
