... in the eye of the beholder
Photographic exhibition in the Cultural Center Red Sea, Hurghada (Egypt)
from 3 to 17 May 2018
by Wolfgang Prante (black/white) and Sabine Stollberger (colour photos)
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About his exhibition
Desert photography may be rather polarizing. What some people perceive as a trivial photo of rocks, stones, sand and a plant here and there, may be a unique and artistic composition of light, place, objects and shapes to others. Of shapes such as lines, zigzags, triangles, curves, circles, arcs, and spirals.
As visual perception varies so much with the individual, we gave this exhibition the title ´... in the eyes of the beholder´ and referred to the physical location of our shootings, ´the Great Eastern Arabian Desert near Hurghada´, only as a subtitle.
We, that is Wolfgang Prante, former UN employee and husband of a teacher at the German School of Hurghada, and Sabine Stollberger, a teacher at the same school. What unites us is our love for the desert, the ambition to turn visual impressions during our excursions into photographs and to share what so much overwhelms us with our family, with friends and with other people interested in photography.
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The many contrasts between us two hobby-photographers could not be more pronounced than with respect to the photo equipment used as well as the type and amount of post-production efforts. While Sabine uses a simple fixed-optics iPhone and only occasionally edits her photos slightly, Wolfgang uses DSRL (digital single-lens) cameras, a variety of zoom lenses and he engages in some post-production efforts, including turning every worthwhile shot into a black and white photo.
In the exhibition in the Cultural Center Red Sea, the concept of noticeable contrast is being extended to the way the pictures are presented, i. e. as an alternation of black/white and color photography, thus allowing the viewer a direct, side-by-side comparison between the specific aesthetics of black/white versus color photography. Some visitors may also note a difference in what a woman´s and a man´s eye found worth photographing.
All photos in the exhibition have been shot in a radius of less than 60 km from Hurghada. In conversations with colleagues, friends and acquaintances here in Hurghada we gained the impression that only a few of them know or cherish the great treasure which lies in the vicinity/hinterland of Hurghada, i. e. the easternmost part of the Great Eastern Arabic Desert.
It would very much please us if, through this exhibition and the photographic eyes of two foreign hobby-photographers, we could arouse the vistitors´ interest in the desert´s unique beauty in terms of lights and shapes and thus to acquaint them and their beloved ones with a plethora of unique places of silence, spirituality and environmental aesthetics.
Acknowledgements:
We thank the Cultural Center Red Sea for its generous offer of hosting this exhibition and for providing us with any assistance this required - from invaluable initial advice to looking after the publicity for the event to sponsoring and organizing the Vernissage.
Art & Work ventured into uncharted waters by producing custom-built gallery frames for our pictures.
Beduin Life Camp and Safari provided transport and excellent guidance to and knowledge about the locations of our photo-shootings.