I:Empire, a photographic countenance of the Inland Empire

Time:               Show opening and reception 6pm to 9pm on August 9th, Saturday.

Location:         Space Gallery, 250 West Second Street, Pomona, CA 91766

More Info:       The show runs from August 9th until September 6th.

Normally, I put stuff up here after an event that I took photos at.  Well, this is an upcoming event and I hope you can come have a look.  It is a group show featuring the work of:

Alexis Beltran

Allison Linder

Andrew K. Thompson

Carlos A. Garcia

Cesia Ortiz

Charles Dalton

Diana Prince

Diana Hernandez

Edward Lance Montgomery

Manny Tovey

Frederick J. Brashear Jr.

Jose Carreno

Kathy Miller Stewart

Kimberly Aguirre

La Mark Milan

Mayte Escobar

Michael Vollmer

Nancy Perry

Samuel Ramirez

Steve Beswick           

Tim Hicks

Victoria Banegas

Wendy Arreola

There is a Facebook event page that has more information.  The two prints that I have in the show are the following images below.  If you can make it, please do.  I think you’ll enjoy it.

“Katie’s Temperament was Obvious”

“Sialainie was Difficult to Read”

Thoughts on my Kinetic Ambiguity Project

Regarding the work, the easy answer is that I like it.  Others have told me the same.  But “like” does not make it art.  I am not trying to follow in the footsteps of Jackson Pollock with some sort of abstract expressionist photography.  It is just that I am very intrigued by visible light – especially freezing that moving light in order to observe it for one moment in a sort of stasis.  What you see in a photograph is visible moving light halted forever in that capture.  This Kinetic Ambiguity Project really emphasizes that.  And it has its own certain beauty in doing so with its texture, color and repetition.  The work here is new.  Older examples are on my web site.  I think I will continue to work on this project.  Enjoy.

South Hayward’s Holiday Bowl at the Space Gallery in Pomona

I went to an show opening at the Space Gallery in Pomona last Saturday – it just so happen to be the second Saturday of the month which is the Pomona Art Walk.  I have a lot of interest in the Space Gallery because I will be in a show there next month.  This current show is called Sign Geeks and basically it is a group of photographers who have a love for vintage neon signs and this is their work.  It just so happens that one of the photographers was working in the East Bay and captured the sign of the now closed Holiday Bowl.  I have many memories of that place – mostly good ones.  I spent some time hanging out there when I was in high school.  I had not known that it was closed.  Just seeing the picture brought back a flood of memories of Union City and South Hayward.  It has been a long time since I have been in the Bay Area.  I really need to get back up there.  Enjoy.

Independence Day

Four days ago we celebrated our nation’s birthday.  I took a picture.  Actually, I took a lot of pictures as I was experimenting with the light.  No tripod, no image stabilization, just free hand with a telephoto lens out to 300mm.  I knew I would have movement but that was the point – I approached this similar to my Kinetic Ambiguity Project.  And, of course, there is some post production going on to get the appearance that I want.  I liked this photo quite a bit.  Enjoy.

The Day Before Independence Day Photos

I am at a bit of a loss as to what to say about these photos taken on July 3rd, 2014.  Environmental still life is what I would call this.  But it does not need a name.

Clearly, you can see that there was a bit of post-production work going on.  This is my preferred rendering of the photographs that I create.  Enjoy.

…What will I do?

The ultimate goal is to be a working fine art photographer showing in all of those great places where they show work by great fine art photographers/visual artist like Cindy Sherman, Winni Wintermeyer, Lorna Simpson, Andreas Gursky, Carrie Mae Weems, Alex Prager, Dawoud Bey, Alec Soth, Haley Jane Samuelson, etc.  As I am working on getting from point “A” to point “B”, I’ll put in some work doing those other things I like doing so much – event and portrait/portfolio photography.  I think I’ll need a new web site as my art web site, Edward Lance Montgomery Photography, will not really be the right fit for an event and portrait photography business.  Well, there is much to do so I better get busy.  Just the same, I’m always open to that super awesome career falling into my lap (like working at the California Museumof Photography in Riverside or the Kopeikin Gallery in LA, for example).

So, Now That I have Graduated…

Back on Saturday, June 14^th 2014, I graduated from California State University, San Bernardino with a BA in studio art (photography) and a minor in business administration.  All that with honors, mind you.  I just love saying that.  The really cool thing that a friend pointed out to me was that back in 1980 on June 14^th, we (we went to high school together) graduated from James Logan High School – again on a Saturday.  There must be a meaning behind that.  Just the same, 34 years and I finally got my bachelor’s degree is a good thing.  Though I spent 20 years in the Army in the middle of those 34 years and a bunch of other stuff, I have always been going to school.  I think I have enough units for another degree if I really pushed it but I’m happy with what I have but now what?  Since one of those super awesome careers didn’t fall into my lap, I guess I need to create one on my own.  But I’m always open to one falling in my lap.