Seeing the World New – Fine Art Photography Changes the View

By Claire Larrabee

I love fine art photography because it keeps me in touch with the wonders of the world. As I go about daily life, it becomes all too easy to zone out and stop seeing what’s around me. In my case, the old saying “familiarity breeds contempt,” gets turned into “familiarity breeds oblivion.”

I find fine art photography helps me re-engage to see landscapes, animals, objects, and people in a new light. There are many reasons to bring fine art photography into our homes. It helps us discover something fresh in everyday things, like a crow sitting on a branch or the clouds passing overhead. It enables ephemeral, momentary sights – a crashing wave or a bolt of lightning – to become a permanent part of our lives. And it lets us experience different times and places, such as the watery world of penguins.

Oh, the Places You Can Go

Wouldn’t it be lovely to have all the time and money in the world to jet off whenever you wanted to see the great sights of the world? Unfortunately, that’s pretty much reserved for the one-percenters among us. One of the great values of art photography is that it lets us travel the world without leaving home. Ted Tatarzyn is a true master at transporting us to other worlds, such as Antarctica. Ted took over 8,000 photographs to capture the grandeur of the landscape and the hardy animals that make this frozen land their home.

Ted Tatarzyn takes the visual pulse of the world with his keen, penetrating photography. Winner of the International Print Club Competition "Color Print of the Year" he has explored all 50 states and seven continents, camera in hand.
Ted Tatarzyn has traveled all seven continents to develop his collection of exquisite landscape and travel photographs, wildlife portraits, coral reef images, and beachscapes. From Antarctica to Indonesia, Brazil to Venezuela, the Coliseum in Rome to the South African plains, he has taken the visual pulse of the world with his keen, penetrating photography. Tatarzyn's 30 years of experience and nature-based view of the earth have given him insight into other cultures and traditions. "Blue Ice and Fog", Antarctic trip, another of Nature's many designs of blue ice bathed in sunshine backed by a low hanging fog bank. 36"w x 24"h framed.

Imagine being transported to the strange world of Antarctic ice and snow from the comfort of your couch.
Top: Ice Arrow. Bottom: Blue Ice and Fog

From the Miniscule to the Monumental

Here in New England, abundant rain and a mild climate lead to a lush, plant-filled environment for much of the year. Sometimes, it’s easy to take all the greenery for granted – and even wish a plant would go away, like that naughty dandelion in the lawn. Joerg Meissner’s close-up photography reminds us each plant is a miracle as he uses his skills to reveal the minute, complex structure of a fern’s leaf or a tree’s bark.

Fiddle Leaf Fig, Tower Botanical Garden

Whirlpool, Arizona

Visiting the Past

Sarah Blodgett uses the modern technology of photography to take us into the past. She likes to use her camera to remind us of life before we could endlessly snap pics with a tap on our phones. There is something ironic in Sarah’s use of modern digital photography to render images akin to those of the 16th century Dutch still life masters. Her still life photos link us to the past, asking us to think about a time when only painters could preserve and share images of the world’s wonders.


Sarah Blodgett uses photography to render the quiet stillness of 16th century Dutch painting.

Capturing Life in Motion

Perhaps one of the greatest values of photography is its ability to preserve the momentary. Photographs let us keep forever the joy of a child skipping through a sprinkler in the summer’s heat or the majesty of an eagle soaring overhead. Of course, easier said than done. I know my photographic attempts at capturing the world in motion more often end up a blur than a thing of beauty.

For David Sieczkiewicz, the fast-moving nature of the world apparently presents no problem. One of his photographic specialties is capturing the power and magnificence of water. I can just feel the massive power of the ocean about to descend upon me when I look at his wave photographs. And I fear for the surfer as he rides a wave many times his height. I have a feeling David must spend a lot of time under water to achieve these amazing images!


David Sieczkiewicz is a master at capturing the ever-changing power and drama of the ocean in his photographs.

Paradise City Arts Festivals Artists

Ted Tatarzyn, Joerg Meissner, Sarah Blodgett, and David Sieczkiewicz will all be showing at the fall Paradise City Arts Festivals in October or November. If you’d like to see more of their fine art photography – and perhaps bring home an image that speaks to you, mark your calendars now for the upcoming shows. The October festival takes place October 6-8 at the Three County Fairgrounds, 54 Old Ferry Road, Northampton, MA. The November show will be November 16-18 at the Royal Plaza Trade Center, Marlborough, MA.