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Photo exhibit at HACC's Gettysburg Campus features works from five local photographers

"Ferris Wheel" John Lauritsen
Nov. 9, 2009
Gettysburg – “Local Photographers: Impressions & Observations” is an exhibit featuring images of rodeo action, community theater actors, Adams County barns, landscapes, botanicals and florals by five local photographers. It is currently on display through Dec. 18 at the Gettysburg Campus of HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, 731 Old Harrisburg Road. Featured photographers include Ron Harris, John Lauritsen, Dan Mangan, Casey Martin and Ruth Sullivan.
 The exhibit is open to the community and can be viewed Monday through Thursday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Fridays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.  For more information call HACC Gettysburg Campus at 337-3855 x 3029.
 
Ron Harris
Ron Harris has chosen “Theater People – The Actor” as the theme for his exhibit. Harris, who is a community theater actor himself, explains that “An actor is an individual who loses himself/herself in the life of another. The excitement of knowing what happens next satisfies the need for control over one’s life that does not exist in the real world. This excitement is lived from moment to moment and shared with those watching – the audience.”
Harris says that his theater photos “capture the moments of loss and control of a life in time created on stage. Look, observe, and sense the creation.” Photos in his exhibit include actors in character and costume for various productions including “Broadway Bound,” “Sunshine Boys” and “Anything Goes.”   
Harris, a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, is the head of rh Productions which provides still photography and film services for commercials, special events and documentaries. He is also the mayor of Carroll Valley Borough and a part-time computer instructor at HACC Gettysburg Campus. 
 
John Lauritsen
John Lauritsen was born and raised in Gettysburg and developed an interest in photography while he was in high school. In college, he continued his studies in photography and multimedia design and now works as a freelance graphic designer and photographer in Elkton, Maryland.
“I love to study how light and the natural elements of this world interact with each other,” says Lauritsen. “I love the interesting colors and textures that Mother Nature produces and I try to photograph them in an abstract way. When shooting a landscape I want my pictures to tell a story or evoke a feeling. I also photograph in a studio setting where I can experiment with shadows and reflections. Whether outdoors photographing nature or inside working with lights, I strive to show pattern, movement and color in a unique way.”
Lauritsen’s photography has won several awards, including honorable mention in an international competition with Kodak International Newspaper Snapshot Awards (K.I.N.S.A.). His exhibit at HACC includes images of a Ferris wheel, the angled wooden supports of a fishing pier, and a glowing sunset pictured from the underside of a Queen Ann’s Lace flower.
 
Dan Mangan
“My goal is to create distinctive art through digital photographic and imaging processes,” says digital photographic artist Dan Mangan. “My aim with much of my work is to blur the line between photography and painting, blending form, light, and shadow into an uncommon artistic expression. The shutter’s click is only the beginning of a process; the art is built by subtle increments on the platform of the original exposure, much as a painter uses a palette, and often requires hours of refinement.”
“My eye is drawn to line and form, geometric balance, color, and especially the nuances of light and shadow,” says Mangan. “Through the creative process, I strive always to remain essentially true to the original exposure.” His exhibit at HACC includes fascinating images of botanicals, florals and landscapes and he hopes “that others viewing my work will see a rich window on not only my world, but theirs as well.” 
A native of Washington, D.C., Mangan has lived most of his adult life in Adams County.
Now retired from communications, editing and public affairs, he has for some years been pursuing a second career as a digital photographic artist. His work has received recognition through a number of juried shows and awards, including Adams County Arts Council juried art shows. “Road to Deep Time,” which is featured in the HACC exhibit, was chosen for inclusion in the prestigious Art of the State: Pennsylvania 2008. 
 
"Mutton Bustin'" - Casey MartinCasey Martin
Gettysburg resident and emerging photographer Casey Martin says that in his exhibit at HACC “I have attempted to portray an invigorating view of the American sport of rodeo.” Martin’s father operates a rodeo company, and Martin says that rodeo has been a large part of his life. 
“As a professional rodeo competitor myself, I have traveled all over the country competing in the steer wrestling event,” he says. “I carry my camera along with me on my travels to capture other contestants in action and behind the scenes. These images explore the intense yet graceful interactions that take place between the cowboys and animals in the arena.”
Martin’s pictures at HACC depict “a few of the traditional competitive events including bareback riding, bronc riding, and – what has become almost commonplace at any rodeo – the kids’ Mutton Bustin” competition, he says.
Martin has also photographed well-known American sites such the Gettysburg National Military Park, and his latest work includes a collection of monumental images from Europe. He has been slected to four juried exhibitions within the past two years, including the Adams County Arts Council’s 2007 juried art show and the 75th Annual Photographic Salon at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts in Hagerstown, MD. One of his rodeo photographs was juried into the Pennsylvania Art of the State Fine Art Exhibition in 2006.
 
Ruth Sullivan
Ruth Sullivan loves barns, and she spent six months photographing barn details to complete a photo collage, “Adams County Barn Quilt,” which hangs in her exhibit at HACC. She also exhibits her photograph of an historical Adams County barn, “Grey Ghost,” which won first prize last year in a local Barn Arts Exhibit.
Sullivan, a resident of New Oxford, has lived in Italy and Panama and has traveled to Germany, Ireland and Greece. She has been a photographer and freelance writer for the past 25 years. Her work has been published in local publications as well as Profiles Magazine and Cosmopolitan, and her photographs have been shown in local and regional juried art shows.
Sullivan is a member of the local Spirited Ladies group and sells her photos, cards and collages at the Spirited Ladies Shoppe in Gettysburg. She says that through her business, Spontaneous Images, she photographs “parties, head shots, animals, barns, houses, gardens, cars, boats, planes and, yes, trains.”
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