Three Sisters photographers exhibiting in the library

Three Sisters area photographers have their works on display at Sisters Library through the end of this month.

Curtiss Abbott, a member of the Sisters Area Photography Club (http://www.sistersphotoclub.smugmug.com), discovered a steam tractor in Virginia City, Montana, where the state of Montana collects, stores and displays historical objects (including buildings).

Curtiss says, "I found the steam tractor in a storage area crowded with a myriad of items. It was a cold morning (22 degrees) with heavy, snow laden skies. The subdued lighting and grey sky added to the drama of the photograph."

Curtiss has three of his prints on display. All were scanned from original 33mm slides. He enjoys capturing all kinds of images, but his favorites are landscapes and people. His mentors are nationally known landscape, wildlife and photojournalism photographers. Curtiss and his wife Jessie-Lea reside at Black Butte Ranch.

Like most photographers, he uses computer applications to enhance and improve his images.

"In Photoshop, the first tool I always use is 'crop,'" Curtiss says. "It's much more powerful than most people give it credit for. The second in my normal workflow is 'curves,' which is a kind and gentle approach to adding a little contrast. Then I finish with adding a little saturation. That's usually all I do. There's some adjustment in the scanning, but not much."

Tom Davis, another of the three photographers, has a passion for photographing nature and natural patterns.

"I'm driven by the complexities and beauty of fish, water and the natural features of watersheds," he says.

For the past 45 years, Tom has photographed wildlands, wild rivers and wildlife with emphasis on Oregon, Idaho, Alaska and the Southwest.

Those who know Brent McGregor - either by his art, or personally - know that it is a bit of an understatement to say he has spent considerable time photographing the Oregon Cascades, and many isolated parts of the state.

Brent is currently working on a project photographing the caves of Oregon. Brent was awarded photographer of the year honors twice at the Cascades Camera Club, supplies images to local magazines and newspapers, and conducts four photo workshops a year.

Of his print of the Borax Hot Springs, Brent says, "One of the key players of our Eastern Oregon landscape encompasses the great expanse of land around the Steens Mountains and the area far below the eastern flanks of the Steens known as the Alvord Desert. The playa is a photographer's dream, surrounded by miles of repeating cracks in the dried mud which sets the stage for the big-sky sunsets and vivid colors in the sky any direction one points their camera. A few miles to the south lie the Borax Hot Springs; a chain of Yellowstone-like bubbling pools of hot water encased with white mineralized borders."

He went on to explain his choice for the photo: "I targeted one of the smaller pools because of the shape and color, and got down ground level to fill the foreground with the spring. An interesting cloud filled the sky, bubbles could

be seen rising to the surface, and the pool was well framed; I was left feeling I captured the sense of place in one of Oregon's outback treasures."

Get on down to the library and soak up the fine art of these three Sisters photographers, you have only to the first week in January.

(Correction: Abbott very seldom uses Photoshop at all. Quotes attributed to him regarding Photoshop were actually from fellow exhibitor Tom Davis. Note: Tom Davis explains the use of Photoshop in Letters to the Editor, 12/29/2010. )