Jim Dusen, whose photos are currently on display, has been showing his work at Image City since 2007, when his first exhibit called The Wandering Eye was shown. He was delighted with the poster made for his show and refers to Image City Partner Betsy Phillips, when he says, “Betsy did a pretty cool design for that poster.”
Jim, who is from Batavia, NY, has an extensive background in his career as a photographer, including former past President at University Photographers Association of America, former Photo Services Manager Emeritus at SUNY Brockport, and former Graphic Designer/Photographer at Genesee Community College. Jim has received multiple national photography awards. He says he “was first in a darkroom in 1970 and that broadened my photo horizons several notches above snap shooting.” He adds that “all along the way my personal vision has been an important part of my life.” Because he finds interest “in all sorts of directions,” visitors to Image City have been able to see that reflected in the variety of images he has displayed throughout the past 16 years.
Jim’s current display is an assortment of photos rather than a strict theme; however, he says “the variety of these images do loosely complement each other.” Though Jim has created several theme-based shows, he says that because he has so many images, he also wants visitors to see some of those that have no visual connection to each other.
Jim’s favorite photo in this exhibit is called Touching Trees. The subject of the photo was found on a country road on which he and his wife occasionally drive. He says, “It’s mostly open farm land, but two large trees growing on either side of the road have always caught my attention. I like how they reach across the road to touch each other. Finally with my wife driving, I got out my iPhone 12 Pro, held it up to the windshield and kept shooting as we approached the trees. Back home I decided to do some alterations to contrast and color, which affected the mood of the scene.”
Due to health reasons, and not being able to wander much over the past year, most of the photos in Jim’s current display were shot years ago. He says, “It is good to search out older images to see what attracted me to them back then and what possibilities any might offer today.”
Jim has a process that works for him when he is deciding what to include in a display. He says that he usually starts a folder that includes print possibilities. Then he digs into past photo files to see what images make his eye stop for a bit.
He says that there are usually more than enough for the eight or ten prints to fit comfortably on the East Wall. Next, he starts to print some of them to see how they translate from the computer screen to a display print. From there he makes the final cut. Jim says, “Presenting an image as an exhibition quality print; matted and framed, brings that image to a higher level. Of course I appreciate having a venue open to the general public, but it’s also the partners who have made this a long-term positive experience for me. The gallery, and each of the partners, become my friends, and they are always a pleasure to be associated with.” Jim believes his enjoyment of the arts; painting and drawing in particular, have influenced his treatment of his final images.
For some time Jim’s goal was to teach studio art, but he says, “photography is what really grabbed me.” As SUNY Brockport’s University Photographer, it was important for Jim to present photos in a realistic way. For his own personal vision, Jim says he “often deviates from that to enhance a feeling beyond what was captured with the camera.” He hopes that this feeling rubs off a bit as the viewer stops for a minute to see his section of the gallery walls.
Stop by Image City to see Jim’s current exhibit, which will be on display until October 30, 2023. If you have questions or would like to leave a comment, please write it in the comment box below.