As photographer David Ashman strolled around a graveyard in Scotland, he was struck with a feeling of serenity. He knew how to respond ? with the click of the shutter.
Lying on the ground, Ashman shot black and white photos of graves. Taken from this angle, the photos appear to be from the perspective of a corpse peering up from below.
Ashman?s collection is part of an upcoming Still Frame exhibit at the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts that features three local photographers. Titled “Eternal View: 19th Century Gravestones,” Ashman?s series is intended to generate appreciation for old objects, he said.
“A lot of times we as modern-day humans are quick to tear down old things and the new things aren?t as robust as meaningful as old things,” Ashman said.
Instead of using high-tech cameras, he refurbishes vintage photographic equipment to take photos.
Another collection in the exhibit, “Imagined Ancestors” by Janet Maher, includes photographs that have been digitally enhanced or sewn to other items.
Maher discovered sepia-toned faded photos from the 1800s in an antique store. She scanned the images and manipulated them in Photoshop, coloring them and layering them into collages.
“I get very attached to family photos,” she said. “I felt like I was kind of rescuing those photos and bringing those people back to life in a different way, bringing them into the present.”
After the images were printed, Maher drew on them with colored pencils or painted them before adding hand-crocheted family heirloom lace.
The final artist in the exhibit, Carolyn Russell, who writes stories on top of her photos, provides balance between the other two artists. Russell uses found objects ? such as books, wires and chunks of metal ? and attaches them to the photo or mat.
“It?s a metaphor for how I?m sorting through the layers of my life to find meaning,” she said. “When all this jumble comes together it forms a whole different narrative. It forms a life of its own.”
IF YOU GO
Eternal View: 19th-century Gravestones
» Venue: Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, 801 Chase St., Annapolis
» Opening reception: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday
» Times: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, through Feb. 9
» Cost: Free
» More info: www.marylandhall.org
