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LePage Photography:
New England Traditions

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The attached notes reference the 19 photographs submitted to this page (to post for display only purposes) from the collection of photography from WhiteTale Gallery, submitted by LePage Photography: New England Traditions.

Historic Waterfront

The New Bedford historic district located on the waterfront of the city, presents itself as an ideal setting for the docking of the Schooner Ernestina. The copper top of the Whaling Museum sits high above the skyline of the waterfront district, its characteristics symbolize the essence of life by the sea. New Bedford is historically recognized to be one with the sea.

Tall Ships & Architecture

It is exciting to see the return of tall ships to our waterfront harbor, it seems a natural setting for the display of large wooden ships and canvas sails pillowing with sea air. The opposite side of the harbor is just as beautiful, displaying the antique architecture of Main Street Fairhaven , Massachusetts. The tall ornamental brick buildings and white church steeples compliment the majestic display of the Unitarian Church tower.

The natural characteristics visible from within the New Bedford harbor challenge the best seacoast views of New England.

The buildings create picturesque seascapes complimented by the variety of ships frequenting the Harbor. If ever there was a perfect seaside harbor, it is definitely located between the town of Fairhaven and New Bedford, MA. I have spoken about this with many people who have left the area for business or school, upon their return the real beauty captured in the construction and preservation of our waterfront seems to be appreciated in a higher level.

Those are the features that capture my attention in photographing seascapes. I try to capture the true essence of New England in all climates. The images of a strong sunlight reflecting off of white canvas sails, mirrored on a blanket of ocean the ship glides across is magical. The mysterious presentation of a lighthouse fighting to display its rays of safety through an arresting seacoast summer fog , create quite a dramatic illustration of photography.

Friends of The Schooner Ernestina

Bluenose II

Bluenose II visited the New Bedford Harbor during summerfest 2000. It had departed the week prior from the docks of Newport, Rhode island. The presentation of this ship is nothing less than immaculate. The crew of this ship should be commended. Every inch of this ship glistens in the sunlight, from the shining decks to the mirror reflections off of their brass fixtures. This ship appears to have never touched saltwater. Anybody that is aware of the abuse the ocean places on these ships during their journeys would truly appreciate viewing the Bluenose II from Nova Scotia.

Harvey Gamage

The Harvey Gamage visited our seaport during the summer of 2000. This photograph depicts the ship docked in our harbor with the bow reflecting a mirror image in the water below.

Gazela Primeiro

The Gazela has visited our Harbor on numerous occasions, their crew is extremely outgoing and very informative. I had the opportunity to capture the ship in full sail last summer. I captured the captains silouhette as she passed the lighthouse creating an image of strong character. It was a classic opportunity to be seized.

Kruzenshtern

This was a most impressive ship to see sail into our Harbor, you had to wonder if she would fit through the hurricane gates. Enormous does not accurately describe the size of this ship. It absolutely dwarfed anything inside the harbor. It is the second largest tallship in the world. Our city officials especially Mayor Kalisz should be congratulated for facilitating their visit to our city. The turnout was tremendous and everybody that I spoke with seemed to enjoy the opportunity. Thanks for the experience.

Endeavor

The Endeavor was a featured presentation on A&E. This reproduction was done in classic style. The ship was magnificent, a joy to watch sail the waters of our harbor. It was an overcast day in 1998 when she departed our city and allowed the opportunity to be photographed. If you notice in the photograph the overcast climate creates a sort of gray and hazy tone creating a mysterious atmosphere to the print. This allows the details of the sails to have a dramatic presentation. The sagging sail at half mast and the pillow of the top sail create a strong image of character.

Bounty

The Bounty was created for film , Mutiny on the Bounty. This ship has unique character displayed in the fixtures that appear on the ship. It is a fun ship to watch sail. It has a dynamic presentation and recreates the past when she sails the ocean waters. It has recently been purchased by a businessman in Long Island, where she will undergoe a much needed restoration.

Illustrations of Intrigue

The photography I try to create captures a moment in time that illustrates a combination of light, sea and land creating intrigue to the audience. It is my goal to draw the audience deep into the photograph to absorb as many details visible. A photograph that creates enough intrigue creates a reaction by the viewer to study and observe every texture and tone represented in print. Textures, colors, shapes, lighting, weather conditions all factor into creating atmosphere in developing a scene. It is my objective to guide the viewer to observe the scene I am constructing in a way that I want it to be perceived from my point of view. There is a challenge of capturing a precise moment, in which a scene presents itself just the way you want it interpreted The photographer is trying to relay image and emotion to the audience by utilizing the perception of light and imagery.

New Bedford Characteristics

I seem to be intrigued with seacoast images. New Bedford is my home, I have always enjoyed our beaches and ocean coves. Once I began developing as a photographer it seemed only natural to follow the natural intuition of utilizing the surrounding areas & resources as my subjects. It is during this process I began to compare New Bedford to other seacoast towns throughout New England realizing the immense potential we have right here in our presence.

The characteristics of New Bedford are strong, they are found in our cobblestone streets, buildings constructed in hand carved sandstone with highlights of lighthouses and ocean waves, sailing ships and wooden barrels complimented by delicate details created by hand into carved stone ornamentation. New Bedfords characteristics are recognized throughout New England. Our impact on New England’s maritime culture can be traced to any seaport in New England. There is not one major seaport that is unfamiliar to New Bedfords place in history with the sea.

Artistic Inspirations

Duff Gallery

I have been a New Bedford resident all my life and have been inspired by a few of the area artists. Robert Duff of Duff Gallery has given me inspiration to photograph the beauty of the ocean and massive elegance of the tall ship in full sail. I admire his collection of work and strive to develop my photography to the level he has with his oil paintings. He has his own style of painting natural New England scenes, capturing the warmth in the colors carried across the sky, and the strength in the structure of sailing ships, he adds a touch of humanity to his paintings. He has raised my awareness in a number of ways to interpret natural seascapes capturing emotions by using my own style and composition of objects to create atmosphere.

Arthur Moniz

Arthur Moniz has created a unique style utilizing pen and ink sketches and watercolor paintings. His subjects are very complex sometimes and simply beautiful in others. His work has inspired me to develop my own style and feel comfortable in doing so. He is very talented and continues to develop his skills by trying new formats displaying his work.

Spinner Publications

Most recently Spinner publications has inspired my photography development. It is through the outstanding amatuer photography presented in there publication that I have acknowledged that talent can exist in the so called amatuer forum. The dramatic presentation of black and white photography by the area photographers depicted a real New Bedford as it was perceived by those who lived here. It was true in character, the whaling industry was not glamorous work, but beauty was present and it was an impressive display of workmanship.

The photography recorded the days events so vividly, when you walk the historic waterfront you can still feel the atmosphere of our seacoast lifestyle.

There is no substitute for reality! It is not staged or recreated to present itself otherwise, it is real. Joe Thomas has done an excellent job in facilitating a group of publications that will stand the test of time as "must have New England & local classics".

Art comes from within and the passion is the creation portrayed in the final piece. The two artists mentioned have had the most direct impact in my artistic development. There is a sense of community between artists who truly enjoy and love the subjects they create. These gentlemen are worthy of admiration as their work carries a sense of integrity and dignity.

Inspirations have been created by the countless writings of the following New England writers, Melville, Thoreau, Robert Frost, F.Douglas, Hawthorne and many others. Their passions were created by similar images of beauty. I collect the remnants of those original pieces for my WHITETALE Collection. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoy gathering them.

The Duff Gallery is located one block north of the Schooner Ernestina office. You can preview a sample of my work on the Schooner Ernestina Website. Information regarding an official gallery event in the Duff Gallery is being organized and is forthcoming. If you are ever in the area, please feel free to stop by and view the art on display there are a number of Galleries in the area.

 

The above describes the foundation of my approach to capture and illustrate photography that captures New England Tradition in the perspective of LePage Photography’s WhiteTale Collection (Dana Przybyszewski). Thank you for your support.

Please forward any comments to WHITETALE1@aol.com.

Regards,

Dana Przybyszewski

The images and text on this page are a presentation of LePage Photography: New England Traditions. All Rights Reserved.  

Copyright 1997-2001
Schooner Ernestina
New Bedford State Pier, P.O. Box 2010, New Bedford, MA 02741-2010
phone 508.992.4900 -- fax 508.984.7719
www.ernestina.org

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