Black & White Photographs
At the First Parish Art Gallery, February 29, 2004 – April 16, 2004

Personal Statement: The Natural World

I have been a naturalist on my home turf ever since I was a child on the South Shore. My curiosity about nature led me through woods, cranberry bogs, salt marshes, and beaches. As an adult I now explore the woods, meadows, rivers, and ponds in the Metro West Boston area, and I take along my camera and tripod. I am especially interested in the many conservation areas in the towns west of Boston, for they are all wild and undisturbed. Best of all, they are accessible to the public. I have discovered that we have treasures to explore right in our own towns.

In order to have the best quality for my work I use a medium-format camera so that I can print negatives that have clarity and detail. I will go to conservation areas many times observing the light at different times of the day and different times of the year. It is important that my walks are done in solitude and silence so that I can fully observe the landscape and the changing conditions. Each time that I return to a particular landscape, it is different and fascinating to me.

I am concerned about real estate development in the Metro West area, with the cutting down of trees and constant building of houses. Our natural landscapes are disappearing. Once we lose this precious open space, it will be gone forever. My response is to seek out the remaining untouched areas and preserve them with my camera, for this contact with nature is essential to me.

-- Judith Canty

Brief Biographical Sketch:

Photographer Judith Canty of Wayland will be exhibiting her portfolio of landscape photographs entitled "The Natural World" at First Parish in Weston from February 29 until April 16, 2004. Ms. Canty has been photographing landscapes in Massachusetts and Maine for several years with a medium format camera. All the photographs are black and white silver prints.

Ms. Canty is a graduate of the photojournalism program at Ohio University. In addition, she graduated from Simmons College in Boston and also studied at the Maine Photographic Workshop. Her work has appeared in various publications such as The Boston Globe and The Christian Science Monitor. She is a member of the photo agency Stock, Boston and has exhibited her work in New York City and Boston. She is also a member of First Parish in Wayland.