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Show ' ' 1 ' Pi 11111 " " " 1 1 nmmi ...in m i i jimmmmmmm im wiiii mmmmmimmmmTW0mmmmm - . ae- . -y .... J ; tl fS j , - w 1 J- ' .4 i j . ' V-if- i ! ' V-.-" - - " i i I " -j! I I'. I ' 1 I i ' i t i: . i- r : TVl" i J ; f ' 1 - i - ? ; : ' a -v --n. " I " ' 'U " " v l --- - ' - - - -.--j-...:. A photograph by Kent Miles Photographer Kent Miles combines strong form with intangible mood by Nan Chalat Photographer Kent Miles claims that his first consideration con-sideration is composition. "I look for a graphic orientation, orien-tation, a solid design and then, beyond that, I try to achieve spontaneity and a sense of time," he said. So you might expect his exhibit in the Little Gallery at the Kimball Art Center to contain collection of abstract ab-stract photographs, "o? cold forms. But just the opposite : is true. It is an intangible mood created by the subject matter which first draws you to his work. Then you stand back and notice that the piece also has a strong design which is almost independent in-dependent of the subject matter. Take for instance his photograph of two children pulling sleds through a snowy forest. It looks like an illustration for a fairy tale with two small figures silhouetted against the huge snow-covered trees. But from a distance you are also attracted to the strong vertical ver-tical shapes bisected by the travelers. In his photograph of a swan, the form is more apparent but the feeling is still there. Even while photographing people on distant continents Miles manages to discipline his compositions so that the form gives viewers an extra dividend. In his current exhibit, Miles has included both color and black and white photographs. All but one were taken with his 35 mm Leica cameras, he said. "I prefer 35 mm to larger formats because of the mobility. It is hard to catch moods or a chance moment with large format equipment." equip-ment." For color he uses a Leica single lens reflex camera, Kodachrome 64 film and Type R prints. For black and white work he uses a Leica rangefinder camera, Tri X film and Zone 6 Brilliant paper for his prints. He also decided to present a variety of subjects, from portraits and scenery to interior in-terior shots. Among the por-taits por-taits is a shadowy closeup of Jeremy Irons as Hamlet, the Prince of Darkness. In another low light composition com-position Miles captured a tier of candles at Notre Dame Cathedral. Both show this artist's mastery of the medium by using the existing light to augment the mood of the composition. The photographs taken on the Pearl River in China and on the rainy streets of Paris are equally arresting for their unusual lighting. Miles has stretched the capabilities capa-bilities of his black and white film to capture a boat appearing out of the mist on the river near an isolated Chinese village. And by photographing Paris in the rain he has given a series of photographs a cohesive mood as if you can remem-. ber being there when they were taken. Miles emphasized that his photographs don't attempt to be anything but photographs. photo-graphs. They are not manipulated. "I am trying to take advantage of the medium's ability to show things as they are," he said. He draws upon inspiration from a large library of work by other photographers including in-cluding Henri Cartier Bresson, Richard Avedon, Irving Penn and Ernst Haas. "When you shoot pictures you must pull from within," he said. "I love looking at pictures, and then they become a part of me which I can draw on in my own work." Kent Miles studied photography photo-graphy at the Art Center Cen-ter College of Design in San Francisco. He is a freelance commercial photographer in Salt Lake City and his work has appeared on the cover of Utah Holiday. In addition to his work in photography, Kent Miles is a partner in American Courier Systems, a priority delivery service. His work will be on exhibit at the Kimball Art Center through June 28. |