TAWA at 45
The Exhibition
Donald Reichman
Moon Over Highfield Drive – Lee, MA
color photograph, 2022; 8.25″h x 14.75″w
Donald Reichman received his MS in computer science from the Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ. His emphasis was on theoretical computer science. He received his MA in teaching mathematics from Montclair State College, Montclair, NJ. He received his BS in pure mathematics from the State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY. Reichman studied photography at Mercer County College with Bill Barksdale and Peteris Krumins. He was a professor of math and computer science at Mercer County Community College, Trenton, NJ, teaching math and computer science to engineering and computer science majors. He has participated in a variety of exhibits through TAWA including “Eyes on Trenton” in 1980. His photograph was published in The New York Times as part of a review of the “Eyes on Trenton” exhibit.
“During the ‘70s and ‘80s, I, like almost every other photographer, made images with a 35mm camera. I used black and white film, developed the negatives, then printed the best images in a darkroom. The process involved spending hours at a time in this dark space moving prints from one caustic substance to another. By the ‘90s, digital photography had changed all that. What a relief it was to sit at a desk and edit an image without soaking your hands in chemicals. And we were free to take as many images as we wanted without worrying about the cost. The technical aspects of photography have changed quite dramatically, but the elements of color and composition have not changed. The photographer is still filling a rectangle with their choice of an image and still making changes to color and contrast just as they have always done, just not in the same way. All the images I’ve taken over the last ten years or so were taken with my smartphone while I was out for a walk or while riding my bike. My modest edits of the images attempt to highlight what I’ve seen. I do not use any special filters and try not to exaggerate the colors. I have always been primarily interested in shapes as they interact in a horizontal rectangular space. I am honored to participate in this exhibit celebrating the 45th anniversary of TAWA.”