Library hosts photojournalism exhibit

WARWICK — The public is invited to view an extraordinary photojournalism exhibit in Warwick featuring the works of award-winning photographer Robert Demetry.

The exhibit, titled “Talking Pictures, 50 Years of Photojournalism,” is being held until Sunday, Dec. 30, in the lower level gallery of the Albert Wisner Public Library.

Many local residents know Demetry, who lives in Warwick with his wife, Joan, from his presence at numerous events from 1997 to 2002 when he worked part time as a freelance news reporter and photographer for the Warwick Valley Dispatch.

But what they may not know is that Demetry’s photographs have won international awards and more than 200 national and regional awards.

As an example, Demetry was one of only 15 grand prizewinners in the 1970 Second Annual Asahi Pentax World Photographic Competition. And out of the 213,000 entries he was one of the very few to win an all-expense paid trip to Japan to participate in the award ceremonies.

Demetry’s story-telling images have graced the pages of local and national newspapers and magazines including The Warwick Advertiser.

Learned from his father

His half-century career began as a youngster under the tutelage of his father, John Demetry, who was an aircraft riveter during World War II, but had taken photography lessons from the world famous photographer Adolph Fassbender.

Since then Robert Demetry has worked as a freelance photographer, public relations consultant, writer, chief-photographer, photographic instructor and contest judge.

In the Albert Wisner Library “Talking Pictures” exhibit, Demetry explained that he didn’t want to produce a “cookie-cutter” display where all the photos were surrounded by eclectic frames that were meant for paintings and not photographs.

“The theme that threads through my display,” he said, “is a potpourri of pictures of life itself - its beauty, its sadness, its people, its children, its landscapes - visual messages of subjects and objects that magnetized my mind into seeing and capturing that for others to see in a constantly changing world.”

‘Pure and simple’

Demetry stated that he wanted to create a collection of his best images presented in an exciting visual display of pictures with little words that actually “talk to you.” All of the photographs, he explained, are “pure” and without any image or color manipulation from modern day digital computer doctoring.

“Pure and simple,” he said, “you see what I saw as nearly as I could produce the image at that decisive moment the shutter was pressed for posterity.”

Both silver film and digital photographic images are shown in this exhibit.

“I am the first to admit that I have missed some tremendous photo opportunities in my lifetime,” said Demetry. “I believe that at those times God only wanted me to see and behold the beauty that was before me and not to communicate it to others via my photographic talents. It would be a little visual secret, so to speak, just between me and Him.”

Demetry can be contacted at 986-4704 or by e-mail at rjddailyplanet@gmail.com.