By the Johnsonville Press Editorial Staff

Andrew Darlow knew he wanted to be a photographer since high school when he spent time living in Japan.  Being away from home, he quickly found that taking pictures of places, people and things (most notably every meal his host-mother prepared) was the ideal way to convey the experience of living in a far-away place.

It was this early experience with what Andrew refers to as his favorite form of storytelling that sparked his illustrious career as a photographer, author, and digital imaging consultant.

On Saturday, Mr. Darlow gave a free lecture to a small crowd at the Alfa Art Gallery, located on the ground floor of 108 Church Street in downtown New Brunswick.  During the talk and question-and-answer period that followed, he openly shared advice and techniques with several amateur photographers in attendance, while discussing the relevance of some of his latest work, an exhibition entitled “GRANDmarks – NYC,” which is currently on display at Alfa Art Gallery.

The exhibit is free, and on display through this Wednesday, April 15.  All of the photographs exhibited were taken by Mr. Darlow while walking or driving through New York City with a variety of different camera and lens combinations.  The pictures were printed on a variety of different mediums, ranging from large artists’ canvases, watercolor paper, and fiber gloss/semi-gloss papers.

Mr. Darlow was kind enough to provide us with a copy of one of his exhibited photographs, and our staff would also like to thank Assistant Director Galina Kourteva for permitting us to take several pictures of the displayed prints for publication, but these images pale in comparison to standing in front of the original prints.  In a time where Facebook and Flicker have pushed photography onto the computer screen, we occasionally forget that photography was once practiced in dark rooms with ink and paper; but when confronted with a near life-sized portrait of the Chrysler Building, the difference is immediately obvious.

The juxtaposition between the prominently defined features of New York’s skyscrapers and the ghostly image of background structures can only fully be appreciated when viewed in concrete medium from up-close, and Mr. Darlow has spent a large amount of time perfecting the editing and printing techniques that allow his art to achieve this iconic status.  We would certainly encourage anyone with free time in the next two days to check out this exhibit.  Leave for that class on Douglass twenty minutes early, and stroll on down to the Alfa Art Gallery, where the viewing is free.  Whether you’re interested in photography or not, the pictures provide a unique look at one of the area’s most often-photographed cities, and for that reason alone, this artist’s show is worth a serious look. The onetime exhibition will be closing after this Wednesday, so time is of the essence; check it out while you still can.

Andrew Darlow, NYC 002 (Radio City Music Hall), Pigment inkjet print, courtesy Alfa Art Gallery