Review

"Sprint Center," Digital Photograph.

Ryan Heffron

6 a.m-6 p.m.
(Christmas Eve hours)

Dunn Bros. Coffee
8975 Metcalf
Overland Park, KS
913.381.3030

Regular hours: 6 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, 7 a.m.-7 p.m Sunday.
(Closed Christmas, closed at 6 p.m. New Year's Eve)
Runs through: Dec. 31.

Artist's site: http://www.heffronphotography.com
Gallery site: http://www.dunnbros.com/locate_results.asp?location_id=69

So, yesterday, during a session of penultimate-minute Christmas errands, I ran into photographer Dan Smith and asked if he was still curating shows at the Overland Park location of Dunn Bros. Coffee.

He is, and he recommended that I run over and check out Ryan Heffron's work, which is on display through the end of the month.

"He's new," Dan said. "Let me know what you think."

First reaction? A lot of pretty scenery and recognizable architecture ... not a bad thing, by any measure, but typical of emerging photographers. (See the shot above, of Kansas City's Sprint Center.)

Second reaction? There was something more to many of the shots ... something that wasn't readily apparent but soon became so.

Third reaction? Heffron gives really good sky. (See also the shot above, of Kansas City's Sprint Center.)

It's all done with clicks and pixels now, but in printing from film negatives the technique is called a "burn" — overexposing one portion of the photo paper, to bring out details that would otherwise be hidden. And, yes, it was/is a common "trick" for making cloudscapes more dramatic.

Heffron uses the analogous digital technique to good effect in his work. In the Sprint Center shot, for example, he brings out not only the details of the clouds overhead but also those reflected in the building's windows (the pink on the horizon being an especially nice touch).

It will be interesting to see how Heffron continues to develop, as he expands his range of subjects and techniques. It wouldn't be right to hope for nothing but blue skies ahead, though ... not when he does clouds so well.

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