Luis Franco doesn’t travel to far away lands to shoot exotic things. He prefers to find beauty that others miss right in front of them.
His photos were selected to be displayed at the Gilroy City Hall through Feb. 28. Six artists each year are featured on a rotating basis.
“We began this program approximately three years ago in an effort to recognize and highlight our local artistic talent,” said Cathy Mirelez, the city’s recreation supervisor.
The 81-year-old Mexico native has no plans to stop documenting what he sees around him. He takes his camera when he takes his daily walks and usually finds an interesting photo subject.
“Anything I see, I shoot,” Franco said. “The flowers, they are so beautiful. They never say no. They move but that is OK. I try to look around from the top, back and sides and make selections. Sometimes people look, but they don’t see. I try to see what it is – not just the whole thing, but the parts of it.”
Nothing is too small and nothing escapes his notice. Recently he saw a pair of snails that appeared to be eating a worm. Snap.
“I didn’t know they were carnivores” he said.
He often photographs leaves and flowers in the confines of his own yard. One of his favorite photos in the exhibit is of a calla lilly as shadows passed over it.
“I really pay more attention to what I like,” Lopez said. “I like abstractions. I like lines and colors, and I try to make an arrangement. I see lines. Curved lines are so warm and straight lines are so sharp.”
It was only in the last three years that Franco somewhat reluctantly gave up his old film camera for a digital model. But even now, he still doesn’t have a computer. That hasn’t stopped him from creating eye-capturing, award winning photos.
He takes his card to CVS drugstore and gets 5×7 or 8×10 prints made and then he has them saved on a CD so he can view the images on his TV.
He still hasn’t learned all the features of the new camera yet but likes the auto-stabilizer function so he doesn’t have to carry around a tripod any more. Even though he can now instantly reshoot a photo, he admits his first one is still the one he usually chooses. He’s constantly working on composition.
Lopez has always had an appreciation for all mediums of art ever since taking classes at San Jose City College and still enjoys reading art books. His love of photography blossomed after he retired from IBM 22 years ago and moved to Gilroy. As one of the oldest members of the South Valley Photography Club that meets monthly in Morgan Hill, Lopez relishes the constructive criticism and comments he receives.
He has tried to incorporate his love of flowers with his love for outer space and astronomy, creating many interesting effects with his photos.
“I will take my camera to one of the nebulas in space,” he said jokingly. “Any place I go I have my camera with me.”
City Hall is located at 7351 Rosanna St. and is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The exhibit is between the Planning and Administration Departments.
