“Ozark Landscape and Nature Photography”

West Plains Council on the Arts (WPCA) will host an exhibition of works by local photographer Carr Ward, entitled “Ozark Landscape and Nature Photography.” The exhibit will be displayed at the Gallery at the Center, West Plains Civic Center from September 12 through October 17, 2021. The pieces will highlight the Ozarks Studies Symposium theme, “Creation in the Ozarks.”  The Gallery, on the mezzanine, is open to the public during regular Civic Center hours.

Dennis Crider says, “Carr Ward has quickly become one of my favorite photographers, and he is what you might call ‘the new kid on the block,’ because I don’t believe he has been at it very long. But in this short time, he has produced some images that make old timers like me take notice. One look at his images and you ask, ‘how did he do that?’ He takes his editing skills to a different dimension, and he is very good at what he does. He has perfected the Orton Effect which gives the final image a soft and dreamy look. No doubt he is armed with state-of-the-art equipment, and he possesses a great work ethic because he gets out to his waterfalls long before the sun gets up. But better yet, he has the eye that is necessary to produce such great work.”

Carr Ward is a landscape and nature photographer living in West Plains, MO. He began his serious photography pursuit eleven years ago while working construction on the road. As a kid he was always interested in art through drawing and sometimes taking pictures. Ward loved taking photos even before it was popular to post on social media, but his passion for photography came by accident or possibly divine providence.

Ward says, “I had just purchased my first digital camera the day before my third child was born so I could photograph the birth. That very day after her birth I was out in the hospital’s flower beds taking pictures of their flowers. I had had a 35mm camera and used it a lot during my time in the Navy, but after shooting with the digital camera and instantly being able to see what I was doing, I was hooked. I began looking at the work of professional photographers and my desire to shoot like them is what has driven me to where I am today… that and my faith in God. I love being in nature and photographing in ways that capture how I see things around me. I love looking for compositions that are naturally there, bringing all the elements around the subject into one photo.”

For his landscape images Ward uses a Canon 5DS R with a 16-35mm lens. For all other shots – the Canon 5D Mark IV with the following lenses – 180mm macro, 100mm macro, 70-200mm, 24-70mm, Feisol tripod and all photos are processed in Photoshop CC.

Email:  carrwardphotography@yahoo.com

Website: www.carrwardphotography.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/carrwardphotography

WPCA will host the Opening Reception for the Ozarks Studies Symposium from 5:30-7:00 p.m., Thursday, September 23, in the Gallery at the Center. Carr Ward’s exhibit will be featured. All are invited to attend, meet the artist, and discuss the pieces.  The exhibit is co-sponsored by the West Plains Civic Center and West Plains Council on the Arts, with partial funding provided by Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.

A virtual tour of the current exhibit is available here.