Photography From A Different Angle

By John Stran

The Soap Gallery will host an art show in honor of three photographers from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday. The event, Shutter, will feature local photographers Ron Cabuno, Paul Grilli and Stephen Poullas.

Poullas, owner of the Soap Gallery, said they try to host an art show at least once a year. Poullas said the two other artists in this show are known for their body of work and unique style.

The upcoming photography show is Cabuno’s first. He calls his photography a form of abstract documenting.

“Nothing is above or below being worthy of documenting,” Cabuno said. “For me, it’s all about capturing the feel of an environment.”

Photographs produced by Ron Cabune.

Reactions to Cabuno’s works depend on whether they are coming from someone from the arts community or from the general population. He said someone with a background in photography may appreciate the peculiarity of his photos more than those who don’t.

When people look at Cabuno’s photography, he hopes people have a new approach to how they view life and to understand beauty can be found everywhere.

“Everything is worth another look,” Cabuno said. “There are so many things to look at and it’s my job to dissect a landscape and choose a piece that best tells a story.”

Grilli said he also likes to document with his photography, but his photos consist mostly of dilapidated steel mills.

He has social media pages and a website devoted to these mills titled, “The Rust Jungle.” On the website, Grilli captures different rustic factories with his photographs and writes pieces about the purpose a building used to hold.

“I’ve been doing this type of photography for about 15 years,” Grilli said. “I like the idea of creating a visual record of these buildings that were once so useful.”

Grilli said these photographs made him realize no matter how grand something is or once was, it may not always be there. When photographing these steel mills, Grilli said he sometimes feels more like an archaeologist than a photographer.

The photographs tend to draw up different reactions for different generations, young and old, Grilli said.

“If it’s an older generation, they remember when a steel mill was up and running and may have even worked there, so they tend to reminisce more,” Grilli said.

Grilli said younger generations react more to the quality of the photo and wonder how he got access into these places.

Poullas said he wants to tell a story with his photography and prove his photos are non-generic.

“I love photography as a storytelling medium,” Poullas said. “I hate stock photography and I hope that the people who come to the show leave thinking that the photos were unique and they appreciated them.”

The exhibit will be on display until Oct. 27. Prints of the photographs will be available on the web for sale after the opening, and originals will be for sale throughout the month at the gallery.