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Developing Majors: SAL Gallery Hosts Photographers

By Josie Rerecich

Copyeditor

Three senior photography majors each have a collection of their photos lining the SAL gallery’s walls. Jessica Ciminelli, Crystal Gonzalez and Chris McMullan had a reception for their work on Wednesday, Oct. 30.

Ciminelli’s collection “Out of Their Element” is a series of photos of sports and athletes, with a twist, “I photographed with different lightings, so it’s a little different from the usual field,” Ciminelli said. “I was an athlete myself in freshman year of college, so I feel the connection with athletes. I wanted to do something a little different than just shooting on the field, doing what they do.”

When she is not taking classes, Ciminelli works as an assistant manager at Baseball Heaven in Yaphank, where she shot her photos.

Gonzalez’s collection “Blooming Fantasies” portrays colorful images of flowers, but the colors in the photos do not match the colors of the actual flowers. “I had done a process called solarization where you invert the colors,” Gonzales said. “The colors take people to a different dimension.”

Like Ciminelli, Gonzalez works at Baseball Heaven as an editor and photographer.

McMullan’s collection “The Way I See” took an approach that differed from Ciminelli and Gonzalez. McMullan did not set up his subjects, he simply photographed them. “It’s a series of images of my everyday life,” McMullan said. “You can make beautiful artwork no matter where you are. I wasn’t searching for anything.”

Nikolas Kahl, an art education major and a friend of Gonzalez, attended the event. “To see it on the wall, it’s really awesome,” Kahl said.

Other visitors at the reception were there out of curiosity, like Gabby Carcamo, a photography major. “My professor told me about it,” Carcamo said. “I like the flowers.”

Allison Rufrano, a professor of photography, attended the reception as well. Rufrano had worked with Ciminelli, Gonzalez and McMullan. “I’m proud of all of them,” Rufrano said. “It’s a gift to work with these students, from their freshman year to this moment when they’re getting ready to graduate. I know they’ll go even further. They all worked really hard, and that’s what it takes.”

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