Seeing the beauty in 2020

ART Space Ballarat’s second exhibitor, photographer Jen Findlay, recently opened her showing in the titled, Colours of Light.

Situated at the front of the Mining Exchange on Lydiard Street, Findlay said the exhibit focuses on shades of light found during dusk and dawn at iconic landscapes in and around Ballarat.

“The theme for all the images was 2020 and they were all taken locally, so the furthest ones would be in Grampians and Trentham Falls,” she said.

“I wanted to focus on colour and the pretty parts that people may have missed during the year.

“I do love long exposures, there’s a few of these shots that I used long exposure for… it’s more aesthetically pleasing focusing on the bright colours.”

As a self-taught hobby photographer, Ms Findlay said she has developed her skill and eye over time thanks to a lot of trial and error.

“I used a hybrid camera to start off with and gradually grew out of that and started playing around with the functions on the camera,” she said.

“I think about it beforehand and I try to be somewhere where I’m already going so if I’m already going for a run around the lake I’ll time it to finish around sunset and bring my camera.

“There’s not always coloured sunsets either so it’s a bit of luck and chance.”

In addition to her photography, Findlay is also a science teacher and said she loves having a creative outlet to channel her energy into outside of work.

“I still am a teacher but I balance it by killing two birds with one stone and organise to take photos when I go for a run or something else,” she said.

“There was a little bit more time this year with remote learning though to edit and think about things though and often I take photos before or after work or on my holidays.”

Having already sold several her photos and with plenty more still on offer, Ms Findlay said that the City-run Art Space program has already been a great way to get her work out to the public.

“This is my first exhibition and I haven’t sold anything before so I’m still learning,” she said.

“It’s a really great initiative from the council, so you apply online, there’s Art Space, Backspace and Unicorn Lane.

“I would hope for people to continue enjoying my photography and my goal is gain a bit more exposure.”

Visit the Findlay’s Art Space exhibit until 20 January, Wednesdays to Sundays from 11.30am to 2.00pm.