VENTURA, CA. Local photographer Adam Gerlach brings his exhibit The Space Between to the Visions Gallery at the Marriott Ventura Beach. The Space Between is a series of gelatin silver and large scale archival pigment prints that ruptures the surface of existence and transports the viewer to an ethereal dream, in which Gerlach explores the brighter and darker moments of life and the balance many seek to find between them. This exhibit will be on display Nov. 12, 2009 – January 16, 2010 with an artist reception on Nov. 12, from 5:00 – 7:30 p.m. The Visions Gallery is located in the lobby of the Marriott Ventura Beach at 2055 E. Harbor Blvd.

Working exclusively in black and white, Gerlach uses long exposures, traditional darkroom techniques, computer techniques, and light painting to enhance the glow of objects and increase the intensity of darker areas. Gerlach sculpts the image so that it more closely resembles what he sees in his own mind while taking the photograph. “When I see something that speaks to me before I photograph it, I usually can feel the essence of what I want to create,” says Gerlach, “I don’t use the computer or the darkroom to cut and paste or move objects around in my prints. I like to keep the documentary side of things intact.”

Many of the images in this exhibit represent Gerlach’s personal experiences. Gerlach shares, “Some of my images have an underlying expression of hope, peace and joy, while others resonate with more difficult feelings of isolation, fear and helplessness.” He continues, “I am particularly drawn to pathways and doorways. They make great metaphors for the journey of life and the possible choices we make, some dark and some that glow with the power and promise of what lies beyond. Sometimes in our journey we pick the roads we go down, but others seem to appear in front of us and we have no choice but to travel down them. It’s about life with all of its brighter and darker times and the balance we find in between.”

Adam Gerlach is a fine art landscape photographer based in Carpinteria, California. His work was featured in the October 2005 issue of Black & White Magazine and the 2006 Silver Journal, as well as the February and May 2007 issues of Focus Fine Art Photography Magazine. Gerlach graduated from Brooks Institute in 2003 and has continued to expand his fine art body of work while hanging exhibits at Brooks Institute’s Gallery 27 in Santa Barbara.

To view more of Adam Gerlach’s work, visit www.adamgerlach.com.

About Brooks Institute
Brooks Institute celebrates 64 years of educating students in the visual and media arts. With campuses in Santa Barbara and Ventura, California, the school offers Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in fields including Professional Photography, Film, and Design, a Bachelor of Science degree in Visual Journalism, a Master of Fine Arts degree in Photography and a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Screenwriting. Brooks Institute’s graduates are visible nationally and internationally, working for distinguished organizations including National Geographic, Smithsonian, Los Angeles Times and other national media outlets, including Hallmark Publishing, Cousteau Society, HBO, Kodak and other industry leaders in the visual media arts fields. Brooks Institute is part of the Career Education Corporation network of schools (NASDAQ: CECO). For more information about Brooks Institute and the school’s programs, visit www.brooks.edu, or call 805-966-3888.