Images by Steve Harris and Ken Fowkes Selected by PhotoPlace Gallery
Ellen Gilkerson | Published on 7/9/2026
Steve’s glorious image is Ray of Hope. He says: I made this image in late October, 2025, while on a “Coastal Zen” landscape photography workshop in Big Sur, led by William Neill and Alex Noriega. One thing I had done very little of since taking up photography was to make long-exposure images along the coast. This workshop offered abundant opportunities for such photos, and the afternoon we went to Pfeiffer Beach offered perfect conditions for photographing the famous Keyhole Arch there. I took many photos at that spot, with various exposure times. I started with landscape orientation, but when I switched to portrait, I felt I got the strongest compositions, and this particular image, a 10 second exposure, was my favorite of all. I like how the rocks and water “hold their own” along with that stunning ray of light, resulting in what feels to me a well-balanced composition. The title of the image was inspired not just by the scene itself, but also by my sense that the tide may finally be turning away from the darkness that has enveloped our country of late.
Steve Harris:
Ray of Hope
Ken’s very cool image is Looking Down. He says: One afternoon in January 2016 I carried this old mirror and a short ladder around my neighborhood looking for photographs. This was my favorite from that day. I had planned on submitting it to the PhotoPlace "Portals" exhibition, but that deadline slipped by, so I included it with my submissions to "Open". Much to my surprise, this is the one the jurors liked!
Ken Fowkes:
Looking Down