‘Mean Season’ Hurricane Pix at Delray's Palm Beach Photographic Centre

Thursday, 03 August 2006 11:09

Delray Beach, FL - Hurricanes are horrific and awesomely destructive, but as tragic as they can be, they also make for mesmerizing photo opportunities.  “Mean Season – Florida’s Hurricanes of 2004” is a beautiful, fascinating, instructive and sobering exhibit opening Aug. 11 and running through Sept. 23 at the Palm Beach Photographic Centre, 22 N.E. Second Ave., Delray Beach.

“Mean Season” features 60 of the best images gleaned from the recent book of the same name, published by The Palm Beach Post, as well as four large collages assembled from some of the images.  In fact, the photographic staff of The Palm Beach Post was a finalist for the 2005 Pulitzer Prize in the Breaking News Photography category. 

After 25 years of respite from major storms, the summer of 2004 saw a record-breaking four hurricanes ravage the State of Florida.  As bad as the destruction was, it was just a prelude to the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma and a record-breaking 28 named storms that battered the Caribbean, Central America and the Southeastern U.S. in the summer of 2005.  Gary Coronado, Richard Graulich, Damon Higgins and Greg Lovett are Post photographers who risked life and limb to capture first-hand the fury of the focused, intense Hurricane Charley on the west coast, the sprawling monster Hurricane Frances all over the state, Hurricane Ivan on Florida’s northwest coast and Hurricane Jeanne’s rampage from Hutchinson Island westward to Crystal River.

Images of destruction of homes, condos, hotels, boats, bridges, cars, farms and animal life remind the viewer of the terrible power of hurricanes, but the photographers concentrated in equal part on human images of suffering, bravery, cooperation and heroism.  There are even images of almost idyllic beauty, such as the photograph by Richard Graulich of a storm battered tree surrounded by floating fruit.

Some images provide graphic evidence that stronger building codes inspired by Category 5 Hurricane Andrew in 1992 have increased the chances of survival in a furious storm.  Conversely, images of ancient oaks and mighty bridges felled like children’s playthings remind that nothing and no one is invincible.

Opening concurrently in the Photographic Centre’s Community Gallery is FOTOcamp 2006, featuring the work of students (ages 10-17) who attended one of the three summer sessions of this year’s FOTOcamp.  Admission is free and the public is invited.

Visit Palm Beach Photographic Centre at : http://www.workshop.org/