Snap shots from local photographers

By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press 

The medium of photography was the highlight of Friday evening’s monthly Art After Dark at Frames & Things in Cove Terrace Shopping Center. 
The shop, owned by Robert Weidinger II, put out an open call for photography submissions from local photographers and Weidinger said there were still more coming in as of that morning. This was a new venture for the monthly art show at the shop, which has featured artists from Central Texas and beyond the first Friday evening of every month. The time is an “grownups-only” event with appetizers, wine and punch, and live music. 
Each photographer could submit up to three photos, which had to be framed for hanging at the shop’s exhibiting space. Subjects included landscapes, people, flowers, animals, and architecture, with both color and black-and-white images. 
Macy Frye, an 11-year-old student at Taylor Creek Elementary School, has been experimenting with photography for two years and was one of the youngest in attendance on Friday evening.
Ziva, her dog, is a one-year-old German Shepherd mix and the subject of her photos, one of them the image of a dog’s toothy “grin.”
“One day she was just smiling, and that was my first picture of her. I saw her smiling and I just had to take it of her,” said Frye. “She’s a good dog.”
Frye said her favorite subject to photograph is animals and she enjoys making art at Taylor Creek Elementary School, where Linda Lapierre is her creative arts teacher. 
“(Lapierre) has taken her under her wing, doing UIL for the past three years,” said Macy’s mother.
In addition to photography, other types of art Frye has made include a sculpture of Ziva, made from a cup, tape, a Styrofoam head, and cardboard, called “Don’t Judge a Dog By Its Breed.”
She said she wasn’t nervous about displaying her work and said she enjoys taking photos of her dog because she’s “adorable.” Frye also did her own framing.
20-year Army veteran and Copperas Cove resident John Keefer has been a photography buff since childhood but got serious about it as a hobby about five years ago. 
“I’ve always enjoyed the adventure of photography,” Keefer said, who is familiar with the “old days” of photo developing with chemicals, solution and paper. “Now I can sit in the comfort of my recliner with my computer, no chemicals, no mess.” 
Keefer has traveled to a number of state parks in Texas to shoot photos, with his “go-to” places being Colorado Bend State Park and Pedernales State Park. Among his photography pursuits are night sky photography, especially at Colorado Bend, with the sky free of the intruding city lights. 
“It takes long exposures, and patience,” Keefer said. 
He calls photography his “relaxation” and has traveled to places like Wyoming to photograph the Teton mountain range and the area wildlife. One of his photos on display is that of a closeup shot of a wolf.
More of Keefer’s work will be on display in March 2018, when he will be the featured artist at First Friday. 
Many of the photographers also had their work available for sale. The photography show will be in place through the month of December at Frames & Things. The monthly First Friday shows will resume on the first Friday in February 2018.