The Bermuda Professional Photographic Association is 50 years old this year. It was established by renowned Bermudian photographer the late Richard Saunders and a small group of other professional photographers. The aim of the association is to improve the photographic industry in Bermuda. Over the years since it was established, it has waxed and waned but presently it is thriving.

Since it is a professional association, the membership is restricted to those who are in the photographic business. I understand that there is an associate membership available for interested non-professionals.

Currently there are 26 members, 16 of whom are exhibiting in the Onions Gallery of the Bermuda Society of Arts.

There are altogether 74 photographs in the exhibition. Although the association members have exhibited together occasionally, it is intended that the current exhibition be the first of many more biennial exhibitions. As far as jurying is concerned: I understand that the members juried themselves, but if they are serious about having a regular biennial exhibition, I think overseas jurors will be essential. This ought to help ensure a better quality exhibition.

The word, "professional," is usually defined as one who practises a particular profession. It can also be defined as conforming to the high standards of a profession. With that firmly in mind, I, as I usually do when visiting an exhibition, quickly walked through the entire show, in order to get a feeling for the exhibition.

My first impression is that the exhibition varies in quality. Some photographs seemed to be slightly out of focus and that bothered me. Of course, there are some intentionally soft focused photographs but this is not what I am concerned about. I did wondered why there are so many pictures that seemed to be just a little off focus.

Regarding subject matter: I did not find the exhibition to be a "knockout". Of course there are beautiful, well crafted pictures and a few are exceptional. Personally, I would have liked the show to have been more "gritty", less "pretty."

In many cases, I have seen much better work from these very same artists. I expected the exhibition to be a lot more visually interesting.

On a more positive vein, the overall standard of framing is certainly better than many I have seen in some recent painting exhibitions. That is because the Association very precisely spells out what is acceptable.

According to the published rules, frames must be either black or silver and no smaller than 24 by 28 inches with white mats. The actual photograph must be no smaller than 16 by 20 inches. I noticed, however, that more than a few photographs did not meet the size requirements.

Many are smaller than specified but the leaders apparently saw fit to bend the rules. From my perspective, the rule regarding size seems arbitrary. I see no reason why a small photo can not be as suitable as something larger. Size is not what makes a work successful. Most of the exhibitors did abide somewhat by the framing requirements, but a few did otherwise.

When looking at exhibitions, I usually try to find the star of the show, but in this one, no one artist stood out all that much. Since the exhibition is fairly large, I will not attempt to review everything, but instead I will present the highlights.

The photographs of Antoine Hunt are exceptional, but also quite small, monochromatic, low-key and off in a corner. A close viewing is necessary for getting the full impact of the series, but the effort is worth it. The series is of a pair of bird's wings shown from varying viewpoints. I was impressed by the sharply focused details of the feathers, with even the barbs standing out sharply. I was also impressed by the interplay of light and dark. Since the wings are torn away from the body of the bird, some might find it grotesque. but there is a point to it being that way, for it ties in with a poem that accompanies the photographs.

Near the entrance to the gallery, Amanda Temple is exhibiting a group of black and white photographs. Two are of particularly note. They are "Careful" and "Chanceaux".

"Careful" is of a detailed view of a very thorny cactus, while "Chanceaux" depicts a close-up view of a game with dice.

Another black and white photograph that stands apart in the show is a portrait of "Sensei Kent Simmons", by Scott Tucker. The clearly delineated features of the sitter, especially his piercing dark eyes pulled me in from across the room.

Ian Macdonald-Smith's "Hudikszall" appears to be an abstract, but in reality it is a photograph of a water reflection that he photographed along the east coast of Sweden. Although the work is a photograph of reality, it has been so separated from its context, we see it as an abstraction.

It reminds me of a couple of abstract Surrealist paintings by Arshille Gorky or Joan Miro. Others will, no doubt, see something else in the design. I also thought I saw faces.

Graeme Outerbridge's contribution to the exhibition is surprising. I first visited the show the morning of September 22, but at that time not everything was up on the wall and most were not yet labelled. I saw Mr. Outerbridge's work but failed to recognise who had made it.

It does not have the traditional Outerbridge stamp. Honestly, I am not sure what to make of them, but I will say this: I have to hand it to Mr. Outerbridge for trying something completely new. But for an artist of Mr. Outerbridge's reputation, it is a risky business. Of all his works in the show, I found "Tree of Life" the most appealing and poetic.

I thought "Bad Temper" needed a different presentation. I wanted to take the frame away and then let it float freely on the wall. Actually I think it would be better for being larger. My immediate response to it can be summed-up with one word ? hurricane.

The "Pyramids of Giza" is Scott Stallard's most successful photograph in the exhibition. It is a unique view of the pyramids. The placement of a figure in the foreground, helps us sense the spaciousness to the scene. His photographs from Namibia are all in want of a sharper focus. "Dead Vlei" is a large photograph of the Namibian desert. It is almost successful and from across the room it appears so, but upon closer inspection, it needs help. It is just a tad too soft.

James Cooper's series of photographs are based upon a fascinating concept, but unfortunately the quality of the photographs do not match the depth of the underlying idea. His series of four works all have titles that suggest a navigational position.

Each work consists of two photographs, one above the other. The top photo shows a scene of the open ocean and sky. The bottom photo is an underwater scene with divers. I liked the concept so much, I wished that, by wishing I could bring about the needed improvements. I wanted this series to succeed, but alas, the work comes across as gloomy. It simply does not have the needed "sparkle".

Roland Skinner's photographs are just around the corner from those by James Cooper and the contrast is amazing. Skinner's work is as bright as Cooper's is not. Indeed, Roland Skinner's work stands out in the whole show, first because of the attractiveness of his scenes of Bermuda, but also because of the really incredible frames he is using. His frames are like old barn siding, each side being about six inches wide. Since he does not use mats, the frame gives the illusion of being a window. Certainly, his frames do not in any way conform to the rules of the association.

Mr. Skinner's photographs are of a quality I was certain that they were created by means of film, but to be sure I checked that out and I was right.

I miss Mark Emmerson's platinum prints. I miss the rich tonalities that he has been able to achieve with the platinum print method. Instead, he is showing what appears to be architectural illustrations.

They are alright but not in the same rank as his platinum prints. Indeed, I thought they were the kind of photographs I usually see in Architectural Digest.

I always look forward to seeing Ian Murdoch's underwater pictures and usually they are masterful, but not this time. I did like "Nemos," but "Harmony," needed to be in sharper focus. Like a few others, it was almost good, but not quite good enough.

Ann Spurling's "Calendar Girls" might have been more engaging had the work had been larger. Her "Bermuda Interior," could have come from House BeautifulIn such a magazine, this picture would be seen as splendid, but on its own, it seems too out of context to hold one's interest.

For me, "Sydney, Cameron, Owen and Charlotte" comes out as being her most engaging photo. The appeal of the photograph lies, in part with the composition and the clarity of the subjects but also the basic appeal of youth is a consideration.

I looked carefully at Meredith Andrews' hand coloured photographs and wondered just how she went about the task.

This is certainly not your usual, old fashioned photo tinting. This aspect of her work is the most engaging. Other than that, I know that I have seen better from her; for example, in the Bermuda National Gallery Biennials.

How does one end a review on such negative notes? The only reason for doing so is to hopefully nudge artists to be more demanding of themselves. I will tell you what it looks like to me.

It appears that these photographers, like other artists that I know, will, with the the best of intentions, procrastinate until suddenly the exhibition is just days away and in order to put something in the show, they end up submitting work that is "kicking about the studio".

It a good thing this exhibition was self-juried. I am afraid that some of the photographs would not have made it with independent jurors making the decisions.