A SENSE OF PLACE
THE PROVINCETOWN PHOTOGRAPHERS COLLECTIVE
Lipe Borges, Marilyn Brodwick, Rebecca Bruyn, Julia Cumes, Marty Hassell, Jeff Krehely,
Jack Lynch, Emilie Marks, Reenie Lynch Murphy, Emory Petrack, Lisa Raczka, Richard White, Elizabeth G. Brooke
Opening Reception: Friday, September 19 from 5 - 7 PM
On Exhibit through September 29
The Commons
46 Bradford Street, Provincetown
The Provincetown Photographers Collective A Sense of Place In A Sense of Place, members of the Provincetown Photographers Collective explore the many ways place shapes perception, memory, and emotion. Though our collective gathers each month in Provincetown--a town long celebrated for its creative spirit--our members and our images extend far beyond its borders. Each collection in this show offers a distinct point of view--an invitation to see not only what a place looks like, but what it feels like. Some works evoke intimacy or nostalgia; others speak to displacement, transition, or wonder. Together, they remind us that a sense of place isn’t defined by location alone, but by experience, perspective, and emotional resonance. We are united by a shared belief in photography as a form of visual storytelling and creative inquiry. A Sense of Place is our collective meditation on belonging, perception, and the human instinct to anchor ourselves--in landscapes, in memory, and in each other.
Leland (Lee) Smith's photography transcends strict categories. With an intuitive eye he explores landscape, architecture and still life. His images capture a deep sensitivity for composition, light, and color. Further influenced by the evocative moods of pictorialism and the nuanced color palettes of tonalism, Smith's photographs prioritize aesthetic impact over strict realism. He often employs layered exposures and intricate textures to forge a powerful graphic dynamic, yielding images rich in complex tonality and a distinctive softness. Each final piece, regardless of its subject, reveals a striking harmony of monochromatic tranquility and subtle chromatic shifts. This refined photographic sensibility has been cultivated through his career of directing high-profile television commercials, a journey that provided him with direct access to the insights of leading advertising still photographers and legendary motion picture cinematographers. His work has been featured at The Danforth Museum; The SoHo Photo Gallery, NYC; The Griffin Museum of Photography, The New York Center for Photography; Gallery ph 21, Budapest; The Commons, Provincetown. Publications include: Musée, Lens, LensWorks and Targee Magazines. Lee splits his time Connecticut and Cape Cod.
@lelandsmithphotography
www.lelandsmithphotography.com
Emory Petrack Our society largely avoids engaging deeply with the reality of mortality. This avoidance has profound consequences, from personal lives lived without intention, to broader societal indifference and even political turmoil. Having spent my career in pediatric emergency medicine, I've intimately confronted both life's fragility and resilience. Now approaching 70, my reflections naturally gravitate toward deeper contemplations of death and its inseparable link with living fully. In A Matter of Life and Death, I explore visually what we often prefer not to acknowledge: the delicate transitions between clarity and uncertainty, presence and absence, solidity and dissolution. Through transient forms, softened edges, and quiet moments that gesture toward what lies beyond, I invite viewers into a contemplative space—one where impermanence becomes both a truth and teacher.
@epetrack
www.SoothingScapes.com
Jeff Krehely I first visited Provincetown in 2002, when I was 25 years old. Like many, I fell in love with the town’s quirkiness, history, architecture, and natural beauty and I became a frequent visitor. In late 2019 I moved here full-time. I grew up as a closeted gay kid in semi-rural/semi-suburban Pennsylvania in the 1980s and 1990s. This was a time and place that encouraged anti-gay behavior and beliefs, and I learned that I sometimes had to shrink and hide myself to stay safe. In these moments, I would notice interesting colors, light, lines, and shapes in my surroundings. After I came out of the closet as a young adult, my brain continued to notice very specific details of where I was, and I would often pause to observe them. I now use cameras to catch those scenes and images. Most of my current work is of Provincetown and the Outer Cape. I feel a sense of responsibility photographing a place that is environmentally and economically fragile. It is ever changing—the shape of the coastal edge; the height of the waves; the texture of the dunes; the density of the forests; who can afford to live and thrive here; the exterior of buildings, which take a pounding from our weather. I hope my work helps to preserve this place in some way and makes people remember—and celebrate!—why it’s worth protecting and cherishing.
@JeffKrehely
krehelyphotography.com
Lipe Borges In 2006, Lipe Borges was completely fascinated to see a photograph develop right before his eyes in the darkroom of the Social Communication college. Since then, he started carrying his camera everywhere. He has traveled to over 10 countries taking photographs, and in 2011, he founded and directed Estudio Colmeia and the school Ensino Fotografe. Over 7 years, the school graduated more than 300 students, participated in various workshops, exhibitions, photo outings, and expeditions. Lipe has explored various areas of photography such as weddings, products, fashion, and currently dedicates himself exclusively to Documentary Projects and Artist Portraits in Cape Cod. He was the first Brazilian to be awarded the Creative Futures Cape Cod fellowship in 2024 by The Cordial Eye, and selected the following year for the Teacher Artist Fellowship also by The Cordial Eye. Among more than 70 applicants, he was one of the 15 chosen for the Creative Exchange program by the Arts Foundation Cape Cod. He was also awarded the Creative Individuals Grant by the Mass Cultural Council and the Collective Imagination for Spatial Justice by the New England Foundation for the Arts. He has exhibited his work in over 15 galleries, in Brazil, Peru, and the United States.
@olipecurioso
curiouslipe.com
Elizabeth Brooke I grew up in the Hamptons on the eastern shore of Long Island, surrounded by an artistic family. My grandfather was a poet and author. My grandmother painted watercolors in her garden. My mother drew and painted. Three sisters attended art school and went on to become art therapists, printmakers, and fashion designers. So nothing led me to art. It was always there, and I thought everyone made it. I am not a terribly patient person, so photography fit me. It gave me an immediate voice. I became fascinated by the idea that I could capture someone or an animal through my lens and create something lasting longer than a glance. I could freeze time, the memory of that moment. This ability has served me well as I age, and memory has become a challenge. My history and deep connection with animals is long. As a child at seven, I was in the animal rescue business — sparrow hawks, salamanders, ducks, dogs, wild cats, etc. I have always loved animals a bit more than people. They rarely lie. Humans have also been woven through my photographic experience. It gives me joy to make a portrait of someone I admire or to capture a story from a chance encounter in the wider world. I look for moments of interaction, connection, and behavior. When I shoot, edit, and process, I am centered, happy, productive, and at peace. Photography is the tool I use to make something that will outlive me, making my legacy when I am dust. What do I hope for when you view my work? Simply that I've shared something beautiful with you—something that sparks your curiosity. When visitors come to my shows and I see that spark of interest, when they begin to see what I see, that brings me great joy. My cat concurs.
@elizabethgbrookephotography
elizabethgbrooke.com
Julia Cumes As a photographer, I’ve had the opportunity to travel widely and explore many cultures and communities through my work. Having this unique and privileged access to other lives and cultures, I try to always be respectful in my approach, capturing a sense of place and moment and conveying the humanity of the people I’m photographing. I strive to present viewers with a version of the world they may not otherwise get to see and engage them in a dialog about this extraordinary, beautiful and complex world we live in.
@juliacumes
juliacumesphoto.com
