Particular exhibit to showcase Plymouth photographer’s 50-year profession

PLYMOUTH — A profession within the United States Navy led Jerry Harrington to 50 years behind a digital camera lens.

The 75-year-old Plymouth native joined the U.S. Navy in December of 1968 after graduating from highschool and studied aviation mechanics. He finally discovered himself stationed on Midway Island, the place his profession took a flip.

While ready for a spot to open up in flight operations, Harrington was provided an opportunity to grow to be a photographer.

His subsequent cease was Pensacola, Fla., the place Harrington spent 4 months finding out pictures and graduated among the many Top 10 in his class. After commencement, he was stationed aboard the USS Wasp — which marked the start of a 50-year profession behind a digital camera lens.

For greater than 20 years, Harrington has spent hours on the sidelines of soccer, basketball, baseball and softball video games all through the area, together with the occasional observe meet.

Largely identified for the dramatic moments he’s captured for a lot of younger athletes, the photographer’s work stretches past sports activities. Sometimes taking between 500 to 700 footage at a sport, he described his approach to remembering particular moments.

“When you take a picture you kind of keep that in your mind like ‘Oh, that’s something I want to look for to send into the paper,’” Harrington stated.

A lesson he realized early whereas taking pictures photographs for the Plymouth Advertiser, a former native newspaper within the village, caught with Harrington: all the time keep focus as regards to the picture.

50 years of pictures

Harrington’s work will probably be on show to the general public in a particular exhibit on the Plymouth Area Museum, 7 E. Main St., in accordance with a press launch from the Plymouth Area Historical Society.

“Jerry Harrington – The Long View: 50 Years Behind the Camera” will open with a non-public reception on Sept. 4, adopted by its public opening Sept. 6 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“I tried to pick out the most interesting for people to look at,” Harrington stated.

It consists of greater than 100 of Harrington’s favourite photographs, together with all kinds of topics. He stated the exhibit will embrace photographs from his time serving within the U.S. Navy, in addition to footage from journeys across the globe.

There can even be some wedding ceremony pictures and portraits — to not be outdone by sports activities photographs.

“I feel like I put something together that’s going to hit a lot of people. There’s like four or five different classes of photos,” Harrington stated. “I was really tickled to death that they ever asked me that (to put together an exhibit).”

The exhibit will run on three extra dates on the museum: Sept. 7 from 11 a.m. to three p.m. and Sept. 13 and 20 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

In addition to the general public dates, non-public appointments to view the exhibit could also be scheduled by calling the Plymouth Area Museum at 419-687-1059.

Photography remained a part of Harrington’s life

Following his honorable discharge from the U.S. Navy, Harrington returned residence to Plymouth and have become employed at Plymouth Locomotive International. Photography remained a heavy presence in his life.

Around 1975, Harrington started working a aspect gig serving to a neighborhood studio with weddings, portraits, senior footage, Little League photographs and different native sporting occasions.

“Before you knew it, I was doing about 20 some (weddings) a year,” he stated.

In 2001, Joe Centers of the Norwalk Reflector requested Harrington to shoot highschool sports activities photographs for the newspaper.

Now 24 years later, he’s nonetheless working the sidelines — geared up with a number of lenses and a digital camera bag on his shoulder. His photographs have appeared in a number of native publications.

His love for fishing has taken Harrington all around the nation, on the identical time creating alternatives to {photograph} nature and landscapes, the discharge stated.

Community funding made this reporting occur. Independent, native information in Shelby and Northern Richland County is delivered to you partly by the beneficiant assist of Phillips Tube Group, R.S. Hanline, ArcelorMittal, Lloyd Rebar, Hess Industries, and Shelby Printing.