New pictures exhibit shares lifetime of army members by way of their very own eyes

TAMPA, Fla – “The Soldier’s Lens” shines a light-weight on army life by way of the eyes of service members. 

“We didn’t know exactly what we were going to get. It turns out that life in service is diverse. It’s a wide-ranging experience,” The Soldier’s Lens Co-Founder and Co-Curator Alexis Muellner mentioned. 

The backstory:

The thought was easy. Organizers put out an open name to veterans and active-duty service members in quest of images from any period. 

“If you had an affinity for photography, send us your photographs of any era,” Muellner mentioned. “It went worldwide. We ended up at the submission deadline in August with 529 submissions.”

A pair hundred are on show, whereas the remaining can be found to a digital kiosk. The images range in some ways, from trendy to historic, wartime to peacetime, skilled photographers to easily troopers strolling round with a small digicam. 

What they’re saying:

U.S. Marines Veteran Richard Lounders and U.S. Army Veteran Tom Arthur have been two troopers carrying cameras of their pockets. Their featured images are from Vietnam. 

“One thing that I remembered, it was the children,” Lounders mentioned. “You always had some empathy for them, and you see them, the parents are working, and you have a five-year-old taking care of a one-year-old. You like seeing them and help them in any way you could.”

Arthur added “The part of Vietnam that I was in was like the Florida Everglades and so, in the wet season there was water everywhere. In the dry season, that field would have still been there, but there’d be no water there at all. Recollection of the Vietnamese soldiers that I served with were great soldiers, great people and I really enjoyed being with them.”

Muellner hopes to have extra exhibitions that includes extra images sooner or later, saying this concept has “legs”. 

“They tell such rich stories about family sacrifice, about how people have contributed major parts of their lives to this country and the defense of this country without necessarily having seen a lot of recognition for it,” Muellner mentioned. “For veterans, I think this is a special experience because I’ve heard from several who heard about the project, sent in their photographs, and have told me that this has been extremely therapeutic. That by having a chance to be heard, sharing their stories, even a photograph or two, that that’s a healing experience.”

What’s subsequent:

The museum will likely be internet hosting a particular gallery stroll tonight at 5:30. Tickets are $12. The exhibit will likely be on show till January twenty fifth. You can discover extra info on the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts’ web site.