Fran Rahl Photo

“Give an infinite number of Nikons to an infinite number of monkeys, and you will eventually get another “Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico”. A few of the photos on this site have been around 40 years or more.

I’ve been one of the self-taught monkeys for more than 50 years. Still no “Moonrise”, but I enjoy the shooting and occasionally create an interesting picture. From the beginning, I’ve done all of my own processing, shooting B&W film and chromes, and now all digital. The digital switch has been reinvigorating, permitting all of the processing work to be done in a very comfortable environment, often accompanied by food, beverage, and light.

My adolescent interest in photography was piqued by the secret acquisition of a book by famed glamor and figure photographer Peter Gowland. Figure photography remains a primary interest, over a half-century later.

In addition to Peter Gowland, I have been inspired by many of the prominent photographers and painters of the last century, and by many friends who are professional artists. In addition, I follow many fine photographers on social media. I travel extensively and have visited many of the great and small museums in the world. 

Lately, I've been on a pilgrimage to visit all of the Roman Catholic Churches in the Baltimore Archdiocese. Part of that includes some photos, often with my iPhone X. There is a tab for a small group of those photos, although they probably belong on a different site altogether -- work in progress.

I have had the opportunity to publicly display my photographs at Angelfall Studios Gallery, The Carriage House Gallery, The Adler Gallery, the SoWeBo Arts Gallery, Mount Royal Tavern, Zella's, Gallery 788, Creative Alliance, Gallery 1448, Highlandtown Gallery, and the lobby of the Charles Theater.