The photography exhibit “Sky” by Christy Orquera is now on display at the Great Neck Library’s mezzanine level (159 Bayview Ave., Great Neck, NY) and will be available for viewing through Jan. 28.
The exhibit features a stunning collection of photographs taken by Orquera over the past decade, showcasing the beauty and symbolism of the sky.
The sky holds immense artistic value in photography, offering an ever-changing canvas that enhances the mood and composition of a scene. Its textures, colors and lighting—whether it’s a golden sunset, dramatic storm clouds or a serene blue expanse—can evoke emotions and create striking contrasts.
Orquera’s work demonstrates how the sky sets the scene for life, with each image capturing the sky’s power to shape our perceptions of the world around us.
“The sky can serve as a backdrop that frames subjects, emphasizing their significance or amplifying their isolation,” Orquera said. “The sky adds a layer of symbolism, offering endless creative possibilities.”
Orquera’s photos were taken from diverse locations across the United States, including Anchorage, Alaska; San Francisco; Vermont; New Orleans; and many spots close to home on Long Island. Her deep connection to the sky and wide-open spaces stems from her experience in the U.S. Navy, where she spent three years traveling the world aboard the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Nimitz during the Gulf War era in the 1990s.
A longtime photography enthusiast, Orquera has been capturing moments for nearly 50 years, a passion she inherited from her father, whose own artistic eye for composition and subject was an early influence.
Orquera’s first camera was a Kodak 110, which she received as a child at the age of four. Her formal photography education began in high school at Elizabeth Seton Academy in the south suburbs of Chicago, where she studied under Ms. Choi in an art-intensive curriculum.
She later pursued photography more seriously, taking a class through Nassau Community College’s Continuing Education program. There, she studied under Rick Recard, a renowned New York-based photographer and professor. She has also attended numerous Nikon classes and certification courses for personal enrichment.
Orquera, who serves as the head of reference and local history custodian at the Great Neck Library, uses her photography to explore the natural world and the emotional landscapes that the sky can evoke. The exhibit invites viewers to pause and appreciate the vastness of the world above us—an element often overlooked in daily life.
The exhibit is free and open to the public during regular library hours. For more information, visit the Great Neck Library website at www.greatnecklibrary.org.
Visit Orquera’s digital curation of more than 70 of her sky-inspired works, including the ones on display at the library, in her online gallery <www.unsplash.com/@CLHINKO/collections>.
