Washington Library to Host Photography Exhibit

WASHINGTON - From Jan. 2-28, the Washington Library is exhibiting the works of Lyle Moen and Nancy Rash. The them is evident in the title: “Our Favorite Photos of 34 years”. This represents the culmination of almost half a lifetime of photography. Owing to the work of selecting each piece from their large collection, then captioning and framing them- a process which took four years- this will be their last exhibition, at least for the foreseeable future.

Lyle Moen, 79, got his first camera at 8 years old, but it wasn’t until the 1980s that he began seriously pursuing photography. His favorite subjects are animals and landscapes. The couple has visited 48 of the United States’ 63 national parks, hiking and photographing the backcountry.

“Part of the reason why we’ve had the photo exhibits is to encourage people to take advantage of the National Parks, set aside by our forefathers,” said Moen. “A lot of these parks are all free. You buy your annual or lifetime membership, and you have access to all the national parks and a lot of national wildlife areas and so forth [...] If they aren’t able to travel, we’ve had many comments from guests who’ve seen our photo exhibits that appreciate the opportunity to see our photography, because it’s like they’ve been on the trip with us. [..] We really appreciate those kinds of comments.”

He also holds a keen interest in aircraft. He has photographed the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and the Navy’s Blue Angels. Each is a special demonstration squadron.

Also featured in this work will be photos taken on a trip to each of the three memorial sites, where, in Sept. 11, 2001, many perished in the Al-Qaeda terrorist attacks.

“They were pretty emotional to stand there, knowing 3,000 people died in that tragedy,” Moen said.

They hope, by exhibiting these photos nearing the 25th anniversary of the attacks, to honor the memory of those killed.

Nancy frames each piece in metal frames. She accompanies him on the trips which yield these photos. She is his greatest ally and confidant.

For years, he and his wife Nancy have exhibited their work in Washington. It has graced the walls of everything from nursing homes to public buildings. They have honored local volunteers, exhibiting their photographs, each with two sentences describing something the subjects believe few know about them. They have photographed the farmers of Iowa. They have photographed the children of Washington, seeing in them an unparalleled honesty. But all good things come to an end, and this year may prove to be their last exhibit. The effort, in Moen’s opinion, of selecting, titling, captioning and framing each photo is becoming too much.

Moen’s advice for beginners: Get a camera, get outside, and practice as much as possible. It doesn’t matter whether you’re young or old, the love of the craft lives in everyone.

“When I started in 1983, after I bought my SLR camera, I went to the Washington Public Library and read every signal book they had on cameras and photography. There’s so much information available- of course, now even more so, with YouTube- but my advice is [...] buy your camera, enjoy, have fun, and just practice, practice.”

Call Marilyn Higgins at 319-368-8895 or email her at marilyn.higgins@southeastiowaunion.com