They're everywhere - dangling from cliffs, at the neighbor's wedding, even undersea - and they're all looking for the same, elusive thing.
"We're always trying to achieve some sense of perfection," says Paul Marycz, 50, of Columbia. "But there's always something to be improved upon; we're never completely comfortable with our work."
They're photographers, their products are pictures and their jobs are a lot more difficult than the point and click that people might think.
In search of that flawless image, Marycz has scaled Arizona canyons, muscled his way through car-racing fans (carrying more than 20 pounds of photography equipment) and chased brilliant orange sunsets only to have them fizzle to dull yellow by the time he is ready to shoot.
"It's frustrating knowing you've missed something and that you might not get a second chance to capture it," says Marycz, whose third show at the Artists' Gallery in Columbia opened Monday.
He did get another shot at a fiery sunset - in North Carolina's Outer Banks. The result is hanging in the gallery, along with 11 other photos from varied settings, including the Bahamas; Whidbey Island, Wash.; and Big Sur in California. They all are part of Water's Edge, the title of the exhibit.
"For me, I'm trying to capture the beauty of a place," Marycz says, "the geographical representation and emotion of what I've seen and pass that on to the viewer."
For Michael DiBari Jr., a free-lance Ellicott City photojournalist who is leading a photography workshop June 29 at the Savage branch library, his work is less about his emotions than those of his subjects.
"I'm trying to capture the best picture possible that tells the story," he says. "That's the difference between a newspaper photographer and an art photographer. I'm trying to be unbiased and show the scene as true as possible."
DiBari, who has worked for the Los Angeles Times and the Associated Press, cannot manipulate a scene, tell people where to stand or wait for the best light to come along before he shoots.
He has got to live in the moment, he says, try to predict behaviors and hope for the best.
When he was on assignment photographing a group of potentially volatile protesters outside the U.S. Supreme Court, he said, he watched their movements carefully and waited for mayhem to erupt so he could grab the best picture. It did, and DiBari was ready.
"You're not 100 percent sure something will happen," says DiBari, 35. "But the best photographers can come upon a situation and assess it: what might happen where and when."
Sometimes, a photographer doesn't see everything, says Albert Kocourek (pronounced ko-SIR-eck).
"I was shooting on the island of Santorini [in Greece], and everything was perfect," he says. "But when I developed my pictures, there was a Coke can sitting a third of the way up on my best photo. It was ruined."
But karma evened things out for Kocourek, 58, whose own show is opening at the Artists' Gallery on July 1. One of his most popular sellers, titled "The Landing," is a shot he took of a creek on the Eastern Shore. In it, a rickety dock is surrounded by mist and still water, but the best part - hundreds of sunbeam trails - was a happy accident.
"I didn't know the sunbeams were there," says Kocourek, who lives in Columbia. "I knew it was a beautiful scene, but that special element just showed up."
And that is why Marycz carries his camera with him wherever he goes: "You never can tell what's going to happen."
"Water's Edge" will run through June 28 at the Artists' Gallery at the American City Building, 10227 Wincopin Circle, in Columbia. A reception will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. tomorrow. Information: 410-740-8249. Kocourek's exhibit, "Walking Through Time," will run July 1 through Aug. 2 at the gallery. DiBari's workshop, "Freeze That Frame," which will focus on travel photography, will be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. June 29 at the Savage branch library, 9525 Durness Lane. Information: 410-880-5980.
Better photos
Snapshots looking a little lackluster? Here's advice from three Howard County photographers:
Portrait photos always look better when shot from close up.
Lighting is key, and the best light is in early morning or late afternoon to evening: sunrise and sunset.
Avoid posing; the best shots of people are candid shots when they don't know they're being watched.
Try black and white film; it gives regular shots an artsy feel.
Keep taking pictures. The more pictures people take and think about, the better chance they have of getting what they want.