15 Minutes of Fame

What do a lawyer, legal assistant, former sailor, two teachers, and a journalist have in common?

They're all members of the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts (FMoPA) and presented their photography at November's "Your 15 Minutes of Fame". Each presenter had 15 minutes to display prints or slides, and answer audience questions about their work, equipment, and future goals.

The next installment will be next Wednesday, January 19th from 7-8:30 p.m. (

Future dates are March 16th & May 18th.) I've been hosting this series for a year now, and love seeing the work of the emerging and seasoned photographers and artists who call Tampa Bay home.

First up was Dick Caldwell, whose photos included poppies from the Canadian Rockies to tulips in Toledo, Ohio, and wintering avians in Apopka.

Maikel Izquierdo (my friend and co-worker last year at FMoPA's literacy-through-photography class) likes to "get in real close" for portraits. She has snapped images from Boston's lighthouses to Alaskan dog sledding teams.

Chicagoan Mike Douglass said he uses photography to repackage others people's art into what he calls "found art," such as a used painters palette and other artists' spaces. Similar to cloud gazing, everyone comes to his or her own conclusions about what he or she see in his photos.

Judy Leavens has photographed some of the most beautiful natural spaces in America like the Grand Canyon and Sedona, Arizona, and adores getting out to Florida State parks.

Joseph Gamble's pieces included underwater shots in Key Largo and part of his season-long series of a minor league baseball team in Savannah, Georgia.

Kitt Amaritnant likes action shots. His series "Muay Thai in America" followed one night of young fighters in and out of the ring. He also shot a lot of hands because he believes: "A lot of times you don't need to see the face to know what the person is thinking."

Mr. Amaritnant was voted audience favorite of the evening. You can view his photos at his website Amaritnantphotography.com.

Contact me at

15minutes@fmopa.org if you have any questions or would like to register.

Photo by Maikel

Izquierdo