Feb. 1 Stardust Photography exhibit by Stuart Fabe to benefit library

The Putnam County Public Library will host Stardust: A Photography Exhibition on Friday, Feb. 2.

The 6-8:30 p.m. fundraising event, featuring the photography of the local author and artist Stuart Fabe, will be staged in celebration of February First Friday. The after-hours event will also feature music by cellist Eric Edberg, a cash bar and light hors d’oeuvres.

Fabe has had a love affair with photography for more than 40 years.

“Since building my first wet darkroom in 1975, I studied a wide variety of visual techniques and expressions by many of the great photographic masters, Louis Daguerre, Dorothea Lange, Edward Weston, Ansel Adams and Yousef Karsh to name a few,” Fabe noted.

After moving to Putnam County in 2005, Fabe shifted his focus from film to digital photography.

“The availability of computer programs like Photoshop and Lightroom helped to transform finished images almost magically,” Fabe said.

Living in Putnam County also provides advantages for the photographer, specifically night skies free of light pollution.

“Very few people decide to photograph the night sky which makes it even more appealing to me,” he said. “The moon, the galactic core of the Milky Way, and creating star trails have irrevocably captured my imagination … and all I have to do is grab my camera and tripod, go outside my house or drive around the county, and look up.”

The Stardust exhibition will feature night sky photography that clearly captures the magic Fabe sees in the stars.

Fabe has also experimented with printing on a variety of mediums, making each piece a unique way to bring a bit of the Putnam County sky into your home.

Proceeds from photography sales will go toward Putnam County Public Library’s adult programs, which include free yoga classes, art classes, knitting and crochet classes, as well as a variety of speakers, teachers and films.