Gates' park photographs will be at the Jennerstown Art Gallery at the Mountain Playhouse in Jennerstown, PA this summer. Originally from Uniontown and a graduate of Laurel Highlands High School, Gates is a dentist with the Centerville Clinic. Before European settlers arrived, North America was a natural paradise with vast stands of evergreen and deciduous trees, canyons and waterfalls, hillsides of wildflowers and abundant wildlife. As our country has developed and grown, parklands whether national, state, or county are an oasis of that once expansive wilderness. I have made an effort to capture a glimpse of these remaining natural places.
Photographs are merely moments in time, frozen as an image.
No matter how many times I have visited the same waterfall, different seasons or even changing light on the same day present a vastly different experience. These pictures represent my impression of the moments I have been blessed to observe. With ever increasing population and resultant demand, it is all-imperative to protect these parks for those who follow us.