Queens Photographer Honored At Exhibition In Las Vegas

One summer morning in 1985, Edward Michalec woke up to find the sun peeking up over Little Neck Bay. He grabbed his camera and snapped a series of shots from his balcony within ten minutes of dawns early light.
"I havent seen a scene like that since then," Michalec said. "The light cloud coverage and the perfection in color."
The shot that captured that perfect reflection of the Throgs Neck Bridge in the calm water illuminated by pastel colors emanating from the sun, along with three other photographs by Michalec, were selected for exhibition in the prestigious International Exposition of Professional Photography in Las Vegas in July, the worlds largest annual exhibit of professional photographs.
Michalec earned merit certificates for each entry, which may in turn be applied toward degrees granted by the 14,000-member Association. Approximately 6,000 entries were submitted to the panel of 40 eminent photographers from across the country.
Over the years since Michalec captured that beautiful scene in his award-winning photograph, "Dawn Over Little Neck Bay," he has strived to duplicate the shot in order to display a contrast of the view from his Beechhurst home before it was disrupted by so many buildings and piers.
"What you see here," Michalec said, pointing to his photograph, "you dont see here," he said, pointing out his kitchen window.
Michalec believes that the intuition necessary in seizing the right moment for picture snapping is innate, but it is the rapidly changing technology of photography that makes him a lifelong student of the craft. Michalec, 70, became interested in photography when he was ten years old and the pastor from his Lutheran Church in Flushing took a picture of him. "I was in awe," he said.
After he received that candid shot, Michalec used his fathers Kodak and started snapping away. But he had to be careful about what he photographed because at that time purchasing and developing film was expensive. The cost factor forced him to develop a discipline for the craft, for which he is grateful. He said he especially enjoyed taking pictures of people and animals on his familys farm.
Photography became more than a hobby for Michalec after his retirement five years ago from a long career in architecture. He became a member of the National Art League in Douglaston, the Professional Photographers of America, and the Professional Photographers of Greater New York, who gave him scholarships to attend workshops and honored his "Dawn Over Little Neck Bay" with its 2003 Photo of The Year Award. Michalec also does photography work for Transitional Services for New York, a mental health agency in Whitestone.
Three years ago, Michalec attended a lecture by a master photographer. He met with him afterwards and told the photographer that he was a sniper in the army and an architect, to which the photographer replied, "The army trained you to be patient and to know your target. Architecture gave you the composition."
"I never thought of it that way before," Michalec said, "but it makes sense."
Rebecca Shalamoff is a freelance writer.