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Frankfort Heritage Press

Introduction

Dr. Gene Burch lives in a beautiful world - if we accept his photographs as evidence of his environment. Actually, he lives in two worlds. At the center are his beloved home town - Frankfort, Kentucky - and its environs, which he photographs in detail. Beyond that core lies the rest of this fascinating planet, into which Gene makes frequent forays. On those journeys he captures breathtaking images. Fortunately, he shares generously his photographs of both of his worlds with the rest of us. This book is Gene's compilation of his favorite photographs, each selected for inclusion here with great care.

Frankfort is Kentucky's small-town capital city. The town combines a colorful history with a beautiful natural setting. The result is a delightfully photogenic place - big enough to boast of stylish buildings built over a couple of centuries, but hardly a bustling, gritty metropolitan area, like many capitals. The lay of the land itself presents opportunities to a gifted photographer, of which Gene has taken full advantage. To obtain panoramic portraits of his hometown varied by season and weather, he needs only step out his back door. Many Frankfort homes offer enviable views, but Gene has made it his business to expertly capture the ones available to him - even those which last for just seconds. And then he stalks his photographic prey on the streets of the town, recording everyday events and places with extraordinary zeal, creativity, and technical precision. He is fortunate to live in a place that inspires him so, and the place is fortunate to have him as its photographic artist in residence.

Thankfully, Gene has been willing and able to carry his camera and his photographic talents to many places outside Frankfort. Kentucky's lush bluegrass horse farms and shady back roads yield rich images to his cameras. He has photographed the boldly colored and weather-shaped rocks, majestic mountains, and deep forests of western America. He has documented historic buildings, often in the most romantic of settings, across Europe. Traveling and snapping camera shutters to the literal ends of the earth, he has brought home alluring views from South America - landscapes wholly foreign to most of us back home in Frankfort. And there have been other journeys and oh so many other images. On the following pages we are allowed to see what this discerning photographer considers to be the best of his wide world of images.

And there is something else beautiful about Gene Burch's photographs. Nearly all of them were made simply for the pleasure of making them. Enjoy the pleasure of seeing them.

-- Nicky Hughes