Bio

Al Neyman Bio Born in northeastern Pennsylvania, photography was an expensive hobby. Al did more artwork in drawing, painting and sculpture then, and stillto a lesser extent. Allen lives in the metro area of Washington, DC, where he maintains an architectural design firm. Living a family lifestyle includes a spouse, a child, and learning garden to kitchen cuisine. Architectural/Urban Design education prepared him for planning work with a regional agency, where he managed a photogrammetry project of Lackawnna county, among other regional planning activities. At the Pennsylvania State University, he co-authored the Mantua Primer, published by the United States Health Services Research. Al’s photos of a socially/economically challenged community in West Philadelphia (Mantua) were featured in the publication, and exhibited in a show at the University. His professional general architectural practice included ownership/management of a firm engaged building design of commercial, institutional, industrial, and residential structures. Al became enamored with the idea and utility of the camera and experimented with box and bellows cameras. He used Hasselblad, Canon, and Leica 35mm cameras in the film era, and now Leica M and SL digital camera systems. The architectural firm was closed in 2020, allowing Al to focus more intently on photography. For several years Al has led a 'Peer Group’ of photographers meeting regularly to present and discuss their work on particular themes. In pursuit of wider exposure, Al has been recognized by photography and art competition sponsors including Lens Culture, Life Framer, and Maryland Federation of Art. In competition sponsored by the Music Center at Strathmore, his staged photo based on Caravaggio’s “Card Sharps” earned the esteem of juror Zoma Wallace, "I saw this piece during the jurying process, it instantly jumped out at me and became one of my favorite works of all those (some 900 mixed media pieces) submitted. At Multiple Exposures Gallery, Alexandria, VA, Al took a first place in the photographers’ gallery. During the last several years, Al has contributed photography regularly, showing 80 pieces at regional galleries and showplaces in Maryland, the Washington D.C. metro area, and on-line.