Courtesy Photo Beverly Benson Wolf’s photography will be on display at Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan. The exhibit opens with a reception from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday.

ALPENA ­– Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan will host a photography exhibit by Beverly Benson Wolf, with an opening reception from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday.

This is a free public open house reception to come in to meet the artist and view her amazing photography.

Wolf is an international award-winning photographer with deep roots in Northeast Michigan. Her great-grandparents owned the Adams House hotel in Posen over 100 years ago, and her grandparents lived on Grand Lake until health issues moved them to Alpena over 40 years ago. Wolf spent many years visiting, exploring, and loving our area, and now lives on Presque Isle Harbor with her husband David as their dream retirement.

Wolf first explored photography in 1986 when her work as a police detective called upon her to photograph an occasional crime scene. She took an adult education class in black and white photography and was captivated the moment she developed her first image. It was magical to watch a picture develop on a sheet of white paper immersed in a chemical bath. She was hooked.

Over the course of her career, she was taught photographic skills by a variety of nationally recognized professional photographers and continued with formal classes, as well as informal training with numerous photographers in southeast Michigan.

Wolf has exhibited in group and individual exhibits since 2002. She has served as an exhibit juror and judged numerous photographic competitions. In July of 2007, and again in July of 2008, she had images selected for the Governor’s Residence Artist Program whereby images were selected and hung in the Governor’s Residence for each year.

While participating in art fairs from 2006 through 2008, her image “Opposing Views” was selected at the Portside Art Fair 2008 for a “purchase prize” and is now a permanent addition to the East Jordan Historical and Art Society Cygred Riley Art Gallery,

Wolf’s image “European Eagle Owl” won Best of Show at the Photographic Society of America’s 73rd Annual International Salon of Photography held in Detroit in 2006 where her work went up against 56 images from six continents.

For over a decade, it has been Wolf’s continuing honor to be invited to submit images to the Sierra Club for consideration and inclusion in their widely distributed and appreciated annual Sierra Club Engagement and Wilderness Wall Calendars.

Wolf is inspired by the natural environment and beauty that can be found from the vastness of the skies to the minutia of a tiny frost pattern. While some images are carefully planned for weather, time of day, location, and the subject’s characteristics, others are spontaneously based on serendipitous chance. “Stop the car!” Her subjects reflect her commitment to preserving the natural world, as well as that impacted by the hand of man. Her desire is to share the beauty or uniqueness of the subject as she sees it and feels it.

Wolf has been fortunate to travel widely from the Soviet Union to South Africa, the Galapagos to Peru, and across much of Europe, but wants only to live in Presque Isle. Many beautiful images have been captured on these adventures, but when it comes to favorites it’s “America, the Beautiful” whether it’s winter, spring, summer or fall.

From “America the Beautiful,” represented by eagles and fireworks, through “spacious skies,” “amber waves of grain,” to the “purple mountains’ majesty” and fruited plains, ending with “brotherhood” and shining seas, Wolf hopes you’ll see some of the beauty that has captured her heart and been a feast for her eyes.

“Through traditional and interpretive photography, I explore the subtle qualities of light, color, and form,” Wolf said in an artist’s statement. “While the ‘big picture’ tells the story, it’s often the minutia that completes my visualization of the images. In addition to subtle qualities, I find the strong graphic character of subjects equally intriguing. Strong lines, bold color, and the union of the two capture my eye. Most commonly there is a focal point, but sometimes it is the synergism of the components — in spite of the general rules of composition — that fuels my vision … Placement makes the image more poignant.”

Wolf’s exhibit will be on display through April 20.

Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan is located at 491 Johnson St., Alpena. For more, visit bessermuseum.org.