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Thanks for visiting my fine art photography collection - I hope you are enjoying my images.

I am originally from Erie, PA and St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. I began my pursuit of photography as a hobby in the early 1980's. I became more serious about my photographic endeavors in 2006 when I entered my first competition and won a 2nd-place prize out of a field of approximately 100 entries. Since then, I have entered my works regularly in photo contests and exhibits. Several of my photographs have earned awards in competitions and I am honored that my works are displayed in over 40 homes and offices of family, friends and collectors who made purchases on this website or at exhibits.

My photography celebrates the joy of vivid color, the sensation of patterns or textures, and the visual interest of abstracts created by reflections, close-ups or motion. While my subjects may be bold and colorful, I favor clean, simple compositions. Much of my work is inspired by my travels across the US and in many countries of the world.

"Out of the Corner of My Eye" refers to my reliance on peripheral vision to frame and compose my images. In 2007, I was diagnosed with a form of macular degeneration which has caused me progressive vision loss over time. I have been legally blind since 2012. For more of the story behind "Out of the Corner of My Eye", see below.

As a member of the Society of Bluffton Artists (SOBA) from 2017 to 2025, I participated in approximately 100 exhibits at the main SOBA Gallery in Old Town Bluffton and satellite galleries in the Bluffton / Hilton Head area. I have been a member of the Camera Club of Hilton Head Island (CCHHI) since 2017 and have participated in CCHHI-sponsored exhibits at the Coastal Discovery Museum on Hilton Head Island.


COPYRIGHT NOTICE: All my photographic art work on this website is protected by U.S. and international copyright laws, all rights reserved. No image here may be copied, reproduced, manipulated or used in any way without written permission from Rick Locke. The purchase of any of my photographs does not transfer reproduction rights.

NO USE OF AI: All images on this site have been created by Rick Locke personally, using traditional photographic and image editing tools, with no use of artificial intelligence or other digital generative enhancements.


BACKGROUND, REFERENCES AND LINKS

The Story Behind "Out of the Corner of My Eye" - Getting Unstuck - Cultivating Curiosity - Episode #250, April 2023
In my interview with podcast host Jeff Ickler, we discuss my vision loss, technologies and strategies for adapting to low vision, and the story and meaning of my website tagline, "Out of the Corner of My Eye". Listen here.


GALLERY EXHIBITS AND COMPETITIONS

Biennale 2021 - Art League of Hilton Head's 2021 National Juried Exhibition
In this Juried Exhibit, Foggy Optimism was selected among the top 100 of 735 submissions from 40 states. Exhibit ran May 4-26, 2021 at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, Hilton Head, SC.

Four Seasons in the Lowcountry - Coastal Discovery Museum - Hilton Head, SC
Tama Peacock Twins (Winter) and Bridges Over Tranquil Waters (Summer) were selected for inclusion in this exhibit juried by the Coastal Discovery Museum and curated by the Camera Club of Hilton Head Island, March 4 - April 28, 2021.

All-Saints Garden Tour Poster Contest - Hilton Head Hospital - February - March 2020
Tama Peacock Twins was voted the Peoples' Choice Award in this annual event sponsored by the Garden Society of Hilton Head Island.

A Sense of Place - Coastal Discovery Museum - May 2 - June 29, 2018
Two of my images,A Solitary Light and The Sky Is On Fire were selected for this Juried exhibit curated by the Camera Club of Hilton Head Island (CCHHI), Hilton Head, SC.

Society of Bluffton Artists "Side-by-Side" - SOBA Gallery - Bluffton, SC
An annual exhibit at the SOBA Gallery, the exhibit consisted of pairing a photograph and a painter's original interpretation of the same imagehanging them side-by-side. Among my 9 entries over three years were Mama Dina (interpreted by Murray Sease - 2017), The Sky Is On Fire (interpreted by Terry Hannock - 2018) and In the Shadow of a Rainbow (interpreted by Gayle Miller - 2018).

Five Photographers / Five Styles - Wilton CT - Sep. 2013
Hosted at the Wilton Public Library, this exhibit featured the works of five local photographers highlighting each one's unique approach and photographic style. View this Collection to see the images that comprised my exhibit.

Wilton Artists Showcase - Wilton CT - November 2014
An exhibit hosted by local Wilton businesses highlighting the works of local artists. A dozen of my images were displayed in the Wilton Starbucks for several weeks leading up to Christmas. Of note, the Starbucks baristas expressed appreciation for the splash of color my work bright to their store. Click here to view all the images shown in this exhibit.

Camera Club of Hilton Head Island Member Meeting Competitions Award Winners
Ribbon-winning images in CCHHI member meeting competitions. View all as a Collection.
Sep. 2020 - 2nd Place - Theme "Sunrise / Sunset" - Goodnight, Hilton Head
Nov. 2020 - 1st Place - Theme "Travel Photography" - Leaning on a Cloud
Nov. 2021 - 1st Place - Theme "Still Life" - Cadmium Cluster
May 2022 - 1st Place - Theme "Abstract" - Mostly Parabolic
Oct. 2022 - 2nd Place - Theme "Reflections" - Budapest Reflections
Nov. 2022 - 1st Place - Theme "Three's a Crowd" - The Lobby
Mar. 2024 - 1st Place - Theme "Paper" - Tissue Coyote
Nov. 2025 - 1st Place - Theme "ICM" - Dancin' Yule
May 2026 - 3rd Place - Theme "Macro/Up Close" - A Splash of Lavender

Wilton Arts Council Focus Photography Contests Award Winners - Wilton CT
The WAC Focus 'yy exhibit is an annual competition judged by a panel of 3 judges across 3 categories of entrants - Adult, High School, Youth. I participated each year from 2006 through 2015 and a complete list of my entries, in chronological order, can be viewed
in this Collection. Over this span, I was recognized in 4 competitions for these images:
Focus '06 - Second Place - Bahamas Beach Pavilion
Focus '11 - Fourth Place - Market Wares - Granada Spain
Focus '12 - Honorable Mention - Cincture da Firenze
Focus '14 - Honorable Mention - A Splash of Blue


SOBA "Artist-to-Artist" Blog Posts - Society of Bluffton Artists
As an exhibiting member of SOBA from December 2016 to September 2025, I exhibited in monthly shows and contributed to the Artist to Artist member blog. These posts written by me were published on the SOBA Gallery website in March and June of 2023. Updated versions of these posts can be found by clicking the "Blog Posts" link at the top of this section, to the right of my headshot photo.

SOBA Gallery Artists to Artists Blog - March 2023: Scenes from the Lowcountry

SOBA Gallery Artists to Artists Blog - June 2023: Abstract Photographic Art


ADDITIONAL LINKS


Fine Art America 1000 Views group Artist of the Week Honor - April 28 - May 4, 2024

Society of Bluffton Artists - Bluffton, SC

Camera Club of Hilton Head Island - Hilton Head Island, SC

My Images Featured on Lowcountry Meals-on-Wheels website - Bluffton - Hilton Head, SC

My Images on Photo.Net

Wilton Arts Council - Wilton, CT

Wilton Library - Wilton, CT

Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield. CT

Digital Photography Review - DPReview


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In Memoriam

This site is dedicated to the memory of my dad and hero, Charlie Locke. Dad was a great role model for how to be a good person, a good father and grandfather, and how to handle adversities in life with strength, courage, composure and grace. I can only hope to be able to live up to his example. The world lost a great man when he passed away in 2022. Thanks to the infinite memory of the internet, I have this video clip from a 2012 interview to see him and hear his voice again as he reminisces about his days as a player on the Erie Lions hockey team during the 1960s. I love you and miss you, Dad.

Charlie Locke on Erie Lions Hockey - July 2012

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