Photographs by Adam Alonzo

Though the human eye perceives the world as a series of fleeting images, the camera lends permanence to these visions.

The Camera Lends exhibition took place at the University of Dayton Roesch Library from February 20 through March 25, 2006. It was comprised of photos taken between May 2005 and February 2006.

"Regarding the exhibition title, lends is a verb, referring to the many important gifts that the camera gives to us. The camera lends me the power to permanently capture the image of beauty, even as the beautiful thing itself vanishes, or continues the inevitable path to decay. It lends us the ability to stop motion at a crucial instant so we can examine something that happens too quickly for our eyes to perceive. Another thing the camera lends is a fresh perspective on one's surroundings. Whenever I look through the viewfinder of my camera, I can see only a small rectangle of reality. I can't capture an image of everything above and below and around me. As a result, the camera lends a sense of — and sensitivity to — detail. Despite their different subject matter and the time of year they were taken, there's one thing that each photo in this show has in common. They were all taken by me, so the camera lends insight into who I am, what I do, where I go, and what I like and dislike. Although the camera is rarely pointed at me, you can come to understand who I am by what I point the camera at."