Sitting on the train commuting into work each weekday, Amie Fanning is rarely still as she clicks away on her camera phone.

Along the way, Amie won’t miss the chance to photograph one particularly picturesque spot on the trip from Clinton to New Haven as she commutes to her job at Gateway Community College (GCC). Some photos capture the view just as she sees it; other times the movement on the train causes the image to come out like a blur.

The pictures of her favorite scene along the route serve as a barometer - showing weather, tides, seasons, and sometimes the time difference of sunrise. She also enjoys photographing architecture and parks in New Haven, where she is fascinated by the charm.

“I find the commute to work by train very therapeutic,” said Fanning, who is the coordinator of Publication Services at GCC and also teaches a digital production course. 

Amie’s love of photography and unique take on nature will be on display  Nov. 26 through Jan. 18  at the  NewAlliance Foundation Art Gallery at Gateway Community College  (GCC). The exhibit, entitled  Amie’s Adventures , showcases Fanning’s photographs from trips to France, Iceland, Slovenia, Aruba, and Hawaii, but also the beauty she finds in more unexpected places like her property in New Hampshire or a park in downtown New Haven. 

Her passion for photography started in high school when she began taking classes. She has also studied photography in France and Croatia and uses her camera phone or a professional quality camera. With photography, Amie said, she can capture compositions she sees in areas where most people would walk by.
 

Amie said that she travels as often as possible and airfare bargains often influence her travel plans. She is happy taking pictures at home and often gets up before sunrise to take advantage of the peaceful time when most people are still sleeping.

“For all the traveling I do, there’s no place like home,” she said. “Every day I work to capture images, stopping to see the beauty and the details in the minutia. I brave the elements to capture the night sky, sunrise and sunset, moonrise and moonset. I love chasing rainbows.”

Some of Amie Fanning’s photographs can be found at #Justnow on Instagram because she aims to have her pictures reflect what is happening in the moment on any given day. Most of her pictures are not retouched and the exhibit only includes her favorite selections from the last three years.

An Artist’s Reception, sponsored by the Gateway Community College Foundation, will take place from  5 :00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 29 . The gallery is located in room S101 at 20 Church Street, New Haven. Parking is available in the Temple Street Garage and tickets can be validated at a GCC security desk.