By EMILY KLESARIS
NORTH READING — The February Artist of the Month at the Flint Memorial Library is North Reading-based photographer Lee Howard. A true local, she grew up here in town and has returned after living in various places around the country.
Howard studied photojournalism and minored in editorial photography at the New England School of Photography in Boston. During her studies, she learned how to print and develop both color and black and white film. Her editorial photography skills included working with slides in which she had to be more precise, as they’re not easily editable. This trained her to have a natural ability to set up a shot and do it quickly. Though she learned photography using film, she now uses a digital Nikon camera and prefers to edit minimally, to preserve the natural essence of her photos.
Howard’s collection of photos on display were each taken in San Francisco, California during a trip she took with a friend in 2022 when they traveled around to see different performances of a pop music festival. Their exploration is evident through some of her photos of notable landmarks of the area including the iconic “painted ladies” and the Golden Gate Bridge, along with other hidden gems around the city including painted wall murals cascading down alleyways. The 10 photos Lee selected to display tell the story of their travels from dawn, to sunrise shots, and bright blue skies.
The display will be available to view throughout the month of February. To see more of her work go to fineartamerica.com/profiles/10-lee-howard