Vahe Peroomian Infrared Gallery

Vahé Peroomian is a space scientist by profession, but has taken every opportunity to pursue his fascination with photography and the beauty of the Gaian landscape. He is a self-trained photographer, and prefers a hands-on approach and independent experimentation with photographic styles and techniques. He has found that the same off-the-wall approach that works in solving physics problems helps him see landscapes in a new light as well. The self-similar shapes in landscapes, and the play between cloud and landscape that characterize many of his photographs are a manifestation of this viewpoint. Vahé’s love of photography as a child and young adult blossomed into a passion fourteen years ago. Since then, he has used every opportunity, be it an extra day during a space science conference, a visit to a national park, a road trip up the California coast, or the trips to Armenia documented in this book, to pursue this passion.

The infrared photographs from around the world, which he calls Infraredscapes, show the landscape in the color of warmth, the color of life. Unlike conventional black and white photographs that assign drab grays to tree leaves and consign clouds to battle the sky for contrast, digital infrared photographs highlight these by making them stand out. Leaves, exuding the warmth of life, appear white, as do clouds against black skies.

Vahé’s photography has earned him a number of awards, including the 2009 and 2012 Black & White Spider Awards (Nominee, Nature category), Black and White Landscapes Category Winner, 2011 Louisville Art Association National Juried Photography Show, 2011 Founder’s Choice Award, Infinity Art Gallery Photography Expo, 2011 Special Recognition Award, Light Space & Time Gallery: Seascapes.

Solo and juried photography exhibitions that Vahé has participated in include The World of Infraredscapes (August 2012, Mkrtchyan Art Gallery, Glendale, California), Idyllic Landscapes (February 2006, Harvest Gallery, Glendale, California), Rare Earth (January 2013, The Darkroom Gallery, Essex Junction, Vermont), and PhotoSpiva 2011 and 2012 (Spiva Center for the Arts, Joplin, Missouri).

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