West Chester Photographer’s Stare Down Acquired by the Sondra Gillman and Celso Gonzalez-Falla Collection
Stare Down, black and white fine art photograph from the Birds of a Feather series by West Chester, PA, photographer Roman Coia
There are moments in a photographer’s career that mark both a personal milestone and a professional honor. I am grateful to share that my black and white fine art photograph, Stare Down, has been acquired by esteemed collector Celso Gonzalez-Falla for inclusion in the Sondra Gillman and Celso Gonzalez-Falla Collection of Photography.
Stare Down Moves from SouthxSoutheast Gallery Exhibition to the Gillman and Gonzalez-Falla Collection
This image was juried into the B+W exhibition at SouthxSoutheast Gallery in Molena, Georgia, by Celso, and its placement in that exhibition became the beginning of a meaningful journey. For those unfamiliar, the Sondra Gillman and Celso Gonzalez-Falla Collection is recognized as one of the most important private photography collections in the United States. Their collection includes works by many artists I’ve studied and admired, Diane Arbus, Sally Mann, Irving Penn, Robert Mapplethorpe, and Sebastião Salgado, among many others whose contributions have shaped the language of portrait and documentary photography.
To have my work displayed alongside artists whose photographs have influenced generations is something I approach with humility and gratitude.
Stare Down is part of my ongoing fine art photography series, Birds of a Feather, where I explore themes of connection, presence, and shared awareness between humans and the natural world. As a portrait photographer based in West Chester, Pennsylvania, much of my professional work centers on human expression and authentic interaction. This series extends that same exploration into wildlife photography, focusing on birds as expressive subjects with personality and presence.
Birds move through our environment with rhythm and purpose. Often unnoticed, they become powerful subjects when we slow down enough to engage. In Stare Down, I found myself locked in a brief and almost playful confrontation with a bird whose posture and gaze felt as intentional as any executive or subject I have photographed. The image captures a moment of eye contact that shifts the dynamic. It becomes less about observer and subject and more about shared dialogue.
Throughout the Birds of a Feather series, my goal is to highlight these subtle but meaningful encounters. Whether capturing birds mid-flight or in stillness, the work focuses on individuality, personality, and the quiet tension of connection. These photographs are presented as museum quality fine art prints, crafted to be experienced as finished physical pieces rather than fleeting digital files.
I want to extend sincere thanks to Nancy McCrary, founder of SouthxSoutheast Gallery, for facilitating this acquisition and for her continued dedication to exhibiting strong contemporary photography. The B+W exhibition brought together photographers working in the timeless language of black and white imagery, emphasizing form, light, and emotional depth.
As a fine art photographer and exhibiting artist, moments like this reinforce my belief that photography is meant to live beyond the screen. A carefully printed photograph placed within a respected private collection continues its life in ways we cannot predict. It becomes part of an ongoing conversation in the history of photography.
Photography at its core is about connection. Sometimes that connection is between people. Sometimes it is between species. And occasionally, it carries forward into a larger legacy.
