New photography exhibit shares life of military members through their own eyes

'The Soldier's Lens' exhibit

FOX 13's Barry Wong showcases the new exhibit at the Florida Museum of Photogenic Arts.

TAMPA, Fla - "The Soldier's Lens" shines a light on military life through the eyes of service members. 

"We didn't know exactly what we were going to get. It turns out that life in service is diverse. It's a wide-ranging experience," The Soldier's Lens Co-Founder and Co-Curator Alexis Muellner said. 

The backstory:

The idea was simple. Organizers put out an open call to veterans and active-duty service members in search of photographs from any era. 

"If you had an affinity for photography, send us your photographs of any era," Muellner said. "It went worldwide. We ended up at the submission deadline in August with 529 submissions."

A couple hundred are on display, while the rest are available to a digital kiosk. The photos vary in many ways, from modern to historic, wartime to peacetime, professional photographers to simply soldiers walking around with a small camera. 

What they're saying:

U.S. Marines Veteran Richard Lounders and U.S. Army Veteran Tom Arthur were two soldiers carrying cameras in their pockets. Their featured photos are from Vietnam. 

"One thing that I remembered, it was the children," Lounders said. "You always had some empathy for them, and you see them, the parents are working, and you have a five-year-old taking care of a one-year-old. You like seeing them and help them in any way you could."

Arthur added "The part of Vietnam that I was in was like the Florida Everglades and so, in the wet season there was water everywhere. In the dry season, that field would have still been there, but there'd be no water there at all. Recollection of the Vietnamese soldiers that I served with were great soldiers, great people and I really enjoyed being with them."

Muellner hopes to have additional exhibitions featuring more photographs in the future, saying this idea has "legs". 

"They tell such rich stories about family sacrifice, about how people have contributed major parts of their lives to this country and the defense of this country without necessarily having seen a lot of recognition for it," Muellner said. "For veterans, I think this is a special experience because I've heard from several who heard about the project, sent in their photographs, and have told me that this has been extremely therapeutic. That by having a chance to be heard, sharing their stories, even a photograph or two, that that's a healing experience."

What's next:

The museum will be hosting a special gallery walk tonight at 5:30. Tickets are $12. The exhibit will be on display until January 25th. You can find more information on the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts' website.