Hal Gould operated a commercial photography studio in Cherry Creek for eight years in the 1950s and early 1960s before helping to found the Colorado Photographic Arts Center, a nonprofit that promoted photography as an art form. But by 1979 he wanted to exhibit works by photographers from outside the region, upsetting some of the organization's members. So he resigned and opened Camera Obscura, a fine art gallery on Bannock street.

The recession has been tough on the gallery, however, which will close at the end of April with a final exhibition featuring photos by the 91-year-old Gould and the gallery's associate director, Loretta Young-Gautier (Denver Post). "It's been a great experience," Gould says, adding, "It takes money to make money, and I just never had it. But I've done the best I could and showed good work constantly." Over the years, the gallery has featured works by Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunningham, and Sebastião Salgado, among other notable artists.