Photographers Forum Meeting Night

Tonight was the July meeting of the Photographers Forum at VAE and as always there was terrific work presented along with great conversation. Extra thanks go out to everyone who brought snacks and refreshments.

Tonight's Artist in Absentia was Elliott Erwitt. Erwitt is best known for his witty and insightful images of everyday life. A member of Magnum, he is a master of the 'decisive moment", and a film maker as well. To learn more about him and his work, visit his website here.

Also part of the conversation tonight was a discussion on the "Why?" of our artistic journey. We often allow so much of our time to be taken up with the "how?", we don't often consider the "Why?".

For each person the answer will be different, but the over-arching principle, the foundation of everything we do, must include: HAVING FUN!!!

Samuel Beckett expressed this idea quite well in his directive to "dance first, think later".

If we think back I'm sure we can all remember a time when picking up a camera was an act of excitement and wonder. Watching a print come up in the developer (for those of us that go back that far), opening a packet of prints from the lab, or opening up your files on the big screen. Realizing that you "got the shot"!

These are among the moments that make the all the effort so eminently worth while.

So let's not ever lose that sense of joy and excitement that caused us to fall in love with photography in the first place. And continue to share those moments with the rest of the world.

The next Forum meeting will be August 2nd. 7:00pm at VAE, 309 W. Martin St. Raleigh. I hope to see you all there!