Forum Member Tricia McKellar to Speak at Cary Photographic Artists Meeting

Whatever you had planned for the evening of July 24th will have to wait because Forum member Tricia McKellar will be speaking at the Cary Photographic Artists meeting that night!

Tricia will be presenting her program: “Exploring Your Creativity with iPhone Videography”! Anyone who’s been paying attention to her latest work will know they are in for a treat.

The Cary Photographic Artists meet at 7:00pm the Cary Theatre, 122 E. Chatham St. Get there early because you won't want to miss a minute.

And while you’re there, consider joining the Cary photo group. They are a great group that puts on terrific programming. To find out more, go to their website here.

You can see more of Tricia's work on her website here.

Photographers Forum Meeting Night

Thanks to everyone who came out to our May meeting. As always, we saw some terrific work from some of the best photographic artists in the Triangle. If you missed the meeting you missed a lot!

(c) David H. Gibson

We had two Artist’s in Absentia this month: David H. Gibson and Kenro Izu. David Gibson works in a number of film formats but I chose to highlight his panorama landscapes. This led to a very interesting discussion on what makes a landscape a landscape. (Thanks Linda!) To see more of his work check out his website:  www.davidhgibson.com/

Kenro Izu is a photographer working mostly with large format film. He works in several “traditional” printing processes such as platinum and cyanotypes, sometimes combining them for a deep and elegant effect. I chose work from each of those portfolios as well as work from his most recent monograph: Eternal Light. You can see more of this work at his website: http://kenroizu.com

(c) Kenro Izu

Thanks also go out to everyone who stopped into the open house at Bonded Llama this past weekend to support Teresa and Tricia. This is what our community is all about! My apologies for not getting a notice posted in time. I promise to do better next time. And congrats to Teresa on the sale of her tulip print at the open house. It was a beautifully executed print, and we saw it here at the Forum first!  When I say if you miss a meeting you miss a lot, I’m not kidding...

And speaking of community, we had a terrific discussion on what a "community" of photographic artists might look like and what it means to be a part of one. Whether we realize it or not, we have created one with the Photographers Forum. We are a collective of very talented and very passionate artists who are wiling to take time to share, to learn, and to grow as photographers. That makes the group as special as it is rare. So, as we begin our 9th year as a group, let us never forget to celebrate how lucky we are to share our journey with such an incredible group of artists.

As always, there's much more to come so stay tuned!!!

Photographers Forum Meeting Night

Thanks to everyone who came out to tonight's Forum meeting. As always, we saw some terrific work from some of the most talented artists in the Triangle. If you missed it, you missed a lot!

(c) Craig Ferroggiaro

We had two Artist’s in Absentia this month: Mark Power and Craig Ferroggiaro. Both are documentary photographers but are quite different in style and approach. We talk often about styles of photography and the types of work that seem more “popular” (read: more likely to be juried into exhibits) than others.

But is that really what it is?

I think that the issue is less about “popularity” than it is about creating work that stands out from the crowd. Documentary work is probably the easiest type of photography for artists to produce. After all, isn’t that why many of us pick up a camera to being with? To record our lives for posterity? To remember? I have a camera. I carry it with me. I take photos of people and things as I go. That’s not so hard. Right?

Except that to create meaningful work, regardless of genre, it is hard.

Why? Because, for one thing, everything’s been done to death… Everyone with a camera is out doing what everyone else is doing.

So, what to do?

(c) Mark Power

 

Keep making images! The only way to improve your work is to keep making it.

To quote Harry Callahan: “I guess I’ve shot about 40,000 negatives and of these I have about 800 pictures I like.”

That’s a pretty good crop.

And while you make art, share it. Get it out in the world. Get feedback. Take what’s useful and discard the rest.

How will you know the difference? Don’t worry, after you engage for a while, it will start to make more sense. But only if you keep doing it.

While trends in taste come and go, there’s a reason that, after over a hundred years, the chocolate chip cookie is still the most popular baked good in the world. While you may find them everywhere, when they’re very good, they’re very satisfying…

Both photographers have great websites with a lot of images. For Mark Power, go here. For Craig Ferroggiaro, go here.

I hope to see many of you at our next meeting!

 

Photographers Forum Night Out!

Once again members of the Photographers Forum head out on the town and this time to Vic's Italian Restaurant. As always a great time was had by all.

Another fine time had by all!!!

 Thanks again to John for making it happen. We've been to Vic's a few times and have not been disappointed. Check out their website here.

Stay tuned for more Forum activities and updates!!!

Photographers Fourm Kicks Off 2019!

The Photographers Forum got off to a great start in the New Year with their first meeting in 2019. As always, we saw some terrific work by some of the best photographers working in the Triangle.

Photo artist Linda Wright presents her work during the January Photographers Forum

This months’ artist in absentia was George Tice. He has no website unfortunately, but just do a search and you will be justly rewarded.

In the course of our reviews a couple of subjects came up and I mentioned a couple of artists whose work might be of interest to anyone wishing to follow up.

The first subject was drone photography. With any new technology it’s easy to fall into the trap of creating work that’s little more than a cliché. I mentioned the work of Bill Schwab who is doing some really terrific work with drones. Check out his website: http://www.billschwab.com His drone work is in the The Human Stain portfolio. It’s a new portfolio and he doesn’t have a lot of images up yet, but you can see he’s making great use of the technology, not the other way around. You can see more drone images (and a lot of other great work) on his InstaGram feed: https://www.instagram.com/bill_schwab/

We also talked about abstract photography and it’s hard to think about abstracts and not think about the work of Aaron Siskind. One of the most influential photographic artists of the 20^th century, his career spanned over six decades. Again, an internet search will call up an abundance of excellent resources, but a good place to start is at the Aaron Siskind Foundation site: http://www.aaronsiskind.org/

 

All in all, a great way to start off the New Year! Stay tuned. As always there's much more to come...

 

 

 

 

 

Click! Festival First Friday!

The 2018 Click! Festival is off and running and First Friday is full of possibilities!

There is a great show at VAE which you won't want to miss and right next door at 311 Gallery is work by Barbara and Mike Guin.

(c) Barbara Guin

 

(c) Mike Guin

The show is titled: “The Focus.. on The Road Less Traveled.  - The road less traveled is both a literal and metaphorical byway traversed over land or via the power of thought.  Far removed from interstates and mainstream social norms, it may lead us to images of non-conformity and independent thinking; uncommon perspectives; the natural beauty and remoteness of hinterlands; or the crumbling remains of days gone by."

Don't miss the opportunity to get out and see some terrific work by two terrific artists!

Be sure to check out the Click! website for more information on everything going on for the remainder of this years festival!

The Image Salon to Exhibit at Halle Cultural Arts Center

The Halle Cultural Arts Center in Apex will be the venue for the next exhibit of The Image Salon. Titled: "In the footsteps of..." the show will open on July 23rd and run through August 31st. The opening reception will be on July 27th from 6pm - 8pm.

(c) Michael Ligett

For this exhibit, each artist will select a photographer whose work they admire, and from that inspiration will create work of their own. Hence: "In the footsteps of..."

(c) Michael Liggett

The Image Salon is a group of 8 diverse local photographers in the Triangle (Raleigh, NC) area. They came together to advance their own photography as well as each of the other members, by sharing their knowledge and meeting on a regular basis to critique the current work of each of the individual artists.

Although each member has their own unique perspective, their ability to share their experience in every aspect of photography, from concept to exhibition in a spirit of collaboration, has led to deep personal and professional connections and fostered a friendly environment in which to grow their own photographic vision.

To learn more about The Image Salon, visit their website here.

This is a terrific concept assembled by an exceptional group of artists. This will be one show you won't want to miss!