Photographers of the Month:

Kitty Kono, Brette Husar, Mark Furgeson, Jose Garcia and Alan Simpson

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In October Owen Biddle Photo School presented From Washington to Valley Forge...It's Wild Out There a showing of work by five very talented local photographers.  Here is what Owen had to say:

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 "The journey that brought me here this afternoon….Well, photography is at the core of this journey.

My first experience with photography was at Elwyn Institutes Davidson School’s Audio Visual Dept. where I took pictures of young students and teachers.  Although it was “just a job” I instantly fell in love with picture taking.  This “just a job” quickly evolved as I discovered a new dimension of photography:  It was actually art.   Was it more magical making the background a beautiful blur of color or stopping an instant in time?  Photography allowed me to look and see.  Its benefit was to make the world a much much richer visual place.

Years later I discovered another power of photography.  I was teaching kids at our Lansdowne Library with donated film cameras.  It was incredible watching young people also  learn to “look and see”.  And I found that photography is a non-verbal, cross-cultural language of self expression.  

And now?  At a gathering with some of my photographer friends last November there was a level of uncertainty and anxiety in the room.  We surprised ourselves by discovering the depth of our love for America and in the face of what seemed a time of confusion and turning we asked ourselves “what can we do?”.  The answer….photography!

This presentation is the product of that impulse.  Now I understand one more, perhaps most vital, role of photography - as an instrument of social responsibility.  
Here is how Gordon Parks said it”
“I saw that the camera could be a weapon against poverty, against of racism, against all sorts of social wrongs.  I knew at that point I had to have a camera.”

So please enjoy the work of five amazing photographers who have devoted the last ten months to documenting this time in our world.  From the jungles of Brazil to those of Washington DC, from the streets of Philadelphia to the glaciers of Canada, these photographers offer testimony to what we all know:  these people, the country and this planet are precious and deserve all we can give to protect them.  We hope you will find renewed inspiration from their efforts.  

Finally, the proceeds from this event will be donated to Earth Quaker Action Team (EQAT), a group committed to environmental and social justice. Any donations to the group would be very welcome
 

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Click on thumbnails to see full images.

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