photo (cropped) by Ralph Eugene Meatyard

November Photo Newsletter

Photography from Another Side

November Workshop

Two-Session Photo Workshop

Getting Ready for the Holidays

Wednesdays 7:00 - 8:30 11/13, 11/20

At this time of year, capturing pictures of the people we are sharing the holidays with is just about number one. This workshop covers the basics to keep in mind, so that you will be pleased with the shots you get, both posed and candid. People, food, lights - Let's go!

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photo by Owen Biddle

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November Photo Field Trips

Mount Laurel Cemetery

Sunday, 11/10 3:00 - 5:00

An unusual choice of setting, perhaps, but one that is especially evocative in the light of late fall. The mausoleums, obelisks, angels and arching trees are the elements for creating uncommon compositions. A great chance to try out your tripod and wide-angle lens.

Location: Bala Cynwyd, PA

photo by Owen Biddle

30th Street Station

Thursday 11/14 3:00 - 5:00

This Philadelphia site is so familiar and utilitarian, it is often overlooked for its photographic possibilities. But we will explore the grand architecture, indoor markets,the tracks, wires, trains coming and going and views of the city from the platforms. Our approach will go beyond showing a "beautiful building", and aim to document the interplay between man and the environment in this transportation hub. (Also a great place to capture people going about their everyday lives.)

photo by Owen Biddle

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Upcoming DSLR Fundamentals Classes

Please note: Private individual classes are always another option. Call (610)-626-7854 for details and scheduling.

All classes held in Lansdowne

(click on links for more information)

Fundamentals 1: Camera Operations is for students who are just starting out, or want a
good review of the basic camera functions.

Mondays 7:00 - 8:30 11/4, 11/11, 11/18, 11/25

Saturdays 12:00 - 1:30 11/9, 11/16, 11/23, 11/30

Fundamentals 2: Applications is for students who have some comfort with the camera and want to start applying their skills to expand their photographic range.

Thursdays 7:00 - 8:30 11/7, 11/14, 11/21, 12/5 (note, no class 11/28)

Fundamentals 3: Composition takes photography beyond the subject, and encourages you see the artistic and compositional opportunities in everyday life. Here is a chance for your right brain to come out and play!

Saturdays 10:00 - 11:30 11/9, 11/16, 11/23, 11/30

Fundamentals 4: Lighting Across the Genres is for students who are ready for the next critical step: lighting. Explore sophisticated means of controlling both natural and artificial light for portraits, landscape and still life to get just the mood and effects you want.

TBD Please call us to discuss dates (610) 626 - 7854

Advanced Photography

TBD Please call us to discuss dates (610) 626 - 7854

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Upcoming Photo Salon

Sunday 3:00 4:30 November 11/17

These are very friendly, relaxed get-togethers at my apartment in Lansdowne. Photographers of all levels are welcome to share pictures, get photography tips, and discuss camera equipment. You can also get ideas for entering photography contests, submitting to photography magazines and having photo shows. Feedback from the group provides encouragement and inspiration to go out and take more pictures. These informal photography critiques offer an excellent opportunity to start identifying themes in your work and to get ideas for new directions. Group size is limited, so if you can come an RSVP is required by email or call (610) 626-7854. Cost is $10. These Salons often fill-up,

so it's best to get your spot early

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Photographer of the Month

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

American, 1925-1972

Here is a photographer you may not know about. We chose him, honestly, because his eerie images put us in the Halloween mood (though we know we're a bit late). But on looking again at his pictures, we discovered his work is much more than a novelty. This excerpt from the Artsynet Gallery website gives a good sense of who he was as an artist. Though not everyone will find Meatyard to their liking, and may even find his images dark and disquieting, we are pleased to present a photographer working in some unexpected corners.

"By vocation an optician, by avocation a self-described “dedicated amateur” photographer, Ralph Eugene Meatyard pursued his own vision to produce an exquisitely enigmatic, widely admired body of work. Meatyard began taking photographs in 1950, roaming the backwoods and towns in Kentucky, experimenting with framing, multiple exposures, and blurring to produce haunting, abstracted images of natural and manmade environments. In the late ’50s, he began incorporating monstrous, oversized latex masks and hands, and plastic dolls into his photographs. His family and friends were the protagonists in his carefully composed scenes, their heads consumed by the masks, plastic dolls often arranged about them. For Meatyard, who was inspired by Zen Buddhism and jazz, the masks served to equalize his subjects and shift focus elsewhere—to the poignant juxtaposition of otherworldly faces on human bodies, to the ambiguous and unknowable in human nature."