photo by Walt Miles

April Photo Newsletter

Inwards/Outwards

Above all, Owen can't wait to be back to teaching and learning and sharing his love of photography with all of you. But for now we are grateful for our art form that gets us outside and remaining in touch with our complex, fragile and beautiful world.

By Kitty O'Meara, retired school teacher from Madison, Wisconsin. Thanks to Jane Bodine who sent it along.

And this is a poem by one of Owen's favorite poets, who wrote from his experience of bipolar disorder. It might be a bit dark for some, but some might find resonance to our own day to day experiences,

In a Dark Time

BY THEODORE ROETHKE

In a dark time, the eye begins to see,

I meet my shadow in the deepening shade;

I hear my echo in the echoing wood—

A lord of nature weeping to a tree.

I live between the heron and the wren,

Beasts of the hill and serpents of the den.

What’s madness but nobility of soul

At odds with circumstance? The day’s on fire!

I know the purity of pure despair,

My shadow pinned against a sweating wall.

That place among the rocks—is it a cave,

Or winding path? The edge is what I have.

A steady storm of correspondences!

A night flowing with birds, a ragged moon,

And in broad day the midnight come again!

A man goes far to find out what he is—

Death of the self in a long, tearless night,

All natural shapes blazing unnatural light.

Dark, dark my light, and darker my desire.

My soul, like some heat-maddened summer fly,

Keeps buzzing at the sill. Which I is I?

A fallen man, I climb out of my fear.

The mind enters itself, and God the mind,

And one is One, free in the tearing wind.

photo by Kitty Kono

Announcement:

We are looking into online classes, lessons and tutorials. Watch for more details!!

photo by Owen Biddle

Upcoming DSLR Fundamentals Classes

Below are descriptions of some of our classes. We can't wait for the (data-based) green light to get up a new schedule and to carry on with all our photo antics!!

In the meantime, we will be providing ideas to keep your photography going including our new online Photo Salon (See below).

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.

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.

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!

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.

Advanced Photography is designed to help advanced students define themselves as photographers and to move towards independence with their picture-taking. By the completion of this class, students are ready to take on more professional photography projects.

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Photo Salon

In-person Photo Salons are on hold right now, but we are very excited about our new online salon. Check out this facebook link and join the group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/owenbiddlephotosalon

Our purpose is to provide an online place for our community to stay in touch, stay inspired and get out there and keep snapping. You can post pictures and get feedback, ask photo questions, make suggestions etc. And we'll be suggesting prompts to challenge you to try out all kinds of new picture-taking. What do you say???

Special thanks to Jonathan Prusky, whose technical skills have saved us more than once and made this whole endeavor possible.

photo by Owen Biddle

The Summer Day

Who made the world? Who made the swan, and the black bear? Who made the grasshopper? This grasshopper, I mean- the one who has flung herself out of the grass, the one who is eating sugar out of my hand, who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down- who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes. Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face. Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away. I don't know exactly what a prayer is. I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass, how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields, which is what I have been doing all day. Tell me, what else should I have done? Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon? Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

—Mary Oliver

Online Photo Salon Challenge for the Month of April

Night Photography

Consider the golden hour, sunset, the blue hour and back dark night. All lighting is good: moonlight, neon, florescent, incandescent, headlights, streetlights etc.

Post on the facebook salon.

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Photographers of the Month:

Amy Anna - Photo Diary

Walt Miles - Community

As we thought about our April Photo Newsletter, we knew we wanted a theme that somehow connected to the extraordinary times we are all living through. How could photography speak about the drama and disaster that has gripped the world, and be relevant to each of us as photographers, individuals and participants in this dire human experience? Are we looking inward, trying to understand how as individuals we fit into what is going on? Do we gaze outward, acknowledging that we are part of an event that touches all of our communities around the world? With all these questions in mind, we decided to bring these two perspectives together, in parallel, in tandem, to show how photography can indeed respond at this time.

Walt Miles

Amy Anna

Click on thumbnails to see full images

And here's what Amy has to say:

"I was surprised I was asked to present images for a photo diary until I started going through pictures and realized that that is all I do! I seem to be anchored in time and space a little differently than most people, and documenting the way I feel about my life compels me to make photos with a certain blurry, moody look.I used to think that was simply due to poor vision and a moody disposition. But as I get older and events render me crustier and more bedraggled, I find that crisp, clean images have no relevance to my lifestyle, or my journey in image-making. The pictures taken of the outer world reflect the inner world, without fail. Anybody want to buy about a thousand bad shots of mysterious doorways and long roads that disappear into the mist?"

Here's what Walt has to say:

" my interest in photography started back in the day when newspapers were king and magazines ruled a thing called newstands,i'm sure thats the reason why i shoot almost entirely in b&w...nothing against color but i started out obviously in film doing the whole nine yards shoot/process/print...then along came didg with the space age technology built into something thats fits into the palm of your hand...since megapixels are cheap you can now shoot shoot then shoot some more which i do frequently.....with all these images in hand i go to the monthly "salons" hosted by Owen&Rachel and get to interact with groups wonderful and giving photographers...i would like to add that photojourlist for the inky and other print outlets are doing amazing work using photos to cover the pandemic..w"