Owen Biddle
Photo School
February Photo Newsletter
Black & White
Black and White Dreaming
Two-Session Workshop
Imagining in Black & White
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Thursdays 7:00 - 8:30 2/15 and 2/22
One of my teachers once said "Color is about color and black and white is about everything else". In these two sessions we will explore the power of black and white photography to add mystery and mood to our images. Without the distractions of color, the abstract qualities of line, shape and form come forward. The first session will be to look at master black and white photographers and discuss their techniques. The second session will be to share your work from the intervening week. Using camera settings and post-production, we will also experiment with converting color images to black and white and assessing the results.
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Sunday February 11 10:00 - 12:00
An unusual choice of setting, perhaps, but one that is especially evocative in the winter light. 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: Philadelphia
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Rodin Museum
Sunday, February 25 10:00 - 12:00
This museum, recently returned to its original European appearance, is a rich destination for photographers. We will start by photographing Rodin’s powerful and moving sculptures, both indoors and outdoors. The site also offers wonderful architecture and landscaping. A perfect opportunity to explore how black and white can unify many elements: live people viewing stone sculptures, vegetation against architecture etc.
Location: Philadelphia
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Announcements!!
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Tom Tauber shared this link for information about entering the Wilmington International Photo Contest: http://www.wilmingtoninternational.org.
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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.
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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 2/5, 2/12, 2/19, 2/26
Saturdays 2:00 - 3:30 2/3, 2/10, 2/17, 2/24
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.
Fridays 7:00 - 8:30 2/16, 2/23, 3/2, 3/9
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 2/10, 2/17, 2/24, 3/3
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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.
TBA
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
TBA
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Sunday 3:00 - 4:30 February 18
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 confirm your spot early!
Photographer of the Month:
Anne Titterton
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Here's what Anne has to say:“I actually don’t remember when I started taking photographs. It seems to have happened so naturally. I can look back at my collection and find photographs dating back to my childhood. All through high school and college, people knew me as the girl with the camera on her shoulder, a Canon AE-1 that was my loyal companion for probably 20 years. I most unwillingly left film (and that camera) behind for digital, but have marveled at the evolution that our equipment has undergone, and how technology has enhanced the art even more.
I’ve always loved how photography uniquely freezes a moment in time, in space, in memory. My work has a landscape/architectural bent, but there’s nothing like the intimacy of photographing people. A relationship forms between photographer and subject, maybe because by photographing people we’re telling a little bit of their story in addition to our own. I’m also drawn to the magic of looking at a photo I took years and years ago, and feeling pulled back in time to that place, to those people, to what I was trying to convey. That will always keep me coming back.”
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The girl with the camera has become a fine, mature photographic artist. Her black and white work shows off her wonderful eye for the strong architectural forms around us. Mixed in with a powerful structuralism is a haunted, historical sense which makes Anne's work a presence that will stay with you.
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Click on thumbnails to see full images.
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Photo Tip of the Month: Think in Black and White
Many might call the winter scenery "drab", but we photographers see the potential for great Black & White images -
stark, dramatic, graphic. The high contrasts available this time of year can reveal the essential structures that are
obscured by the layers of color in our other seasons.
The tip for this month is not technical. It is to take advantage of the monochromatic world to push your compositional
skills.
1. Think contrast. Look for scenes that juxtapose dark darks and light lights to create drama.
2. Think line. Find those beautiful lines, the curves of a wrought iron fence, the intricate patterns of bare branches, the jagged lines of cracks in ice.
3. Think texture. Without color, the texture of surfaces (rocks, bark, snow, ice, etc) can become the subject of an arrresting image.
4. Black and white gives us 144 shades of gray*. See if you can capitalize on the midtones to create warmth and depth
5. Indoor portraits in Black and White are classic.
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*TriX film