Owen Biddle
Photo School
photo by Lenore Denbin
June Photo Newsletter
The Great Outdoors:
Nature Near and Far
Dear Photographers,
It's June! Time for you and your camera to head out the door and take advantage of the abundance of natural beauty all around. Nature inspires both grand images of spreading vistas and intimate moments with a special place or a chance encounter with friendly bug.
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Photo by Owen Biddle
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Intimate Landscape
Do you have a special place - maybe in the shade of a favorite tree, a tucked away corner of a garden, or a spot hidden behind an old fence - that evokes a sense of nostalgia or belonging that is impossible to put into words? This workshop will cover the means photographers use to capture these "intimate landscapes" that don't reach for the grand vistas, but turn instead to the small and magical . We'll go into the mindset and compositional considerations that can help us recapture this child's eye view of our world.
First Session: Friday, 6/17 7:00 - 8:30 Discussion of ideas and technique as well as examples from master photographers.
Second Session: Friday, 6/24 7:00 - 8:30 Show your work from the intervening week for feedback
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Photo by Owen Biddle
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Photo Field Trips
Two field trips: Two opportunities to plunge into to The Great Outdoors with your camera
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Here's a lovely site for nature photography. We will find bubbling fountains, leafy trees and pretty flowers, And the Eastern College Pond is famous for attracting a host of creatures, small and smaller. A superb chance to try out macro skills.
Saturday, 6/18 10:00 - 12:00
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John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum
At this stunning expanse of water, trees, grasses, woods and wild birds.... the photo opportunities just go on and on. If you are excited about the chance to photograph in a setting that brings together all these elements, this is a trip you should not miss. I am very excited about capturing what this wildlife refuge offers, and sharing it with other photographers
Saturday, 6/25 10:00 - 12:00
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New Two-Session Class
"The negative is the score, the print is the performance" Ansle Adams.
The masters knew how to get the absolute most out the negative using dark room techniques such as adjusting contrast, dodging and burning, and cropping. Today we have an even more powerful array of editing options to bring out our pictures' full potential. This class is an introduction to basic editing adjustments, including straightening, cropping, color correction, histograms, exposure, contrast.... it's a long list, but with a little instruction you will be able to realize your visions and produce pictures worthy of printing. Also essential for preparing images for books and websites.
To schedule call (610) 626 - 7854 or email owenbiddlephotography@gmail.com.
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Announcements
Gerry Fisher won Best of Show for
Merion Cricket Club Photo Competition.
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winning photo by Gerry Fisher
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DSLR Fundamentals Tutorials
Below are descriptions of the basic units of our curriculum available to students ranging from beginner to advanced. Most units are five lessons and include a set of assignments designed to give practice in targeted skills with opportunities to get feedback from the instructor so that you learn from your experiences.
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Just give a call and we can set up individual sessions to keep you moving forward with your photography.
Call (610)-626-7854 for details.
​(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.
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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.
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Fundamentals 3: Composition takes photography beyond the subject, and encourages you to see the artistic and compositional opportunities in everyday life. Here is a chance for your right brain to come out and play!
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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.
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Advanced Photography - Using self-generated assignments and in-depth critiques we will help you move forward in your work.
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Not a photo, but ...
In this landscape, Claude Monet (1840 - 1926) shows how horizontal layers of greens and purples are alluring and peaceful. Check out how our photographer of the month uses this same compositional scheme.
In-Person Photo Salons on Hold... Again :(
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We're waiting for things to settle so we can resume one of our very favorite features of Owen Biddle Photo School. Stay tuned! And check out our online salon where photographers share pictures and comments https://www.facebook.com/groups/owenbiddlephotosalon/
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photo by Owen Biddle
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Photographer of the Month:
Lenore Denbin
Here's what Lenore has to say: "I have been into photography since I purchased my first Canon AE-1 film camera in 1982. I was living in Manhattan and enjoyed walking the streets with the only lens I owned at that time - the standard 50mm. I really didn't know what I was doing, and found some darkroom classes at the New School and the 92nd Street Y. I included one of my favorite (and luckiest) shots of my favorite musician from that time. I had no idea what I was doing, but asked him if he were enjoying the parade (it was St. Patrick's Day 1983) and if I could take his photo. He kindly obliged. Do you know who he is? (hint: he is still my favorite musician, he still plays regularly at Madison Square Garden and a fun fact: I have seen him over 40 times!) You would think I had the makings of a street photographer, but I never really overcame the introvert in me. I abandoned the camera for awhile and then once children came into the picture, rediscovered the lens. I have since evolved into photographing what I see as beauty - whether that be an old stone wall or rusty window, or a landscape or abstract nature scene. I struggle with photo editing a great deal, and try to do the best I can with my simple skills. Many of the photos I submitted today are from Wellfleet on Cape Cod. Wellfleet holds great beauty, peaceful settings and coastal vistas. For more street life, Provincetown is just a few miles up Route 6. One day, I hope to spend more than a couple of weeks a summer there."
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Extended time in an inspiring place to photograph is certainly a gift, but what Lenore achieves in what time she has is stunning. In pictures that are warm and glowing, crisp and sparkling or muted and evocative, her engagement with the nature and scenes around her is unmistakable. Her photographs allow us to pause and take in the loveliness of our world. Billy Joel isn't bad either.....​
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Click on thumbnails to see full images
