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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (May 6, 2015)
Wednesday, May 6, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 5 Library exhibit focuses on photography By Sue Stafford Correspondent The May art exhibit spon- sored by Friends of the Sisters Library (FOSL) features the work of the Sisters Area Photography Club members. With a preponderance of stunning landscape photog- raphy, members have used a variety of finishing techniques from printing on metal and canvas, to the use of computer applications that create special effects and finishes. The club has been around for about 10 years, and mem- bership is open to anyone with an interest in photog- raphy regardless of skill- level or type of equipment. Photography on display features the work of highly accomplished professionals as well as hobby amateurs who use their point-and-shoot cameras, and even their phone cameras. California transplant Greg Waddell, who serves as the club’s vice president, con- siders his photography to be both his vocation and avo- cation. After many years in retail management and a stint in real estate, Waddell moved to Sisters to be closer to his brother, who is the executive director of Wolftree, and to care for his 93-year-old mother. In his five years in Sisters, he has developed a love for the area and joined the cadre of photographers who call Central Oregon home. Waddell admits he actually enjoys the post-processing aspect of photography more than the actual shooting of photos. In college he signed up for photography classes sim- ply to gain access to the dark room, skipping the classes. A workshop with famed photographer and environ- mentalist Ansel Adams reso- nated with Waddell. Adams likened photography to music, with capturing the images being like writing the score and the processing or devel- oping of the images being the performance. Well-known street pho- tographer Jay Maisel advises aspiring photographers to “go out empty,” with no intention set about what they will shoot. “Photography isn’t about photography — it’s about everything else,” Maisel said. On a trip to Central America with Swiss photog- rapher Christian Heeb, who is part of Bend’s Cascade Center of Photography, Waddell had the opportunity to practice “going out empty.” The result is a coffee table book of arresting colorful images of the flora, fauna, people and places in Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Guatemala. Waddell favors what he calls cultural photography, capturing ordinary people going about their daily lives. The faces and colors of Central America jump off the pages of his book, with the vibrant primary colors of the produce markets and woven cotton garments. every time I go out to photograph, there is something new. It requires me to slow down and really look. — greg Waddell Photography is able to sustain Waddell’s interest because, as he said, “Every time I go out to photograph, there is something new. It requires me to slow down and really look. On a walk through Sisters, I may notice a win- dow or something on a side photo by sue stafford greg Waddell sees the world through a photographer’s eye. street. It’s never the same.” Photographs by Waddell are available on his website, www.gregsphotostudio.com. He has also had work exhib- ited at the Blue Burro, in the FOSL January art exhibit, and for the Wild River Project at Clearwater Gallery. This will be his second year to have a piece in the My Own Two Hands art auction. This year’s photograph is of the Painted Hills, printed on metal. The photography club meets the second Wednesday of the month at 4 p.m. in the library community room. Anyone can join, with individual memberships for $25 a year and family mem- berships $35. Before each meeting there is a gathering at 2:30 p.m. at Takoda’s for a photo chat where questions are answered and experi- ences shared. Whether you’ve always wanted to try your hand at doing more than taking snapshots or you are a long- time shutterbug or a profes- sional photographer, the club would welcome you and your experience — or lack of it. The exhibit will be up through the end of May, with many of the photographs available for purchase.
