|
"Two of the things for which I seem to have a natural gift are art and writing. Although the artist skills have shown themselves more frequently and more demonstratively, the writing has always been there, nibbling around the edges but present nonetheless.
"I would describe myself as an artist who prefers to use a camera and lens to place a picture on film rather than oils and brushes to paint on canvas. Perhaps it goes back to my early attempts at art, struggling with various media, mussing the charcoal, waiting for the oil or acrylic to dry and never quite certain when the “masterpiece” was finished.
For me photography is a liberating medium, allowing me to utilize my artistic skills at whatever depth and scope I choose whether it is in a field of wildflowers or a crowd of people. Since the “eye of the artist” is always an essential element in any art media, the struggle here is to find the photograph within the overall scene and capture its essence for all to enjoy. Having lived my whole life in the Appalachian Region, I have come to appreciate what a gift this has been. Although I have been able to travel extensively, documenting those trips with a series of colorful and entertaining slide programs, my first love has always been the mountains of home. Every aspect of our local heritage, from the kaleidoscope of the seasonal colors to the charm of our people and culture, serve as my pallet allowing me to capture the subtlety of life in the Appalachian Mountains.
"Although photography is still my avocation, I have worked hard over the years to keep it fresh so that it remains a learning experience. Along the way I have been honored by achieving Eastman Chemical Company Camera Club’s highest honor, the "Fellowship Award” and the Southeastern Council of Camera Club’s “Progress Award”, both given for photographic excellence and community service. I have also received top honors in the Eastman Kodak International Salon – Western Hemisphere Regional competition. I regularly exhibit my work in area art and photography shows, teach photography to a variety of students ranging from senior citizens to girl scouts, provide publicity and archival photographs for the annual Virginia Highlands Festival in Abingdon, Virginia and occasionally help document anniversary parties, family reunions and other special occasion celebrations. Even now I still consider my passion for the camera to be a work in progress.
"As I mentioned, writing has been an outlet for expressing my fun and thoughtful sides. Over the years pieces have fermented in my mind for days, then like magic flow non-stop from my fingers. A few things have been published, most notably a piece in the local Kingsport Times-News on the “games of summer,” a remembrance of childhood fun, but mostly my musings have been for my family and friends to enjoy." -- Claude Kelly, Kingsport TN
|
To be honest, my first love in photography has always been color pictorial and nature landscapes with some close-up vignettes thrown in for good measure. The reason, because unlike people, places and things tend to stay put and do not move around much, except of course during hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Over the years I have developed into a pretty fair picture taker, having successfully merged excellent equipment, an artist’s eye for composition with good old blind luck.
And, following my retirement from corporate servitude, I have even managed to make a little money with my camera, becoming a freelance photographer, with more emphasis on the “free” than I’d like, but a vast learning experience nonetheless, especially in the realm of dealing photographically with people.
I mentioned learning experiences because I believe we do not grow in life unless we tackle new and diverse things which tend to make us stretch our limits and expand our boundaries without landing us in jail or the insane asylum. Joining the Publicity Committee of the Virginia Highlands Festival in 1997 was just such a reach for me. My annual job is to act as a photographic archivist, capturing the events, products, performances and special moments of the festival. In a word, the “essence” of the 16 day extravaganza. A daunting task since events often start at 8:00 a.m. and end at 10:00 p.m. with many schedules overlapping; plus it doesn’t help that I live in Kingsport and the events occur mostly in Abingdon, Virginia or the surrounding area. Part of the “essence” I soon learned is “people enjoying the festival”, even though people do not always want to be viewed as enjoying the festival, at least not on film. Most of what I have learned in the last four years in the field has been by trial and error. For better or worse, here are a few of them:
. the right people are not always where you want to photograph them
. the wrong people are always in the place you want to photograph
. attractive people in attractive clothing make the best subjects
. a large number of people carry casual dress to the point of appearing homeless
. “butt shots” are to be avoided if possible, unless the butt is attractive and attractively clothed, then an exception can be made
. people are like magnets, either they are attracted to the photographer and/or the subject or they are repelled, scurrying away just at the instance they first notice the shutter going down
. people often suffer from the dread “only person in the universe syndrome,” totally oblivious to what or who is around them
. photographers also suffer from OPITUS on occasion
. photographers can become totally invisible to people even if surrounded by camera, tripod, power cords, flash, and other assorted equipment
. good qualities to possess are diplomacy, patience, tact, humor, patience, assertiveness, biting your tongue without bleeding and of course, patience
. the sun almost always goes behind a cloud at the worst possible time
. antique furniture is the world’s worst subject to do justice under a tent on a cloudy day
. a child’s face is the greatest joy a photographer can experience.
So it is always a balancing act, trying to be inconspicuous, not cost a vendor a sale or worse yet, hurt someone’s feelings, while capturing the beauty, charm and uniqueness of the festival. For every shot that is halted by someone moving in and picking up for closer inspection the very object I am photographing; or getting up at 6:00 a.m. and driving to a road race where the time spent on the job is the 1/250th of a second it takes for each of two photographs of the racers starting to run, there is the incomparable beauty of the lady in a straw hat gazing at the oil paintings; the sun filtering through the stained glass; the performer who gives you that special look at the moment of truth; the child petting a rabbit or enthralled in a puppet show, or having her face painted, or just smiling at me while her parents beam in the background. Who said anything about “trials and tribulations”? Not me….
|
Special
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Email