Majestic natural vistas, pretty people and dynamic critters — the perennial popular kids at the high school of photographic circles.
They’re all over the place, gracing a plethora of calendars, posters and prints. We can’t get enough of them.
But savvy shutterbugs know that there are magical moments to be captured, and awesome angles to explore — even when considering the things we see every single day, and probably take for granted.
As such, architectural photography, the photographing of buildings and other structures in an aesthetically pleasing and/or technically accurate manner, is the perhaps surprising topic for the Bainbridge Island Photo Club’s first month-long event.
“Every other month we have an education meeting,” said Rob Wagoner, acting club president and longtime member. “Six months a year we have an education program with a speaker and then the other five months we have a competition, and there are three judges that judge images and then there’s a critique. You can submit four images each time.
“The last couple of years we’ve started a different part of the program, which is the sharing part, which is not critiqued or judged, it’s just showing your work and talking about it.”
The 12th meeting of the year, he added, is a holiday party, typically a potluck social.
Wagoner, a retired architect himself, said that the topic of architectural photography came about rather fortuitously, as it was something that several members had expressed an interest in, it was easily photographed nearby or far away and a particularly relevant guest speaker was already close at hand.
Things kick off at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 8 with a special presentation by longtime architectural photographer, and 2015 Island Treasure award-winner, Art Grice at the Waterfront Park Community Center (370 Brien Ave. SW).
Grice, an island resident since 1977, has worked as an architectural and fine arts photographer for more than 40 years. He has also been a gallery owner, mentor and teacher. His work has been published in numerous books and magazines around the world; he has produced digital art seminars and a lecture series, curated dozens of exhibitions in numerous museums and galleries and has also served on a number of juries for many different art shows and festivals.
Grice will inspire and inform photographers looking to participate in the club’s month-long shooting challenge (or simply those looking to learn more about the often overlooked art of architectural photography) during his Education Night presentation “Thoughts on Architectural Photography.”
He will return as a guest judge/critic at the culminating group share event on July 13.
In between, participants are free to arrange their own photo expeditions and “field trips.” Maps of especially photographic structures will be available at Grice’s presentation. Shooters can then submit their best four images in the contest, which will also feature architects Rob Wagoner and Lidija Gregov as guest judges.
To further get folks in the mood, a special screening of the documentary “Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman” will take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 22.
Shulman, widely regarded as one of the greatest architectural photographers of all time, documented the works of Frank Loyd Wright, Richard Neutra and Frank Gehry, among others. His work is credited with spreading a love and appreciation of modern architecture around the world. Through his many books, exhibits and lively personal speaking engagements, he ushered in a refreshed appreciation for the discipline in the 1990s and is still emulated by many professionals today, having passed away in 2009 at the age of 98.
Architectural photography, Wagoner said, is a unique blending of two distinct artistic visions: the architect and the photographer, making it a more communal or shared product than some other imagery.
“It’s different than most photography in that you’re not the artist that created the thing,” Wagoner said. “You’re taking images of somebody else’s art, but it’s how you interpret it and the story you tell that adds to the architect’s vision that makes it interesting.”
Grice’s Education Night presentation, the film screening and the group share event are all free and open to the public. Contest participation is for club members, but anyone can join at any time. Visit www.biphotoclub.org/wp for membership and contest participation information.
Membership is open to all adults and young adults interested in photography. Annual dues are $15 for youth, $30 for individuals or $45 for a family for the whole year, including a subscription to the monthly newsletter by e-mail.
Art you can live with (and in):
What: Bainbridge Island Photo Club’s architectural photography celebration, a month-long series of speakers, shooting challenges, group critiques and a film screening.
When: Things kick off at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 8 with a special presentation by longtime architectural photographer and Island Treasure award-winner Art Grice.
Where: Waterfront Park Community Center (370 Brien Ave. SW).
Admission: Education events and the movie screening are free and open to the public. Visit www.biphotoclub.org/wp for membership and contest participation information.
Architectural photography events
• 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 8: Education Night with longtime architectural photographer and Island Treasure awardee Art Grice.
• Thursday, June 9 through July 6: Open shooting time, self-guided field trips to photograph recommended architecture – or any structure that catches your eye – for sharing and competition.
• 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 22: Movie night screening of “Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman.”
• 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 13: Sharing/judging of the contest entries with special guest judges Grice and architects Rob Wagoner and Lidija Gregov.
