How about a little opera?

One of the great personal discovers of mid-life has been opera.  I fell mysteriously in love with this art form in my late forties and can’t seem to get enough of it.  Last year I did some volunteer photography work for Tacoma Opera shooting rehearsals with the intent of giving a “behind the scenes” look at how an opera comes together start to finish.  What an eye-opening experience it has been to see what is involved with pulling together an opera production in a short five weeks or so!

The company’s second production of the 2009-10 season is Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro”.  It is a marvelous “opera buffa” (comic opera)  with the unmistakable orchestration of Mozart instantly recognizable for the first bar of the Overture (YouTube).  Although I have photographed three previous operas for Tacoma Opera, this will be my first attempt to write a little about the experience.  My intent is to write a short commentary about things of interest to me (and perhaps the reader) I notice in each rehearsal (I don’t go to them all nor do I stay for the whole thing). As you will see below I have posted short video commentaries on each rehearsal.  These are obviously rough and unedited shot with a Flipcam.. a phone-size camera that is incredibly easy to use.  My intent is to share some of my “off-the-cuff” thoughts either before, during or after each rehearsal.  On occasion I get a few details wrong but I hope these give a sense of how much fun this process is for me as an opera fan.

Disclaimer: 
I am NO opera expert, nor am I versed in music.  I’m just a simple opera fan.  My approach will be one of interested observer, one with great admiration for the awesome talent and dedication of the artists and all those involved in the production who’s collective passion and dedication to this venerable art form keep opera alive and viable. 

All photos are here

Museum of Glass Tacoma, WA

The Museum of Glass is located on the Thea Foss Waterway in the heart of downtown Tacoma. Constructed in 2001 it is one of the cornerstones of the revitalization of Tacoma along with the University of WA downtown campus. Spearheaded by renown glass artist Dale Chihuly and a number of bold civic leaders the museum was sited in the most unlikely location, a federal superfund site. This contemporary structure offers many marvelous opportunities for the photographer day or night, rain or shine. On any given day visitors from all over the world can be seen snapping photos of the fabulous structure and the glass art that adorns it.

Many of these shots have been taken over the course of a year late at night and before dawn. You will note that a few were even taken during a freak snow storm in Dec 2006. Light, sky, clouds, water, and moon all play wonderful tricks on the building surfaces that richly reward the patient and persistent photographer. I have learned a great deal photographing MOG. I hope you enjoy a few of my favorite photos. MOG Website

Where you can see my work..

2010

Tacoma Art Museum
I have a photo in a group show titled “Mighty Tacoma”  at the Tacoma Art Museum running October 21, 2010 -April 24, 2011

Tacoma Community College Art Gallery
I have a photo selected for the Fall Art Show at Tacoma Community College Gallery running Sept 15- mid October.

Artist Statement…

I wish I could say that like many artists I started at an early age and have been honing my craft ever since.  That always sounds so good but, unfortunately for me, that is not the case.  I do however recall being fascinated by my grandfather’s Kodak Retina Reflex which I cherish and have stashed safely away but, somehow that never translated into a childhood interest in photography…too bad.  I’ve never thought of myself as an artist, or even very artistic for that matter (can’t draw worth a darn).  Although I have been taking pictures off and on for many years it is only in my 50’s that I found an artistic voice as a photographer via digital photography.

Digital photography has opened a world of self-expression that has an immediacy which drives and reinforces my emerging artistic vision.  While there are many who consider digital photography inferior to film, for me and many others, it made photography accessible.  I need that immediate feedback… did what I “see” really match the image I captured?  The wiring in my middle-aged brain thrives on the feedback and stimulation digital provides.  Interestingly enough I have recently started experimenting with film, both 35mm and medium format,  in an effort to explore the possibilities unique to film.

If I were to describe the nature of my work to this point I would say that my images have a “moody” quality.  The photographers I admire and study have a “moodiness” to their work. I’m inspired by such old masters of the medium as Atget, Rodechenko, Sudek and Steichen as well as contemporary photographers Uelsman, Leiter, Farber, Shore and Kenna.  In particular,  I have been strongly influenced by Jerry Uelsman’s notion of “post-visualization”... for me image making extends beyond the moment I click the shutter.

My interest is in making good and hopefully great photographs that provoke yet shy away from bold dramatic statements.  I look for detail in my subjects, those qualities in everyday objects, places, and on occasion people that are unique and often overlooked.  I might combine or juxtapose objects, near and far in a photo.  For me this creates context and tension, conveying a mood or idea that extends beyond the actual composition.  If successful the viewer will see the subject in a new way, in a way that brings with it perhaps a new understanding and appreciation.  While I love the aesthetic of black and white and its variations (sepia, lith, etc) much of my work is color, favoring the “cross-process” look of old film.

My educational background is in the social sciences and counseling by graduate training. I worked as a family therapist for a number of years eventually deciding it was more important to take care of our infant daughter so I spent the next thirteen years as a stay-at-home father caring for our three children in the 1980-90’s.  For the past eleven years I have worked in education in information technology, I’m a computer guy more or less.  I am self-taught in just about everything I have done over the last thirty years or so, including photography.  My background in technology and computers are a perfect match to the requirements of digital photography.  All of my work is shot in RAW with varying degrees of post-production editing.  My post-production work is done in Adobe Lightroom.  I am actively involved, as you might expect, in the web and have designed many websites large and small including this one.

Photo by Rick Donohue

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Art Resume

Group Shows:

“The Bloggers’ Mount Athos” Mount Athos Center Thessaloniki, Greece June 2010

“Feels Like Home” Featured Artist
Grand Impromptu Gallery Tacoma, WA April 2009

“Darwin Revisited”
Mary Boze Gallery Tacoma, WA July, 2009

Member Grand Impromptu Co-op Gallery Aug 2008-Sept 2009

Juried Shows:

Proctor Arts Festival “First Place Award” August 2010
“Pierce Arts at Pierce College,” Pierce College Art Gallery December 2008

Solo Shows:

“My Short Life in Photography”
Two Wall Gallery Vashon, WA March 2009

“Around the Block”
Mary Boze Gallery Tacoma, WA April 2010

Last Spring’s One Man Show: “Around the Block”

See the “Around The Block” Webpage for details and movies

Now That’s Cool..iris

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