Your mobile phone can capture moments to remember.
Terry Heggy
The SaddleBrooke Photography Club’s general meeting on March 14 features guest speaker Mary Jo Hoffman. Hoffman is an artist-photographer renowned for her unique and personal engagement with the natural world. Best known for her project, “STILL,” where every day (every single day) for over a decade she has taken a photograph of found nature—no subject too small or too ordinary. For Hoffman, a former aeronautical engineer, this daily ritual provided profound revelations about the connectedness of all things, the importance of place, and the creative life.
Everyone is welcome to attend this meeting at 9 a.m. in the SaddleBrooke One Coyote Room on March 14. Hoffman shares her artistic process, approach to noticing, and the concept of micro-seasons, inspired by a Japanese approach to seasons, which divides the year into 72 five-day bursts. Her answers to questions asked by attendees give additional insight into how she finds and selects natural subjects for the daily photos that build into her annual artistic projects. Her commitment to daily photography turns every day into a sort of treasure hunt.
In addition to this fascinating presentation, the Photography Club continues its monthly education series, which has recently included instruction in cell phone photography, printing images, creating beauty in black and white images, and monthly discussions where members can share their work for supportive feedback. Each month, we also hold regular sessions that cover techniques for understanding your camera and software for effectively using your tools to bring your creative visions into the world.
Hands-on workshops that focus on technique, hardware, and artistic concepts are held in the Topaz Room in the MountainView Arts and Crafts Center. The “Creative Cloud” special interest group (CC SIG) meets online through Zoom to discuss powerful software tools that enable artistic folks to edit their photos to achieve more impact when engaging with people who view your work.
Each month, the Photography Club also presents a slideshow of member photos so we can all admire the artistry of our clubmates. Many of these are based on a “theme of the month” that challenges photographers to submit work in categories such as macro photography, black & white, landscapes, night photography, etc. And that’s not all—we also have social events where we can just enjoy the company of others with casual chat and snacks.
If you’ve ever taken pictures to record your experiences and would like to expand your photography skillset, check out the club website at photosb.org for a calendar of meetings, events, and field trips. We’d love to see you soon!