Celebrate the art and joy of photography
Published Thursday October 15th, 2009
From Leonardo da Vinci and the camera obscura in the early 1500s to Louis Daguerre and the daguerreotype in 1830; from George Eastman and the Kodak camera in 1888 to Willard Boyle and George Smith's work with fibre optics in 1969 that led to digital imaging, the mechanics of photography have changed vastly. What remains constant, however, are the qualities that define good photography: composition, focus, and the ability to evoke a response in the viewer.
These are also the qualities that will be front and centre at FotoExpo, the photography festival scheduled for October 22 to 24 at various locations in downtown Moncton. The festival is the brainchild of internationally known photographer Maurice Henri, who owns and operates Gallerie Maurice Henri Gallery at 75 Highfield Street.
To make his long cherished dream of hosting a world class festival a reality, he has joined forces with sponsor Ivan Melanson, who as owner of Ivan's Camera Store on St. George Street, has been known for the last 26 years as the "go to guy" for sound advice and good quality products. Also on board is Downtown Moncton's Daniel Allain and Robert Gallant of Sun Raven Management, who brings to FotoExpo his considerable expertise in event management, having successfully organized both the Seafood and the Hubcap Comedy Festivals. Gallant says this first FotoExpo is just a "small start" to what the group hopes will grow into a large international festival by 2014.
The plans, however, are not small and for a first-time festival are impressive. In the two week lead-up to FotoExpo the downtown area will be enhanced by a number of photography exhibitions in various public spaces. In the Atrium of the Blue Cross Centre, the landscape photography of Fred Horton, Pugwash, N. S. will be on display, the Moncton Public Library will feature the work of photography students from CCNB Dieppe, while Henri's "Rust Never Sleeps" collection will be at Sandstones Artisan Gallery, also on the ground floor of the Blue Cross Building.
Across the street at City Hall Lobby, the work of Michiko Nisijima, Japan, now Fredericton and Marc Blanchard, Moncton will be exhibited. Ivan's Camera will host Joel Culligan's work, Denis Duquette's will be at Reid's Newsstand, while the Crowne Plaza Hotel will display work by Stephen Patterson, Halifax, members of the Fredericton Photo Club and the Times & Transcript's own Ron Ward. There is no charge for admission to any of the exhibitions and the organizers are hoping lots of people will stop and look as they move through these public spaces and develop an appreciation of good photography.
In addition to the exhibitions, there is an educational component to the festival, as Henri has organized both seminars on specific topics and intensive small group "hands-on workshops."
"People are hungry for information and this is a great opportunity for them to learn more about photography," Melanson says.
Seminars are scheduled on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 6 p.m. at Crowne Plaza Hotel, with photographers André Gallant of Saint John and Maurice Henri on Thursday; Ron Ward, Fred Horton and John Sylvester on Friday and Stephen Patterson and Maurice Henri on Saturday. They will discuss a variety of topics including travel photography, photojournalism and sports, people and their environment, landscapes and abstract photography. There is a $25 fee per evening session.
There is also a really exciting opportunity for small groups to attend three-hour workshops with a photographer and receive feedback. From 8 to 11 a.m. on Friday, participants can discover nature through the eyes of landscape photographer Fred Horton, or begin shooting compelling travel and stock images with John Sylvester, photographer/author of Prince Edward Island's Hidden Wilderness. People who work on Friday won't miss out, as Horton's workshop will be repeated on Saturday at 2 p.m. while Sylvester's will be on again at 8 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Saturday's workshop line-up also includes an examination of shape, colour and texture with Stephen Patterson, Halifax and photojournalism with Ron Ward at 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. Moncton's Daniel St. Louis, whose workshop "Learning to See" is designed with the beginner in mind, will be offered once only at 9 a.m.
If you're totally puzzled by computerized enhancement programs, Sib Pye of Summerside, P.E.I. a certified Adobe Photoshop instructor, can solve the mystery and help you get the best out of your images at either 9 a.m. or at 2 p.m. The fee per workshop is $50. Alternatively, there are all-access passes for three days at $165 or $115 for Photo Club members.
In addition, FotoExpo is challenging non-professional photographers to submit images in two competitions. The deadline for Downtown Life is October 16, so it is still possible to enter for a top prize of $1,000 gift certificate from Ivan's Camera, with other prizes of $500 and $250. A second contest will feature images of Life on Saint George Street between Vaughan Harvey Blvd and King Street, with an October 24 deadline.
To see complete schedule, get contest details or register for workshops, please go to www.fotoexpo.ca
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