On Wednesday, November 1, 6:30 pm, Bill Cooper will present his program, “Renewing and Deepening our Love of Photography.” This will be an in-person meeting only.
In our current culture it is easy to get caught up in being competitive whether driving, working or sharing our photographic creations. While competition is not a bad thing, because it can move us and our communities forward with innovation and excellence, but we risk losing touch with our love of the task. In photography, improving images for the purpose of getting First, Second, Honorable Mention and Acceptances in competitions or selling our work can supplant the excitement and satisfaction which brought us to photography. We might look for our satisfaction coming from the external rewards, and miss the opportunity to see or use the photographic process as a means for deepening our relationship with ourselves, each other, and the world around us. The goal of this program is to connect and share what brought us to photography in the first place, reflect on our current relationship with our photography and explore ideas for deepening and or refreshing our connection to photography. Participants will get some practical ideas on doing this.
By the time Bill graduated college, he had as many credits in Art and Art History as he did in his major. He is a former board member and president of Crosstown Camera Club, a photography judge, an avid bicyclist, meditator, meditation leader and a retired Clinical Social Worker with training in Art Therapy. As part of his mentoring people looking to learn and improve their photographic skills he currently volunteers for a Stroke Survivors Photography program sponsored by a large HMO. Since his retirement right into COVID, he has turned to exploring the idea of photography as Art, this year taking on an art Mentor and joining her student group, comprised mostly of mixed media artists. He, the mentor and 7 other mentees in the group recently exhibited in a North East Minneapolis Arts District gallery. It was Bill’s first exhibit in 15 years. He will share some of the lessons from that journey with us tonight. To see more of his work, visit Windows on the World.
