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By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
A picture speaks a thousand words. But at the Wellesley Council on Aging, members of the photography club speak a thousand words about each picture.
The group, led by experienced photographer Mark Maiden, meets weekly from March 1 to April 26 at the Tolles Parsons Center to enjoy lunch together, discuss each other’s works, and learn about the various factors involved in snapping the perfect photo.
Maiden assigns a different theme each week, and recently, the participants have been focusing on portraits. They even receive simple homework assignments: return the following week with new pictures to critique.
During their last session, the group looked at one participant’s photos from a trip to Cuba. The photographer captured the portrait of a young woman in a wedding dress, whose serious gaze exhibited no signs of joy. However, upon closer inspection, they noticed the corners of her mouth curled upwards in the slightest hint of a smile.
Maiden, who projected the image onto the screen hanging in the front of the room, zoomed in on the Cuban bride’s face and discussed how the seniors would crop the photos for a visually pleasing headshot.
Other participants submitted their photos to Maiden, too, and viewed them with their peers on the large screen. Although portraits were the main discussion of the session, they also viewed wintery nature photos and object arrangements taken by some of the class’s photographers.
Because their next assignment is to take portraits, the group discussed photo courtesy and agreed on the do’s and don’ts of photographing people.
Despite running short on time, Maiden ensured that the participants would be able to learn about different forms of lighting for portraits. He unloaded some of his professional lighting equipment and asked for participants to model so that they could analyze lighting patterns, like loop and Rembrandt lighting.
The group is comprised of participants of varying skill and knowledge. While some have been avid photographers for years and are looking to refine their photos now that they have more free time, others are brand new to the art form.
With spring weather arriving soon, it might be time to break out the camera and snap some photos. Perhaps the photography club will be the perfect place to show your work.
