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Garden Photo Art

Seven people who love gardens and photography got together for a garden photography workshop at Frelinghuysen Arboretum in Morris Township, NJ, in June and July. The sessions culminated in a month-long August 2005 exhibit at the Gallery in the Haggerty Education Center at the arboretum.

They met for five two-hour sessions to learn more about the art of capturing a garden's beauty in the camera lens, working with the photo, and finally printing, matting and framing their pick of the camera card. Six shot digital.

No neophytes they, they simply wanted more of their photos to be fabulous.


the workshop met in the evening from 6 to 8 - a perfect time to capture the setting sun's light in the arboretum.

Mary Jasch, DIG IT!'s publisher and principal photographer, was their guide on this artistic venture.

In Session One, the participants went into the arboretum's gardens and took photos with an eye for color, texture and form. They brought their best and worst shots - those that made them proud and those that disappointed - to the next class.

In Session Two, they took photos searching for that perfect lighting on leaves, flowers, sculpture, and landscape. Back in the classroom they constructively discussed each other's photos, including the instructor's. True participants, they became involved, offering suggestions and ideas to try when taking the shot, and ideas to try in their digital darkrooms. They did this for every class.

In the next three sessions they photographed the gardens from different angles and also with a focus on composition, such as framing a shot, detail, simplicity, and using a narrow depth of field. At the final class, everyone brought a handful of favorites and they all helped choose each other's photos for the exhibit. The class was very democratic.

Then they met for an entire evening matting and framing. Learning to cut mats for odd-sized photos was a challenge, but well-accomplished. They met one more day to hang the final 40 framed works.

The result is a professional exhibit of pro-quality art with most pieces for sale. Come and enjoy!

The participants: Ollie Acheson, Geri Lozauskas and Scott D'Agostino, Morris County; Keith Cooper, Union County; Patty Haines, Somerset County; Jerry Levine and Natalie Raskin, Essex County

Haggerty Education Center
Frelinghuysen Arboretum (across from Morris County Library)
East Hanover Avenue
Morris Township
Until August 31, 9-4:30 seven days a week
www.arboretumfriends.org





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