Category Archives: Portrait

Photo of the Week – Jon Kral

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New Beginning After the Devastation of War

Jon Kral - Vietnam Street Scene After the War

Jon Kral – Vietnam Street Scene After the War

This week’s posting is a departure from our usual policy. It’s the first by a nonmember but helps to introduce our program for September with an example of Jon plying his trade as a photojournalist. It’s a street scene in Vietnam after the bombings and killings have ceased and portrays the determination of humanity to slowly repair the damage with a new beginning. This youngster is oblivious to it all and is utterly content. He’s fat and happy to discover his hands and feet the way the very young do all over the world.  It is surprising to see what appears to be a pearl in his young ear.  Jon says he never did see anyone who was responsible but obviously somebody nearby was keeping a sharp eye.
Thanks to Jon for sharing this classic image, again showing the power of a photograph to tell a compelling story.

Photographer’s Choice – Randy Porter

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Watch Me! I Can Do It!

Randy Porter - A young "hooper" at MerleFest

Randy Porter – A young “hooper” at MerleFest

Many ACC members have decades of experience in photography, others are taking up where they left off years ago and still others may be approaching the art for the first time. Regardless of the experince, all have asperations to create something memorable and unique. To succeed one needs to think creatively and be willing to invest time and energy to master the tools necessary to fulfill this creativity. It’s also a requirement that the journey itself be as enjoyable as sharing the successes will be with with one’s family, friends and fellow photographers. You only need to look at Facebook, Smugmug or other similar sites to realize how much photographers want to share their work with others (oohs and ahhs always welcome).
What does all the above have to do with this excellent portrait captured by Randy at this year’s MerleFest? He joined the ACC in June of this year, has been working on mastering his camera and technique for several months and perhaps doesn’t realize how much progress he has made, thinking more on how much there is yet to learn. He’s therefore hesitant to share his work, perhaps lacking confidence in his ability to “compete”. These weekly postings are not a competition but a way to share, to gain confidence and take another step up the ladder. Randy has done that by agreeing to share with all the members (and the world, I suppose. We had 615 pages viewed from China and 336 from Sweden during August). It will be easier the next time.