Program Meeting

Wabi-Sabi
This program will explore the beauty of imperfect and/or unconventional subjects. As nature photographers we often seek out the flowers, leaves and such that are perfect, with no blemishes or defects. This program highlights subjects that are not perfect, such as flowers that have character, double headed flowers, decaying fall leaves, the deformed coneflower that stands out as flawed and hence different and beautiful, rust as it creates abstract patterns amidst the decay, etc. We will also explore the concept of slowing down and appreciating the beauty of everyday life, things that might be overlooked. As purveyors of rust and decay we appreciate the perseverance and beauty of “life after humans” as cars and equipment falls apart and succumbs to oxidation and decay. Wabi-Sabi teaches us to find beauty in everyday life. It is a kind of anti-aesthetic, an alternative to the dominating discriminatory ideas we hold about beauty. “Wabi means a beauty of elegant imperfection. Sabi means aloneness. Together, they suggest the beauty of ‘the withered, weathered, tarnished, scarred, intimate, coarse, earthly, evanescent, tentative, ephemeral.’ ~ Crispin Sartwell, Six Names of Beauty. It is a way of honoring that everything is impermanent, and we are always in a state of both becoming and falling away. It is used to describe a particular philosophy that beauty can be found in the old, the everyday, the imperfect. Wabi Sabi applies to more than nature and the seasons of change and decay, but it also to the “Life after Humans” arena or UrbEx (urban exploration). As a side note, the term Wabi Sabi can also be part of the social movement of embracing imperfection of your physical traits as a human being, especially with respect to self-perception and celebrating imperfection in a society that encourages people to be perfect and pressures people to be flawless.

Bio
Lisa Cuchara, PhD, Master Craftsman (PPA), Master of Photography (M. Photog.) HonNEC, is very passionate about photography and she enjoys both being behind the lens and in the digital darkroom. She loves to photograph nature but finds many subjects equally intriguing. From birds and flowers to babies and UrbEx/HDR, she appreciates the world around her and embraces the challenge of interpreting what her eyes see and her heart feel via her photographs. Lisa says that photography allows her to pay attention to the details, to be mindful, to slow down and appreciate all of the beauty, details and nuances of everyday life. Lisa met her husband Tom thru photography, and they are both very active in many local, national, and international photography organizations. They have had many successful gallery exhibitions, their work has been accepted into many juried exhibitions and their images have won awards at the local, state, national, and international levels. Their photographs have appeared in Adirondack Life, Wild Bird, Birder’s World, in calendars and on calendar covers, and on the cover of a fictional paperback novel. Lisa has also had images accepted into the PPA (Professional Photographers Association) loan collection and has earned three Bronze image competition cases.

They have published two books with Amherst Media: “Create Fine Art Photographs from Historic Places and Rusty Things” is about their HDR and light painted images (Amazon http://tinyurl.com/lisatom-urbex and also available at brick and mortar bookstores like Barnes & Noble) and their second book “The Frog Whisperer” http://tinyurl.com/lisatom-frogs is about macro photography, using frogs as subjects. Lisa & Tom have been photographing people professionally for over 16 years and have their own Photography Studio in Hamden CT. Their portrait philosophy is based on “We do not remember days, we remember Moments”. Lisa & Tom love to teach, inspire and share. They have presented a wide variety of motivational and instructional programs and workshops (Photoshop, Digital Workflow, HDR, RAW processing, Macro photography, Travel photography) at many photography groups, conventions, and organizations. Check out their photo and editing classes, their photo tours and workshops, and view their photographs at www.PhotographyByLisaAndTom.com. Get Tips & Tricks about photo ops, post-processing, creativity, gear, etc. and learn more about their photography classes and workshops by joining their email list http://tinyurl.com/cuchara-photolist.