Northern Virginia Photographic Society
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NVPS News
David Carter (1938-2008) - Longtime NVPS Member Remembered - Update 2
Long time member David E Carter passed away at home on Sunday June 29th, 2008 from stroke related complications. His remaining family lives in Iowa. The following are reflections of David Carter and his importance to NVPS and its membership from Joe Miller, Ed Funk, & Gary Silverstein.
Additionally here are comments from one of Dave's former teaching assistants at Georgetown.
When I took Dave's Psychology, Photography, and Visual Arts class, I hadn't much idea of what I wanted to do with my life. More than that, I felt conflicted about my two majors -- psychology, and digital art & photography -- and had resigned myself to the fact that at the end of my undergraduate career, I would have to decide which one I liked more, and pursue it at the expense of the other. Over the course of that semester, Dave showed me how mistaken I was. He showed me that not only did I not need to choose one of my two passions when deciding what to do with my life but that the union of the two was important and worthwhile to both fields, and could lead down an exciting path of academic research and artistic endeavor. Dave taught me far more than how to compose a photograph, or how to appreciate all of the things that psychology and photography have to learn from each other. I often tell people that in his unique hybrid of a psychology and art class, he didn't teach "how we see," he taught "how to see." He taught me to appreciate the visual beauty in the environments we see everyday. To stop now and then, forget the name of what it is we are looking at, and just take in the breathtaking colors, shapes, and textures that surround us. He taught me to look at the world with new and creative eyes, and I consider myself blessed to have known him as both a professor and a friend. I cannot effectively convey with words either my gratitude to Dave for what he taught me, or my sadness to know that he is no longer with us. But it is some small comfort to know that he lives on in the minds -- and more rightly to say, in the eyes -- of those countless students and colleagues whom he taught to see. Jonathan Gardner Remembering Dave Carter To say that Dave Carter had an influence on my photography and my life is an understatement. For over 20 years, we presented a night photography slide show at camera clubs throughout the region. We also led night photo workshops at a wide range of settings--including Baltimore, Alexandria, Leesburg, Harpers Ferry, Brunswick (MD), and numerous neighborhoods and memorials in Washington, D.C. Each workshop was followed by a critique session where Dave reviewed participants' slides and provided his enthusiastic and constructive feedback. The highlight of these sessions was looking at the images that Dave had taken. His ability to visualize and capture abstract patterns in everyday objects opened up a new way of looking at the world around me. April 2007 was the last time we presented the slide show, to his class on photography and visual arts at Georgetown University. By then, a few of the topics we discussed (e.g., what type of slide film to use at night, how to duplicate a slide to create a different effect) had likely lost their relevance to the undergraduates who were taking digital images that could easily be manipulated in Photoshop. But Dave's images were as striking and timeless as ever. To honor Dave's memory, I offer up several of the photographs that he included in the night show.
The first was taken out of his apartment window during a snowy evening. This image, taken in 1979, was the first he ever entered in a camera club competition. According to Dave, the judge commented favorably on this photograph of "fall foliage" and awarded it honorable mention.
The final image is of traffic moving across the Memorial Bridge. Commenting on his use of a Spectral Star filter, he liked to say that sometimes he liked this picture, sometimes it seemed overdone, and sometimes it looked like "Walt Disney had thrown up." I will miss Dave's kindness, patience, knowledge, and humor. And I will forever be grateful for the many ways in which he helped to focus my passion for photography, expand my visual acuity, and enhance my appreciation for the natural beauty that presents itself in so many unexpected places. Gary Silverstein
------------------------------------ Dave Carter Joe Miller
------------------------------------ David Carter (1938-2008) had an enormous impact on the growth and development of the Northern Virginia Photographic Society. Dave grew up in Michigan and participated in several camera clubs as a young man. He completed his post-graduate psychology studies and earned his doctorate in New York before accepting an assistant professorship at Georgetown University in the early 80's. When he joined NVPS in 1983 he brought his significant photographic skills, teaching skills, keen vision and understanding of visual design, and knowledge of camera club activities. He devoted this wealth of knowledge and talent to our organization and has left an enduring legacy that includes: Ed Funk |
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