Bob and Willa Friedman
As a teenager, Bob started his photography journey with a darkroom in his parent’s basement, which he inherited from his brother. The first thing he did when we bought our house was to build a darkroom in the basement.
Willa first became involved in photography as an instructor at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, where she photographed wildlife in city parks for the NYC schools, and her images were published in a fourth grade text book.
If selling a few photos makes us pros, then we are pros. Otherwise we are advanced amateurs. We have taken courses and workshops at Photoworks at Glen Echo, and with Freeman Patterson and Andre Gallant in New Brunswick, Canada, We have also had extensive courses in Photoshop. We have been members of NVPS for 12 years.
Our subjects are varied, but Bob does street photography and Willa finds reflections everywhere. Bob uses a Nikon D800 with various lenses and Willa has switched to a mirrorless Fuji system with numerous lenses.
Her work is currently on display at the Art League in the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria and Alexandria City Hall. She also has an image in the permanent collection in the Joseph Miller Center for Photographic Arts and had an image published in the Northern Virginia Review in the spring of 2015.
Our current job is retirement — doesn’t pay very well but it is a lot more fun then the “W” word. We have multiple images in the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. and have prints on display in various professional offices in the Metro DC area.
We enjoy travel to places that offer creative photographic opportunities, and in the last few years have been to Cuba and Morocco. The presentation will feature photographs from our trip to Morocco in October 2014, from Marrakesh to the Sahara.
Chris Langford
Chris Langford, an NVPS member since October 2013, got into photography in late 2012 after his wife bought an entry level DSLR to take better photos of their son. As they quickly learned, a nice camera does not equal great photos. Out of frustration and fascination, Chris began educating himself on the art of photography… with a little help from his OCD.
After a lot of practice and experimentation, and the great resources and expertise within NVPS, his images soon gained the attention of friends and family members who asked if he could do photos for them, and from there it grew into a side business. Though Chris has yet to specialize in a particular style of photography, he leans more toward portraiture, which is where is sees moving further along into even more in the future.
Chris has done professional photography work for personal trainers, weddings, engagements, families, couples, schools, political events, businesses (headshots), and even real-estate agents. He also does a lot of second-shooting/assisting for photographers, which is a great way to learn more about our craft, get new ideas, and to gain potential referrals.
Though his first DSLR that his wife bought was a Canon, Chris is a Nikon shooter, and loves his D750. His favorite lenses include the Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 and a used Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8. Other notable gear would include his Paul C. Buff Einstein E640 strobes and numerous modifiers.
Software-wise, Chris just uses Lightroom and Photoshop, and his favorite retouching tool is using dodging and burning with curves and a brush.
For his presentation at the Member’s Gallery for October 27th, Chris will focus mainly on his portraiture work as a follow-up to his Education and Training presentation on October 13. This is also timely since the theme competition for October is portraiture. As always, Chris will answer any questions during and after his presentation.
To see some of his work, you can visit his website at www.chrislangfordphotography.com, which is hosted by Squarespace.com. Chris is also a member of the American Photographic Artists (APA), which is a professional association of photographers with an active chapter in the DC metro area.
