Sandhills Photography Club welcomes Photographer and Blogger Diane Wehr
Monday, March 9, 2020 from 7 to 9 p.m. Theatre of the Hannah Marie Bradshaw Activities Center The O'Neal School at 3300 Airport Road, Pinehurst, North Carolina
Not many photographers feel comfortable with pointing a camera at a stranger and taking a candid photo. Diane Wehr does, and she will be sharing her thoughts on the craft at the March meeting of the Sandhills Photography Club.
The Tennessee based street photographer/blogger has written interesting how-to articles about photography for Photzy, an online school that offers practical advice to students all over the world. Beginning of 2019, Diane started her blog on street photography with the intention to “share the joy of street photography by increasing understanding of this genre of photography, to show entry points for photographers from other genres and to share best practices that might help anyone who is taking any kind of a picture.”
“The blog has attracted an audience of viewers that are both street photographers and photographers who definitely do not identify as street photographers.” according to Diane. “In fact, a certain number of regular viewers do not even identify as photographers. It is a great source of pleasure for me to share photos from contemporary street photographers that I find so compelling.”
One look at her Instagram account and you’ll see that Diane has traveled large parts of the world, giving us a glimpse into the culture of everyday people on a human scale. An exchange between colorfully dressed women in an Ecuadorian market, a blank stare of a man standing on a street in Italy, and my favorite, a young couple sharing a carefree stroll in New York’s Central Park.
Such is the life of a street photographer. They bring context from seemingly random encounters and interactions between people in public spaces, and Diane is a master at it. She manages to compose photos of interesting subjects doing mundane things in a way that tells a story and draws the viewer in.
A couple sharing a personal moment behind umbrellas in Norway, an stern, elderly lady on a bus in Estonia, a jolly street vendor in Japan. We are let into their worlds through Diane’s camera lens.
In her twice-weekly blog, Diane shares her thoughts on photography in a very easy-to-read, conversational style. She gives advice, highlights the work of other photographers and shares what it takes to be a street photographer, ending by asking readers to complete an exercise.
“There is a bit of voyeurism in us all us", Diane writes on one Blog she called ''Looking In”. “Maybe voyeurism is too strong of a word. I just looked up the definition of voyeurism. Yes, it is definitely too strong. But we do all like to peek in on little moments in the lives of others. Taking street photography through windows or other things can be the basis of a nice collection that you create over time.”
You can read Diane’s Blog at Dianewehr.com and find her on Instagram @dianewehr.
The Sandhills Photography Club was started in 1983 to provide a means of improving members' photographic skills and technical knowledge, for the exchange of information, and, by club activity, to develop membership potential and public interest in the art of photography.
Each month, meetings alternate between presentations by expert photographers and members’ photo competition judged by a guest photographer. In addition, the club offers regular field trips, workshops, outings and photo walks.
Guests are always welcome!
For more information, please visit https://www.sandhillsphotoclub.org/