Paul Caponigro talk

[jp]

Saw this on the notice board in Thomaston ME



Sept 17, Thomaston ME

[William Whitaker]

Thanks for the heads-up. It's also on the calendar on the library's web site, http://www.thomaston.lib.me.us/. Can't miss that!

[Ken Lee]

I'm planning to attend.

[jp]

I'm going. Will, are you attending?

[William Whitaker]

I'll be there. Hope to meet you guys.

[jp]

A snap of Will getting his book signed with Caponigro.



John Paul was there recording video and was mostly anonymous to the crowd of about 60. A few years ago, I went to John Paul's open house and Paul was the anonymous old guy observing.

quotable Mumbo Jumbo was plentiful and the audience liked that. He told one questioner "loneliness should be transcended to become solitude" for instance.

Talking tech, he is a fan of the zone system, but he does disagree with Adams about taking much notes about camera/lens settings, and he never records exposure details, as conditions will never be the same if he goes back.

[tgtaylor]

"loneliness should be transcended to become solitude"

I like that!

Thomas

[Bill Burk]

jp498,

Thanks for the review, it's great to know it was well-attended.

[Ken Lee]

In addition to everything else, Paul was humorous and friendly.

Even though much of his work evokes a sense of depth and mystery (in addition to the traditional concerns of beautiful composition, lighting, tonality etc.) he talked about it all in a playful manner. You might say he emphasized the "fun" element as much as anything. In so doing, he encouraged people to stay in touch with their own child-like appreciation of the world.

Keeping it light-hearted made it easy to appreciate, very refreshing and appropriate for a public talk.

[William Whitaker]

A snap of Will getting his book signed with Caponigro.

Don't let my dour countenance fool you! I was having a great time; just feeling a bit self-conscious.

Other "mumbo-jumbo" I came away with: "Use the materials you have available to you." (This in response to an audience member's question about film and chemical availability.)

It was a great evening after a beautiful Maine fall day with an almost-full harvest moon rising splendidly in a down-east sky.