Calendar
For this meeting we are going to try something a little different. We hope you will find it both interesting and inspiring. Afterward, we’d would love to hear your thoughts–what you enjoyed, what you did not, and whether you’would like to see more meetings like this in the future.
This is not intended to replace our Member Spotlight presentations or our regular critiques. Instead, it is an opportunity to explore photography from a different perspective and add another type of program to our schedule.
This will be an informal, interactive group discussion centered around two activities:
1. Share an Image
If you would like to participate, bring one or two photographs–either printed or in digital form (on your laptop or a flash drive).
The photographer may ask specific questions or simply invite discussion. From there, we will open it up to the group. Comments might include what draws you to the image, questions it raises, what could be strengthened, the story it tells, the emotions it evokes, or even the experience of creating it. The conversation will go wherever the image leads us.
Think of it as something between a traditional critique and a conversation about photography.
2. Explore Photography Through Others’ Eyes
I subscribe to an extensive online collection of photographic articles, essays, podcasts, interviews, and photo books. I will select a few pieces for us to explore together, and wee will discuss the ideas they present, the photographs they contain, and the different perspectives they offer.
Rather than analyzing whether an image is “good” or “bad,” we will consider why it affects us, what the photographer may have intended, and what we each take away from it.
A Different Way of Looking
If you’ve attended one of Bernard Mendoza’s presentations or workshops, you will have an idea of the spirit We’d like to capture. Bernard approaches photography in a thoughtful, philosophical way. He emphasizes the art of photography–the story, meaning, emotion, and personal vision behind an image–far more than the technical details.
While technical discussions are certainly welcome if they naturally arise, we would like our primary focus to be on the artistic side of photography: what makes an image meaningful, memorable, or emotionally engaging.
Our hope is that this meeting will encourage all of us to think a little differently about photography, to hear perspectives we may not have considered before, and to enjoy a lively conversation with fellow photographers.
The meeting will start promptly at 7 pm, but we’ll open the room at 6:30 pm for setup and social time. Our meeting room is near the back entrance of the Spring Valley Library. When you enter the parking lot, go around the left side of the building and park in the back. You’ll see the open doors to our meeting room.
Join award-winning wildlife photographer Ron Garrison for a fascinating look back at a remarkable journey to one of the world’s most remote conservation sites. In 1990, while working for the Zoological Society of San Diego, Garrison traveled to a Przewalski’s horse reserve in the Gobi Desert of northwest China. His presentation follows that expedition, offering a glimpse into central and western China at a time when few Western photographers had access to these regions.
Along the way, Garrison shares photographs and stories from his travels, highlighting the conservation efforts surrounding the endangered Przewalski’s horse, the world’s last truly wild horse species. This presentation also provides historical context for his later visit to a Przewalski’s horse reserve in Ukraine in 1991.
About Ron Garrison
Ron Garrison served as Photographer, Manager, and Curator of the Photographic Services Department for the Zoological Society of San Diego for 38 years before retiring in 2002. During his career, he documented the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park’s extraordinary collection of wildlife while traveling to all seven continents to photograph endangered species and conservation projects in their native habitats.
His work has taken him from photographing giant pandas in China and rhinoceroses in Sumatra to polar bears in the Arctic and big cats across Africa. Before joining the Zoological Society, Garrison worked as both a still and motion picture photographer for the U.S. Army, KOLD-TV in Tucson, and Ryan Aeronautical Company, where he documented NASA’s Mercury and Apollo programs.
Garrison’s photographs have appeared in publications including National Geographic, Smithsonian, Time, Life, Newsweek, and numerous scientific journals, books, and educational publications. He is also the author of Secrets of Zoo Photography and continues to volunteer with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s Photographic Archives.
Join us for the Artists’ Reception celebrating Where We Wander, a photography exhibition featuring the work of Darkroomers members.
From quiet moments close to home to unforgettable journeys around the world, Where We Wander explores the places that inspire us to pick up a camera. The exhibition showcases a diverse collection of photographs that reflect each artist’s unique perspective on travel, discovery, and the beauty found both near and far.
Meet the photographers, view the exhibition, and enjoy an afternoon of conversation about the stories behind the images. Whether you’re a photography enthusiast, an art lover, or simply curious to see the world through the eyes of local photographers, we invite you to join us.
Admission is free and open to the public.
The meeting will start promptly at 7 pm, but we’ll open the building at 6 pm for setup and social hour.
Join us for our Monthly Critique Night!
Our judge for August will be Andrew Hertel.
Members bring prints for critique on the third Wednesday of each month. Prints accepted by the Judge will hang for up to 2 months in the Photographic Arts Building gallery.
Visitors are welcome, however, submitting images for critique is available for members only. If you’d like more information about joining Darkroomers, please check out our membership page and email us if you have any questions.
About Andrew
Andrew Hertel is a black and white nature photographer based in San Diego, California.
His work is shaped by time spent in wild places. Deserts, mountains, coastlines, and remote backcountry often explored on foot, by bicycle, or by motorcycle. For Andrew, photography is not just about reaching a location. It is about being immersed in the landscape, slowing down, and responding to what it feels like to be there.
Largely self-taught, Andrew creates quiet fine art images rooted in contrast, simplicity, and mood. His photographs are less about documenting a place and more about translating the emotional weight of the experience. A snow-covered tree. The curve of a sand dune. Fog moving through a forest. Without color, form and feeling come forward.
Andrew grew up in the Midwest, but the open spaces of the West Coast changed the course of his life and his creative work. His ongoing body of work, Images from Nature, reflects how he sees and experiences the wild places that continue to shape him.
Alongside his fine art photography, Andrew leads immersive photography workshops in extraordinary landscapes, helping photographers slow down, connect with their surroundings, and develop their own creative vision.