1780 Village Pl
San Diego, CA 92101
USA
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 December will be Jim Selkin.
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 Jim
I was in photographic diapers when I was handed a Brownie Instamatic by my dad at the age of 4 and never looked back.
At 6, I was being taken to photo conventions in NYC.
Still have the camera today!
In college, I was fortunate to study under Walter Rosenblum, who coalesced my photographic vision. https://www.rosenblumphoto.org/about
While doing graduate work in architecture at Columbia University, I ventured to Tahiti to study where my favourite Impressionist artist, Gauguin, lived and worked. Returning from that trip, my photo eyes were opened to the world. Through fortuitous opportunities, I was hired as a contract photographer for Air France based in New York. I handled a variety of assignments, including being the official AF photographer for the inauguration of the Concorde. A 3-month international assignment brought me to Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, and Paris, with subsequent trips through France.
My travel work was represented at first by the Image Bank and subsequently became a member of Getty Images. My images have also appeared in Travel & Leisure, Nat Geo Traveler and for a number of Japanese agencies.
Switching roles, I worked as an art director with major agencies in New York, concentrating on travel and cosmetic accounts. I also served as a judge for the One Show in photography and commercials. I had the privilege of working with such luminaries as Henry Wolf, Hiro, Anthony Edgeworth and Pete Turner.
A subsequent move to the west coast led to work with Tourism Fiji, Tourism New Zealand, throughout SE Asia and full circle, back to Japan. I lived and worked in Saigon for 3 years [pre and during the Pandemic] where I created photo-stories covering various aspects of life in the city through the eyes of an ex-pat. I am sent on assignments to capture images “in real time” for tourism boards and travel related companies.
I have judged for photo associations around California including PPA, PSA, County Fairs and local photo groups but put more emphasis on helping photographers develop their vision.
I was a Canon Pro but have subsequently switched to Fuji, where I mentor photographers across different countries. I also have led photo tours to France and Vietnam and am
planning trips to photograph both Indigenous cultures and off-the-beaten-track places in Japan in 2025 [more on that as it is finalized].
I have learned many valuable lessons. One that always resonates is:
“Photography teaches patience.” Be at one with your camera.