— A. W. Starkweather Sr. photo |
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General Information Owner / Executive Director Nicholas Argyros Payments Web Designer Owner & Executive Director Nicholas S. Argyros
My photography mentor recognized my budding interest in making pictures and advised me on the purchase and use of my first 35mm camera. I was 16 years old. In later years, he advised me on my second, third, … and hundredth plus camera. To foster my early interest in nature and close-up work, he sold me my first true macro lens. It was the first of many equipment transactions to transpire back and forth between us over the years. This equipment included virtually every significant brand and model in existence, especially Minoltas, Nikons, Leicas, and Graflexes of every age and description. In addition, almost every accessory needed to make good images, as well as rooms full of darkroom equipment, have been part of the picture. More recently, my photo mentor has advised me on digital equipment and its merits. My photography mentor was also my career mentor. After efforts to teach me mathematics through four years of high school, after guiding me through my initial teaching career as a math teacher, after encouraging me through a dual Ph.D. program in Educational Psychology and Statistics, after introducing me into CVCC and to some of its members, and after a continuing relationship over the past 50 plus years, I owe my photo mentor a lot. Thank you Al Starkweather, thank you for all this and more.
The Chenango Valley Camera Club (CVCC) — a travelling portfolio — has been very helpful to me over the years. Month after month I have viewed much very fine work. The feedback on all images has been instructive and almost always constructive. I am grateful to the members for their kind and helpful comments My image-making interests include family and travel photos, pictorial and architecture work, and an occasional wedding job. Lately, CVCC has seen some of my work with the human figure. My lofty, unlikely, and chimerical photo aspiration is to find new ways to apply old photo technologies, equipment, processes and styles to create novel images. However, the digital age has tempted me to alter this quest drastically, to be more forward looking rather than impossibly retrospective.
Former StaffAssistant Director Jordan Elmowitz Former Director Jacqueline Lynch Former Director Katherine Wright Director Mary Gordon
As director of the Photography Center, Mary Gordon manages the library, online features, and physical presence of the building. Her focus is on the restoration and transformation of the library, museum, gallery, and studio spaces for the renewed use of current and new members. She is the main voice behind the PhotoCenter’s online features including Facebook, Twitter, and most of the emails! Mary has a Bachelor of Arts from the University at Albany, where she also doubled as part bookseller and freelance photographer. She has owned her own photography company since 2010 and works in a variety of styles; including portraiture, fine art, and fashion photography. The heart of her main body of work lies within a love for both the old school and new school techniques of art, stemming from her degrees in Classical History and Studio Art. Her current work aims to bring the two worlds together, with a take on portraiture that tries to capture the feeling of the works of the classical masters. You can see her work at: Assistant Director Jordan Elmowitz
Jordan Elmowitz received a Bachelor of Fine Art degree from The College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York, with a concentration in photography and a minor in art history. During this time he became well-versed in a variety of photographic processes, including but not limited to: traditional black and white developing and printing, color printing, digital and studio work. During his senior year Jordan produced a significant series of environmental portraits using film and a medium format camera, backdrops and flash. In addition to his work as Director of The Photography Center of the Capital District, Elmowitz continues to work on his own artistic endeavors through various photographic processes, blending both analogue and digital techniques. Director Jacqueline Lynch
Jacqueline has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from Sage College of Albany as well as four years of experience working in photographic related jobs. Jacqueline has worked for various photographers training and assisting in shooting as well as numerous photography studios covering a wide range of subject matter. Jacqueline has also taught basic photography at Point O Pines camp for girls. She continues to photograph independently and has worked with numerous clients. Jacqueline's personal work currently falls into the mixed media category involving the use of encaustic, wood, paint, ink, and other mediums with her photographs. Jacqueline shoots digitally but has a love for traditional and alternative photographic processes. She strives to create artwork that is delicate, soft and elegant, evoking a sense of surrealism. Jacqueline's client portfolio can be seen at www.jacquelinelynch.com as well as personal work from time to time at www.jacklynchphotography.blogspot.com. Jacqueline Lynch Joins Opalka GalleryFormer Director Jacqueline Lynch has been appointed to a new position with the Opalka Gallery at the Sage College Albany Campus. We wish her continuing success in furthering her career, and we will miss her valued contributions as director for the past two years.
Katherine Wright was the director of exhibits and curating at The Photography Center of the Capital District. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in photography from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh in June 2007. This four-year program included all the technical aspects of photography, from traditional darkroom to the latest in digital software, from large-format view cameras to pinholes, from platinum to ink-jet printing. Her background includes training and experience in the aesthetics of composition, design, lighting, portrait and wedding photography. She has been photo editor of a fashion magazine and creative consultant to many clients.
The majority of Katherine’s personal work concentrates on women in myth and the ideals of the ethereal. She is noted for her dramatic lighting, intense color, elaborate cosmetics and style to set the tone of the images. “I wanted to expand the look of digital imaging to create otherworldly effects so the viewer can transcend to a place where these muses exist,” she says. Katherine’s work has been exhibited in various galleries on the east coast, from Pittsburgh to the South Hamptons. The former director of the PhotoCenter Katherine managed all aspects of the operation — gallery, studio, library and museum — including curating exhibitions and teaching workshops with assistance from other photographers and designers in the Capital Region. The majority of the subjects taught are technology-based and include all aspects of digital photography, from basic camera operation to advanced software techniques, as well as photographic restoration, studio lighting, portraiture, fashion, often using unique on-site shooting locations. Former Intern Andrew Rechsteiner
In my time away from my studies I am always dabbling in new media for my photographs and spend countless hours chasing my love of real-life situations that can be portrayed through the magic of film. I aspire to be a historical preservationist, but will always be connected to my own free lance photography of urban decay and the adversity that this country faces so often but is overlooked by so many. More can be found on my website, www.arechsteinerphotography.com. |
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A regular job outside of the realms of photography allowed me many photographic indulgences, including modest collections of images, cameras and lenses, and photo/art books. I have organized biannual camera shows in the Albany area for more than 20 years. Along with 30 or more other dealers, I buy and sell enough stuff to benefit my collections. I participate in the Schenectady Photographic Society, which holds weekly meetings from September to May. I have held most of the offices over the past 25 years, and organized workshops and field trips for the members.
At the beginning of 2006, upon my retirement from salaried work, I undertook to establish the Photography Center of the Capital District.This membership-supported facility offers three stories of almost everything photographic: a gallery for contemporary images; exhibits of cameras and images spanning more than 100 years; a consignment store selling used equipment; a shooting studio; computer workstations with a variety of scanners, burners and printers; a media center with projectors and HDTV for viewing photo and video productions; a reading/research floor with thousands of books and collections of periodicals past and current; equipment for do-it-yourself mounting, matting, Polaroid transfers and copying; and space for meetings, workshops and salon 
