Board Candidates For 2022 Announced

I am pleased to announce that your PPF board has nominated a slate of candidates to join the board in 2022 to replace the four current members who are finishing their two-year terms. The candidates have all accepted their nominations, and PPF members will soon be asked to formally elect these candidates via online ballots starting around mid-November.

We are fortunate indeed to have such a talented and interesting group of nominees (as you'll see from their personal statements below), and we thank each of them for their willingness to help keep PPF the premier place for photographers in Portland and beyond!

Mark Danley

I joined Portland Photographers Forum less than a year ago to expand my artistic community. After nearly fifty years of shooting, I have concluded that my work is not about making good pictures. — it is, instead, how I engage the world. I am a member of a multimedia cooperative gallery (Gallery 114 in the Pearl), and I have a small photo studio in North Portland. When COVID-19 hit, I ended a two-year exploration of houseless/homeless people in Portland and began taking self-portraits to examine what visual identity reveals and how it is shaped. When the pandemic ends, I intend to use photography as a way of bridging the political divide between urban and rural folk. When it comes to photography, I am less a technician than an explorer. In any event, I am good fun and a great listener.

Johanna King

I have been taking photographs since my auntie gave me a box Brownie when I was in the 3rd grade, and I still have prints that I developed in the bathroom when I was a teenager. I see my photography not so much as art as an adjunct to my long career as a clinical psychologist. I love the way the camera allows one to look into the very soul of people and animals, and even the earth herself. I take photos with whatever I have at hand, from my gorgeous (but heavy) Nikon D850 to my iPhone. I use primarily Adobe Lightroom to process my images, though I sometimes use Silver Efex Pro for black and white. And I love how iPhone camera apps like Hipstamatic allow me to create playful and interesting effects. I have been in Portland for less than a year, and I joined PPF very shortly after I arrived. I feel very lucky to have found such an interesting snd talented group of people with whom to share my love of photography.

Ross Kaplan

My photography interests started when I received an Asahi Pentax as a high school graduation gift many moons ago. During college my photography took a back seat. But in orthodontic graduate school I took a class in photography which was required for clinical practice.

My personal photography was sparked after attending a number of workshops, initially analogue now digital.

My photography interests are very broad. Prior to covid 19, many of my images were taken during travels abroad. But nowdays I am taking more images at home such as macro, still life, abstract and some portraiture. I still take landscape images as long as I do not have to hike very far!

The first PPF exhibition I participated in was at Concordia Univ. in 2015, having been a member of PPF since 2014. Time sure flies !

What I really appreciate about PPF is the wide variety of styles members present and the excellent programs presented by guest speakers.

Rita Silen

While living in ST. Louis, MO, in the 1990’s, I took advantage of a local college with a strong Arts Department and registered for Photography classes. My goal was simple; I wanted to learn to photograph in Manual Mode. Ultimately, one class led to another, and I studied continuously for over six years, while working professionally as a CRNA. Twenty-two years ago after moving to Portland, I set up a darkroom in my loft and continued doing portraits while working professionally as a nurse anesthetist and traveling internationally for humanitarian missions for over 18 years. Supporting the local photographic community by joining PPF was a natural decision, although I was not an active participant until the Pandemic. ZOOM has made PPF and its wealth of offerings accessible to anyone who is interested. In addition, PPF has always offered opportunities to meet, to network with, local photographers.

Having enjoyed portrait work for Families, Seniors, Newborns, and Professional Headshot clients for over twenty-five years, my interest has evolved to expressing concepts using digital photography and Photoshop. Perhaps, once again, the Pandemic proved to be a prime opportunity to look closer and make changes personally as well as artistically. Exchanging ideas and hearing experienced photographers speak about their work have proven to be inspiring and affirming. There is always room to grow artistically and serving on the Board of PPF will challenge me to contribute, to encourage and to work for the membership toward strengthening our work.

A painting to illustrate pre-covid PPF Board meetings - The Coffee House, by Rita Greer, FAL, via Wikimedia Commons