Sept. 2001
President's
Message
Portrait of ...
Portrait Of ...
Bob Coffey
My perception of photography as an art medium stems from my artist mother who taught me composition, light and shadow by sketching still life subjects. Winning a soap box derby race gave me my first camera, a Kodak Baby Brownie, and it became my artist’s pallet. Growing up on a lake in Texas provided ample opportunity to record my Tom Sawyerish boyhood with homemade raft, fishing pole, dog and pony followed by life in the Corps of Cadets at Texas A & M, the U.S. Army Chemical Corps and my early career days as a chemical engineer. Traveling to many countries while living in France and Brazil on international assignments for eleven years provided myriad photographic opportunities.
My objective has always been to capture the beauty around us in its best light. This was especially challenging during my career in the environmental field in dealing with hazardous waste. Presenting subjects such as chemical unit operations that were not inherently picturesque in order to convey a positive message was valuable training. I used my photography extensively in marketing activities to portray my company as being part of the solution instead of part of the problem. This included slide presentations, trade show displays, capability brochures, annual reports, trade magazines and multi-media presentations at sales conferences.
I joined the DCC twenty years ago and assembled my first darkroom under the tutelage of my mentor, Lee Siers. As a result, I feel very supportive of our Mentor Program. Shooting assigned subjects is a particularly effective learning method because it poses a stimulating challenge to interpret and create images of a wide variety of subjects and conditions. By participating in workshops, going on field trips, competing in monthly competitions, working in committees and holding various Club positions, I have not only learned something about photography, I have developed very close friendships with a wonderful group of people.
My wife, Sharon, and I have
greatly enjoyed creating The Reflector and the catalogs for the Wilmington
International Exhibition of Photography for the past five years. This
past year we purchased our first digital camera that has recorded many
of the images of Club members and activities shown in The Reflector. Armed
now with a film scanner and a photo quality printer, we are even better
equipped to create images and this has broadened our horizon. Photography
is rapidly undergoing great changes and it is truly exciting to be a part
of it. It is my goal this year to help other members participate in the
continuing learning experience that our Club offers.