Martin Gold joined SSCC last fall, and has been active in the club throughout this year.  In order to help club members get to know Martin, we asked him to respond to several questions about himself and his interests in photography.  Here, he describes his photographic interests, sources of inspiration, and challenges.

How did you hear out about SSCC?

My wife, Madeline, met Lisa and Marc Auerbach at their granddaughter’s pre-school.  They started chatting and Lisa mentioned the club to my wife, who in turn told me about it.  I started coming to meetings last October, 2017.

How did you get started in photography?

I have always had an interest.  I had a makeshift darkroom when I was a kid and I searched out the photography exhibits whenever I went to a museum or art gallery.  Until recently I only had simple cameras, first Kodak brownies and after digital came out I had a Canon sure shot. Mostly, I took pictures at events, family gatherings and while on vacation.  Outdoor shots in the daylight were fine, but there was a lot of shots I couldn’t get with the Canon, particularly with low lighting or because there was no zoom or wide angle.

In 2014, Madeline and I went to Paris and I really felt that I was missing a lot of good shots because of my camera’s limitations.  Madeline heard my frustration and for my birthday that year she got me a gift certificate at Penn Camera (I do miss Penn Camera).  I bought a Nikon D5100 kit with the standard 18 – 55 and 55- 200 lenses.  For the next couple of years I shot mostly in automatic setting for jpegs.  I would occasionally experiment with the “A” and “S” modes and took some courses, but was not really getting the hang of ISO, shutter speeds and aperture even after taking a couple of courses at the Smithsonian.

That all changed after I joined SSCC, and I have learned quite a bit during the past few months. At my first meeting there was a discussion about Lightroom CC.  The next day I downloaded the entire series: Lightroom CC, Lightroom Classic, Photoshop, etc.  Now I just have to learn how to organize and edit my photos within the app.  I now shoot in raw, not jpeg, and I can really see the difference in post-production.  Coming to the meetings have really been a lot of help but I still feel like a novice.

What photographic subjects do you prefer to photograph?

I look for unusual settings, angles, and subjects.  I prefer urban settings and architecture, and street scenes of everyday people doing everyday things.  I also like shots of rocky seashores and inside forests.  I really enjoy taking photos of food, mostly displays of fruits, vegetables, and spices at farmers markets or urban markets such as the Reading market in Philly.  Of course, my favorite subject is my 2½ year old grandson.

What has inspired your photography and choice of subjects?

Most of my inspiration, other than my grandson, comes from traveling to new and different places and from seeing what other photographers have done.  I recently saw an exhibit at MoMA in NYC.  The photos were commonplace things like gas stations and people on the subway, but they really bring you into the scene depicted.  One day I would like to be able to shoot photos that capture that kind of emotion.

How much of your photography has been inspired by interesting places where you have lived or visited?

I work by the Mall, surrounded by monuments.  To me, there are just so many ways to shoot the Washington Monument before all of the shots begin to look alike.  I look for more vibrant settings.  I love shooting in New York because of the diversity of people and locations.  Last year we went to San Francisco and the best shots were taken in Chinatown with the hanging ducks, the fish on display in open vendors, and the diverse crowds.

How much does art, or art forms in general, inspire your photography?

Whenever I see a photograph exhibit either in a museum, in a magazine article, or at an art fair I am impressed by how much emotion can be created by simple shots: a boarded up motel, children playing hop scotch, or someone on a subway looking frightfully alone in a crowd.  Shots that evoke a response.  My goal is to improve my skills so that one day I will have a few pictures that are good enough to frame, and maybe even publish.

What type of camera do you use?

I am still using my D5100.  In addition to the kit lenses, I have a 35mm lens that I just love, and a 11 – 20mm wide angle that weights a ton.  Interchanging lenses while traveling is a real pain but am not convinced that lugging 2 camera bodies around is a good solution.  I am toying with the idea of buying a D750 full frame camera, but that means investing a lot of money in not only the camera but the lenses that go with it.  So the pending question is where do I go from the D5100?

Do you do much post-processing of your photos?

I am struggling, and I do mean struggling, to learn Lightroom.  I had about 9,000 photos on my Mac’s iPhoto app.  When I got Lightroom I made the common mistake of importing them all en masse.  Now I am trying to go through and organize them.  It’s a big job and a major pain. Almost all of these pics are in jpeg and it did not take long to realize how limiting this format is for post-production.  I only have a few that I have taken in raw since October, 2017, so I don’t have much in the way of material to work with in post-production.  But, of course, summer is just around the corner and I am looking to build up a portfolio of images in raw that I can use to improve my post-processing skills.

What are you interested in learning more about?

Lightroom, definitely, and Photoshop.  As mentioned above, I am very interested in getting better at organizing my photos and post-production but even more important is improving my shooting skills.  We have had presentations on ISO, shutter speeds and recently on black and white photography.  All of these practical, how-to discussions are important for me.

What is or was your day job?

I am a litigator with a federal agency doing employment law.

What other interests, pursuits or hobbies would you like to share with the SSCC membership?

Grandparenting.  I also like hiking and walking.

Are there any areas in club activities that you would like to become involved in?

So far I have not had a chance to join the group on a field trip.  I would be interested in excursions that do not involve photos of monuments.

WELCOME, MARTIN! WE LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO GET KNOW YOU, AND TO SEEING YOUR IMAGES!