This meeting will be held via Zoom and is open to the public. For members, meeting details are  in the member center on the website and will also be sent out prior to the meeting.  For non-members, please email info@berksphotographic.com for the Zoom meeting details.
Carrying a camera gives people the power to express the world as they see it. Sometimes consciously and sometimes unconsciously, a photographer chooses what’s included in a frame, which camera settings to use, and exactly which moment they will open the shutter. As photographers, the way we view the world, and our biases, shape every image we make.
In a discussion with Margo Reed, Ashok Sinha and Jeff Schaeffer, photographers will examine where we see our personal interests or biases influence our imagery. We will discuss places we’ve felt uncomfortable or places we’ve felt at ease and how that might shape our creative process and work. Some of the history’s most successful photographers have both saved lives and perpetuated negative stereotypes. In this Zoom event, members and speakers at Berks Photographic Society will have an opportunity to look inward at our own photography in an effort to see what kind of story it truly tells, and we will discuss ways in which we can use our work to positively impact others.
Margo Reed is an editorial and commercial photographer born and raised in Berks County before moving to Philadelphia, where she worked temporarily for the Philadelphia Inquirer. As a result of her journalistic experience, Margo has seen first-hand how contemporary media can often divide people. This experience has influenced her personal work, in which she explores the idea that empathy is endangered in today’s politically and technologically driven world. https://www.margoreedphoto.com/
Ashok Sinha is an architectural and interiors photographer and filmmaker based in New York City. He’s worked on a variety of residential, workplace, commercial and educational projects worldwide with the aim of creating timeless images that capture a sense of place. Ashok is the founder of the Cartwheel Initiative which is a nonprofit that empowers disadvantaged youth through the power of visual storytelling. The Cartwheel Initiative began after a trip he took to war-torn Sri Lanka in 2010. Ashok’s work has appeared in The New York Times, TIME, National Geographic, amongst numerous other publications and exhibited in New York, London and Toronto. https://www.ashoksinha.com/ , https://ashokprints.com & http://cartwheelinitiative.org/
Jeff Schaeffer is a retired IT professional who has since picked up his camera and started focusing his time and energy on photography. He has developed a passion for traveling to India where he has sought out opportunities to learn and share about the diverse people, culture and history of the country through his photography. In his travels, he’s immersed himself into the culture which has been both enjoyable and at times, challenging, but has always been a rewarding experience gaining new perspectives on life through others. https://www.jeffschaefferphoto.com/