Much like one of photography's inventors, I am inspired by its ability to visually record a scene. It helps me to pause, focus, and appreciate my surroundings. While photographing the musicians, I was also inspired by their dedication to craft and collective effort, nearly all of them participating as non-paid members of a community orchestra.
The photograph shown in this exhibit is a composite image made of 30 individual photos. I took those individual photos between 2017 and 2020, mostly at rehearsals of the Wellesley Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Civic Symphony. I volunteered for each of those organizations, photographing rehearsals and concerts. I loved the individual and collective energy of the musicians, and how so many practiced their difficult craft while balancing family and professional responsibilities. The musicians were generally game for participating in some of my photography experiments, and I got to know a few of them.
Why did I submit this composite image to this Boston Camera Club exhibit? As I write these words, it is early February 2021. This morning, NPR told me that exactly one year ago the first Covid death in the United States was reported. It's been a year whose events will fill hundreds of history books. Not a lot of fun to live through such a year. I felt it important, indeed crucial, to remind viewers of this exhibit that happier times preceded it and that happier times will follow it. Hang tight and stay safe.
brucehughw.myportfolio.com
Before Times and Future Times
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