Glenda and Debby became friends more than 40 years ago while they were studying photography at college back when film was developed in a darkroom and photographs were captured on paper under the illumination of an enlarger. They have kept in touch all of these years as they transitioned to digital cameras and welcomed the advent of Photoshop and other modern photography tools while incorporating their earlier studies of the great masters like Ansel Adams and Dorothea Lange.
Oregon Trail Arts was created by the women during kitchen table brainstorming sessions in their homes, which are in close proximity to the original Oregon Trail, as a way to share their work and love of the light, texture and possibilities that can be captured in images. Many of their images are from their weekend photo shoots together where they spend equal time laughing at life’s foibles.
CartersView — Glenda Carter
I feel like I have come back to my roots. Black and White photography has been my first love of the medium, but for a while I tested the waters in color. Never quite mastered it.
I love going to the places, less traveled, and going with the flow of nature, to see what calls to me through the camera lens, which is of course an extension of the eye, which reveals the soul.
I am still photographing in color and using technology to put it into black and white; I will be able to experiment with the processes of doing so. The digital world certainly opens up new learning adventures.
I am fortunate to live in eastern Oregon, where I can travel in a 50, or even a 100 mile radius and not be bored with subject matter. There are opportunities for wildlife, scenery, abstract and portraiture. As a photographer, I am a happy camper at this stage of my life and recognize, there is still opportunity for growth.
DebInspired — Debby Schoeningh
I worked primarily in black and white photography for years until digital photography made color more economical and accessible. Once I realized the vibrancy, hues and saturation that can be obtained with color photographs, I was hooked!
I think nature in itself is perfect and can’t really be improved upon, but I like to bring out its hidden essence in my photography. I concentrate on the little details, textures and colors that we don’t ordinarily notice like the rich array of blacks and browns in a cow, the shades of blues and violets in the daylight skies, and the multitude of colors revealed in rocks and water.
I have the good fortune of living and working on a cattle ranch and my two little dachshunds can be seen following me around as I explore the countryside with camera in hand.