Photography Group Archive
The Photography Group Archive remembers past themes of our member artist photography meetups.
James Nachtwey Documentary
Jan 26, 2026, 6-8pm
Point Richmond Gallery
Hosted by Brian McGilloway
We encourage everyone to watch with us an unforgettable portrait of James Nachtwey, an American who takes extraordinary pictures in war zones around the world. This 96-minute documentary, directed by Christian Frei, was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Documentary Feature of 2002.
Nachtwey puts himself in constant danger to get close. Unlike some others in his profession, he demonstrates impeccable manners while photographing those in perilous or grieving situations.
Nachwey believes there is an unspoken pact between photographer and subjects: he wants to show the rest of the world what is happening to them, and they allow him to make their voice heard above the din of escapest entertainment in mass circulation newspapers and magazines.
Nachtwey says: "In a way, if an individual assumes the risk of placing himself in the middle of a war in order to communicate to the rest of the world what is happening, he is trying to negotiate for peace."
Nachtwey is one of the photographers Brian references for the "Gods Must Be Crazy" theme meeting on January 29th.
The Gods Must Be Crazy
(Nov 2025 -Jan 2026)
Meeting January 29, 2026. 6-8pm
Point Richmond Gallery and Zoom
"The Gods Must Be Crazy" Theme
Theme and meeting host: Brian McGilloway
"The Gods Must Be Crazy" could certainly be interpreted from contrasting points of view. You, the artist, can define it as you like.
One approach would be to seek visual evidence that the gods have blessed us with something so profoundly beautiful that divine intervention must have had a hand in its creation.
“The intricate and awe-inspiring aspects of the world, from the patterns on a butterfly's wing to a sunset, are seen as constantly revealing truths about the divine.”
“Nature can be amazing, almost to the point of incomprehensibility. The splendor of a sunset, the radiance of the stars, and the variety of animals are all evidence of a Creator and Designer”
Or the crazy gods may have failed us humans or at least dropped the ball. As in the words of the comic prophet George Carlin:
“Something is wrong here. War, disease, death, destruction, hunger, filth, poverty, torture, crime, corruption, and the Ice Capades.
This is not good work. Results like these do not belong on the résumé of a Supreme Being. This is the kind of shit you'd expect from an office temp with a bad attitude. In any decently-run universe, this guy would've been out on his all-powerful ass a long time ago. And by the way, I say 'this guy', because I firmly believe, looking at these results, that if there is a God, it has to be a man.
No woman could or would ever screw things up like this.”
Artistically there is an inclusive perspective, the double edged sword that so few photographers have had the will to attempt and the genius to capture; finding beauty in suffering and in tragedy.
Like the haunting images by Lee Miller. Her WWII portfolios are currently being shown for the first time in London at the Tate Museum. Or James Nachtwey’s compassionate and painfully beautiful photos of genocide in Rwanda. Or Sebastiao Salgado’s incomprehensible expose of 50 thousand mud-soaked men in the Brazilian gold mines broke sales records at Sotheby’s auction.
And I will leave you with this quote: “Maybe the desire to make something beautiful is the piece of God that is inside each of us.”
Go forth and create with your little magic boxes. See you soon.
- Brian McGilloway
Inspirations
Café Stories (Sep-Oct 2025)
Zoom Meeting October 30, 2025. 6-8pm
Theme and meeting host: Ward Bell
The "Café Stories" Theme
We are looking for images - set in a café, bar or restaurant - that inspire stories.
The ideal image captures a pivotal moment in a story. It's not certain what that story is; there is no obvious reading. But there clearly is a story being told and some viewers think they know what that story is; they want to tell the story; they have answers to questions such as ...
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Who are the people in the story?
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What brought them here?
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How do they know each other?
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How do they feel about each other?
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What are they doing or saying?
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How will they feel later?
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What will they do next? Why?
As their minds race backward and forward, suddenly they realize that they have been in this story themselves - or something like it. Maybe they were one of these people, faced similar choices, felt the same comfort or anxiety. Do they feel regret? Could they have done differently? What then?
Discussion Flow
The meeting to discuss these images will run a little differently.
We still have a lightning round with 5 minutes per artist. The artist selects a primary image and asks the group "what is the story?".
The artist may not say what the story is. At most, the artist may suggest a title to spur the group in a direction.
You may not answer questions about the story. You may not answer questions about how you composed the shot, your techniques, your inspirations. The group agrees not to tell you that it's a lovely image. The aesthetics are worth talking about later but not at this moment.
How do I know I have a good image?
The success of your image in this forum depends entirely upon how the group responds.
This is a collaboration between you and the group. You provide the image; they provide the story. If you hear only banalities, you know that you've missed; move on to the next image. If the group is talking over itself, each member trying to tell its version of the story or amplify another's story, you know that you have a hit.
You may want to preview your image with a friend or two before the meeting to see if it generates the kind or interest and response that you are hoping for.
Why set in a "café"?
In truth, the café setting is an arbitrary constraint, intended to drive you into the arms of your camera. While a café is preferred, any food-and-drink setting is acceptable.
You might already have a good story-photograph that you could pluck from your personal library. I doubt that you have a café story in your portfolio. To contribute to this theme gallery, you'll probably have to create an image while the strictures of this theme are at the top of mind.
You might find the perfect image in a surreptitious candid shot; lucky you! But it might be more fun and effective to stage the shot with friends as actors.
This is a difficult assignment. Fortunately, it's equally difficult for both the amateur and professional photographer. Camera skills and aesthetics always important. But they are not the focus of the discussion at this meetup.
After the lightning round
It would be great to discuss how this assignment did or did not work for you. Does this approach bear repeating or never again.
Inspirations
Many images inspired this theme, starting with Vermeer's "Mistress and Maid".
Urban Light (July - Aug, 2025)
Zoom Meeting August 21, 2025. 6-8pm
Urban areas could be small towns or large cities - anywhere there is a density of people and human made structures such as residential housing, commercial buildings, industrial buildings, roads, bridges, railroads, man-made lakes, and parks.
Words such as "exciting", "diverse", "sophisticated", "formal", "architectural", "edgy", "crowded", "blighted" are often associated with urban settings.
Try photographing the urban landscape in the warm soft glow of dawn and dusk ("Golden Hour"), or the bright harsher "Midday Light" that creates high contrast, sharp shadows and bright colors, or with "Night Light" combining artificial and natural light for dramatic, "noir" effects; the options for creating interesting photographs are endless. Have fun!
Theme and meeting host: Sharon Taylor-Ward
Checkout these YouTube videos for advice and inspiration