LENOX, Mass. — Photojournalist and Photography Teacher David Lee will talk about the basic photo technology of the 19th century and how that affects the way the resulting pictures appear. 

 

His talk will be followed by tea.

 

According to a press release: in the Gilded Age exposures were made by both professional and amateur photographers in a time when there was no capability to photographically enlarge them. Today we have much faster darkroom photo paper and making photographic enlargements is relatively easy. But printing photos in the darkroom takes time and patience. The precise requirements of time, light and chemistry necessary for those glass plate negatives to be made in 1887 are followed through with the creation of the prints on display at Ventfort Hall. For Lee they have a resonance and honesty that would not be characteristic of a digitally scanned and computer adjusted inkjet print. The enlargements reveal details about the texture of life in the late 19th century. They also reveal details about how photographers worked, how they thought about their equipment and their subject matter.

 

Lee started taking pictures as a child. His father was an amateur photographer who built a darkroom in the basement of their house where he first learned the craft. He studied art and art history at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis and came to New York to work as an intern at the Aperture Publishing Company. He has worked as a photojournalist for various community newspapers since 1997 and teaches a photography class at Berkshire Community College.

 

Tickets are $30 for members and with advance reservation; $35 day of; $22 for students 22 and under. Reservations are required as seats are limited. Walk-ins accommodated as space allows. For reservations call (413) 637-3206. All tickets are nonrefundable and non-exchangeable. Masks are required. 

 

The historical mansion is located at 104 Walker Street in Lenox.