Beauty through a Lens

            On January 30, a breath of fresh air blew through the Mattapoisett Free Public Library when Richard Van Inwegen gave a presentation on the style of photography he enjoys pursuing and enjoys sharing with the public: primarily nature and the great outdoors.

            That hasn’t always been the case. As a young boy, Van Inwegen would find himself taking accident-scene photographs for the local newspaper in the small town where he was raised. “I’ve been taking pictures as long as I can remember,” he told us. After a long career in pharmaceutical research and development, Van Inwegen now makes his home in Mattapoisett, a place with endless opportunities to see natural wonders on a daily basis.

            During his presentation, Van Inwegen stated that the most important tool one possesses is the brain. Imagining what a finished photograph would look like as he looks through the lens, he tells his students to, “See the subject.” Like a coach, he said, “If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not doing anything,” and that knowledge of one’s camera and its capabilities will enhance the composition being sought.  

            The best light, he cautions, is not necessarily apparent on the first choice. Van Inwegen said to “work and rework the scene from multiple angles.” He suggested that by becoming familiar with the place one intends to shoot – even going so far as working with a local guide or, put another way, “Use a local as a guide.”

            Van Inwegen is not a commercial photographer in spite of his early experience taking photographs filled with the serious side of life, death and accidents. He seeks out beautiful locations and subject matter for his own pleasure. “It’s for my use.”

            Taking photographs while on vacation brings Van Inwegen joy. While traveling, he said being lucky, being in the right place at the right time is critical, but sometimes you, “… just get what you get.”

            To enjoy the experience of travel photography, he thought people should remember, “These are your memories, your stories, your photographs.”

            The photographer also gives back to the world he inhabits. For years, Van Inwegen has been the photographer for the New Bedford Symphony and has given his time and talent to the Boston Marathon medical team as well as the medical team for the Falmouth Road Race.

            Van Inwegen said that it is a myth that to take good photos you need an expensive camera, further encouraging the average person to take up photography as he now has as a hobby. But probably the most important bit of advice he imparted was, “If you want to be a better photographer, stand in front of more interesting stuff.”

            Now on view in the library’s reading room are examples of Van Inwegen’s works where you’ll see how he has used computer programs to create real works of art.

By Emily and Marilou Newell

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