street photography

"Abandoned Stuffies" in Quartets Exhibit /  by John Ritchie

I have four photographs in the “Quartets” exhibit by the Willamette Valley PhotoArts Guild at the Benton County Museum in Philomath.

Quartets is an exhibition of 17 portfolios of four images each, selected from 88 portfolios submitted by PAG members. The project began as a PAG online display opportunity during the Covid 19 pandemic. This is its first “real life” showing.

My photographs are a set of “Abandoned Stuffies.” Here’s what I wrote about them:

I empathize with the little stuffed animals I find as I'm wandering the streets taking photographs. I wonder what their homes must have been like and whether their humans miss them or not. Sometimes they look happy to be free but most of them probably wish for something better.

The exhibit will be on display June 4 - September 4, 2021. The Philomath Museum is open 10 - 4:30, Wednesday through Saturday. It is located at 1101 Main Street.

Work in Two Juried Shows - Portland and Astoria /  by John Ritchie

I’ll have two of my favorite photographs in two different exhibits during March.

Black Box Gallery in Portland

One of my favorite whimsical photographs will be on display in the Black Box Gallery for their “Focus: Shadow and Light” exhibit.

Black Box Gallery is located at 811 East Burnside St. #212 Portland, Oregon. The exhibit runs from March 1st to March 20th with an artist reception from 6-9 PM on Friday March 6th.

Zebra In Hiding

LightBox Gallery in Astoria

I’ll have another favorite on display in the “A Jury Of Your Peers” exhibit at Lightbox Gallery. The theme for this exhibit was interesting - artists submitted work, then participated in the jury process to select which images were included in the show. It was educational and really difficult, giving me new respect for jurors faced with selecting works from large pools of excellent images.

LightBox Photographic Gallery is located at 1045 Marine Drive, Astoria, Oregon. The exhibit will be on display from March 14th through April 7th with an artist reception from 5-8pm on Saturday, March 14th.

“The Evolution of Surfing” was an example of the kind of created luck that makes street photography so rewarding. I was people watching on the beach when this man came down to surf. Each of the people in this photo gradually moved into place and I was ready with my camera when the composition momentarily came together. I still get a rush just looking at this and thinking about it!

The Evolution of Surfing

A New Year, A New Project /  by John Ritchie

Viewers of this site currently see two bodies of work: Night’s Quiet Light and Their World, Our World. The first is all about night, and dark, and quiet, while the second is about people, primarily street photography. I’ve decided to marry the two in a new project that I’m calling “Night Life” until the project shapes itself into a better title. Its goal is to show lively night and people as they are at night. A prime example is “Street Party,” a photo I took a few years ago.

Street Party

Street Party

Toward that end, I’ve been going out at night, shooting handheld, trying to capture the type of energy and life I see out there. I’m experimenting technically, artistically and thematically. Here are several photos showing what I’ve been coming up with. Some of these might better be characterized as “studies” rather than as finished art for the gallery walls, but I’m pretty happy with what I’m seeing so far.

Their World, Our World /  by John Ritchie

I've published a new body of work entitled "Their World, Our World."

Dog Nappers

Dog Nappers

People do fascinating things in the world we share.  Self-engaged, they are puzzling, amusing, and energizing.  We imagine ourselves in what we see others do, in the way they interact with their environment.  We learn about ourselves from the way they move in their world, which is our world.

I photograph people's moments in their world so we can share them, to study them, to learn about our shared world.