BRUNSWICK PHOTOGRAPHER DOUG VAN KAMPEN will present “Documentary Photography in the U.S. Coast Guard” from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday at the Brunswick Naval Museum and Memorial Gardens, located at 179 Admiral Fitch Ave. in Brunswick.
Brunswick photographer Doug van Kampen will share his experiences — and work — at a First Light Camera Club event Thursday.
The Thursday presentation, titled “Documentary Photography in the U.S. Coast Guard,” will take place from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Brunswick Naval Museum and Memorial Gardens, located at 179 Admiral Fitch Ave. in Brunswick.
Born in Southern California in 1973 as a second generation Dutch-American, van Kampen has lived throughout the United States most of his life. A chef by trade, he traveled extensively as an enlisted member of the United States Coast Guard, which afforded him opportunities to photograph many areas of the world. He strives to form a deep connection to his subjects and to remain intimately connected by creating images that stir emotion and nostalgia in others.
Throughout his 24-year Coast Guard career and while serving aboard some of the largest ships the Coast Guard maintains, he has seen nearly every ocean and traveled more than 200,000 miles.
Originally trained in the photographic arts by his father, van Kampen learned the art of the print and the process of photography early in life in a small darkroom off the kitchen in the family home. Though his methods for making photographs have changed throughout the years, van Kampen’s vision and passion for photography have not, ever since seeing his first image appear underneath the red lights of the darkroom.
He will be presenting a set of curated images of his time at sea and abroad, capturing the people and places, and connecting the dots on a map from ocean to ocean. The collection contains early black and white prints (scans), as well as photographs made using modern digital methods. Van Kampen will lead the audience through a timeline of sorts, explaining the methods he uses for not only making the photographs, but also for choosing his subject matter. It is through this process that he hopes to encourage and to teach others to make images that resonate and stir emotions in others.
The event is open to all — free for members of the First Light Camera Club and $10 for non-members; FLCC membership costs $35 annually.
First Light Camera Club hosts tech nights, field trips, and talks throughout the year and always welcomes new members. Upcoming topics and guest speakers include: “From Camera Through Processing,” with Betty Wiley (Feb. 15) and “Photographing Horses” with Helen Peppe (March 15). The club will conduct a field trip to photograph at Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick (Jan. 25). Upcoming tech nights include: “Working with Textures and Topaz Plug-Ins in Post Processing” (Feb. 1), “Macro Night” (Feb. 8) and “Photographing Winter Flowers” (March 8).
To learn more, visit firstlightcc.com, email info@firstlightcc.com or call (207) 729-6607.
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