Varied Interests For Flagpole Photographers

Kenneth Kast, a commercial photographer in New Milford, will present a program of varied interests at the next Flagpole Photographers Club meeting, scheduled for Thursday, November 18, at 7:30 pm. The group will be in the meeting room of C.H. Booth Library, 25 Main Street in Newtown.

A professional photographer for 31 years, Mr Kast graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology with a degree in professional photography in 1979. While he specializes in architectural photography, he also photographs people and nature on occasion. His nature photography tends to be more abstract than most, particularly his floral photographs.

Mr Kast also does a great deal of digital retouching and silhouetting. His clients are mostly in the greater Danbury area, but he has a few in southern Connecticut, the Westchester area, New York City and New Jersey.

Mr Kast first started taking photographs at the age of eight with an old Kodak Brownie Fiesta camera. He still has the camera, even though it doesn’t work anymore. He made the full transition to digital about five years.

The monthly competition for Flagpole Photography members is “Photojournalism,” where they will take the lead from the program presented last month by John Voket, an associate editor of The Newtown Bee. This will be a first in this category for the club, and judging will adhere strictly to the definition of photojournalism by The Photographic Society of America, which prohibits a “set up.”  Images must depict reality of an actual event.

Mr Kast and two guest judges will select the winners. Members will also compete in Open Color and Open Black and White categories.

Finally, “Newtown and Beyond,” the club’s photo exhibition currently on view at Newtown Municipal Center, will be on display through November 12 and will be taken down on November 15. The exhibit has been presenting more than 150 photos by members of Flagpole Photographers, both scenes done in town as well as favorites by each photographer.

The collection was well received by the public and several of the prints were purchased, a few multiple times.

Visitors are welcome to attend the meeting and information is available at FlagpolePhotographers.com or by calling 203-426-2316.