Chuck Kirchner is a photographer and workshop leader based in Tucson, Arizona after many years in the Puget Sound region. His subjects include rituals, dance, spirituality, and world cultures. The range of photographs represents the spirit of the places Chuck has had the privilege of visiting over the years and the people met along the way. The challenge for the photographer is to convey the emotional sense of being there - from serene and solemn to sensual and exuberant. Chuck’s photographs have the ability to capture the season, the sensations, the memories and, most importantly, the spirit of place and of life. The tools of the trade involve technical acumen, artistic vision, patience, good timing, and, of course, a bit (or lot) of serendipity.
His photographs have been exhibited in numerous venues in the Puget Sound area, including the new Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, the Edmonds (WA) Art Festival, and traveling exhibits sponsored by the Grunewald Guild. He has been published in Popular Photography and the Alaska/Horizon Airlines magazines. He has led photography workshops on Bainbridge Island, at Grunewald Guild (Plain, WA), St. Andrew's House (Union, WA), and Ghost Ranch (Abiquiu, NM) as well as offering one-on-one mentoring sessions, on a variety of topics including digital workflow, composition and creativity, travel photography, and the spiritual dimension of photography.
Chuck has had the honor of studying with some of the world’s great cultural photographers, including Nevada Wier, Douglas Beasley, Chris Rainier, Brenda Tharpe, Ami Vitale, and Daniel Milnor. His diverse inspiration goes beyond photography to include the painters Claude Monet and Edward Hopper, composers J.S. Bach and Aaron Copland, the music and dance of the Celtic traditions and the Tango, and the world’s religious, spiritual, and cultural rituals.
Nearly all of the works are shot in natural light without added flash or special lighting. Motion and liveliness are captured with in-camera techniques rather than during post-processing. Earlier photographs were taken with Nikon film cameras; recent works with Nikon digital equipment. The photographs are then processed using Adobe Lightroom and, on occasion, Adobe Photoshop. Color and tonal adjustments are similar to those used in the traditional darkroom.
Copyright Notice
All photographs and articles in this website are copyright (c) 2009-2024 by Chuck Kirchner. All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means - graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or information storage and retrieval systems - without written permission of the author and photographer.
