A salute to Hershel Saylor, the photo club colleague with the 3D camera

In the early part of the 2010s, I was an active member of two photography clubs in Indianapolis. On Saturday, while perusing some pictures of mine from that era, I happened to think of a particular fellow who was a member of one of the clubs, the Indy Meetup Photo Club. So I went online to see if I could find a way to contact him just to see how he was doing.

In my search for that one piece of information, I was saddened to learn something entirely different about Hershel Saylor: He had passed away in 2020, almost five years to the day. 

Hershel was someone from the club who stuck with me through the years because of a photographic innovation of his — and I think he told me he concocted it himself — which was to shoot three dimensional photos. The tool, or camera, he used to do this was actually two cameras connected side by side. Every composition he made appeared on each camera’s LCD screen, side by side (see photo leading off the post).  

I don't recall studying his results back then to know or appreciate whether the 3D objective really worked or succeeded, but I remember him trying to explain to me how it was supposed to work, and how that explanation went over my head. 

Hershel was a tech geek of sorts, so I guess his tech-speak didn’t land anywhere close to the comprehension center of my brain. It probably wasn’t his fault; it was just the feeble nature of my ability to absorb geek talk in an understanding way. 

In 2015, a year or so after I had left the clubs, I dropped Hershel an email when I saw a couple of athletes with the surname Saylor at Indianapolis Roncalli High School being mentioned a lot in the sports section of the local newspaper. I asked him if he was related to either of them by chance. 

After kindly mentioning how it was good to hear from me and that he and his wife, Deb, who also was a member of the IMUPC, have spoken of me “quite a few times since the camera club,” he confirmed that the two Saylor athletes I had been reading about were children of a nephew of his. 

He then told me that he’d been doing some work for WHMB TV (Channel 40 in Indianapolis) for the station’s Friday sports broadcast. 

I found his obituary online and enjoyed a wonderful pictorial tribute that his family had arranged to display on the page. It included a few photos of Hershel holding his 3D camera, two more of which I'll provide immediately below. All three photos are from the pictorial tribute, incidentally.

After viewing the tribute, I went into my photo archives to see if I had any photos of Hershel from our days together in the photo club, and it turns out, I did. I’ll present them below, although none of them shows him using his special camera. 

It occurred to me while composing this post that the club never devoted a meeting (at least none that I had attended) for Hershel to introduce and demonstrate his 3D camera operation. It certainly would have been worth considering doing so, given that the club welcomed all topics related to the craft for its meetings.

Above, Hershel and fellow IMUPC member Bill Riggs peruse some of the images our club was putting up for sale at the 2011 rendition of the annual Christmas Market hosted by the Joy of All Who Sorrow Church at 16th and Delaware streets in Indianapolis. The photo below was taken at another point that evening at the Market. 

Six days after that event, the IMUPC had its annual club Christmas get-together, which is when I took photo above. The same month as the above Christmas Market and our club Christmas get-together, club members had a night outing in Zionsville to shoot holiday decorations, and that's where I shot the first photo below.

On June 16, 2012, Hershel and wife Deb joined club members in relaxing and enjoying refreshments after a full day of shooting the second then-annual Hendricks County Park2Park running race in which teams of six took turns running splits of a 60+ mile course starting at a county park at one end of the county and finishing in a county park at the other end. Below, in another photo from the obituary page photo tribute, Hershel enjoys the camaraderie of a fellow club member, Fred (his surname escapes me now), during the Park2Park shoot. 

A toast -- and thanks -- to Bill Riggs

Every once in a while, when you're not paying attention, someone who has made an impression on you in some way, whether small or large, vanishes from your life in an instant. We all have experienced it.

I noted one such instance a year and a half ago -- two people, in fact, Deborah Wagner and R. Dodge Woodson -- in a post here. It happened again last week, on Thanksgiving Day, when a fellow photo club member, Bill Riggs, passed away after a several-months battle with medical issues that began with a grand mal seizure and were compounded when doctors discovered cancer in his abdomen.

Riggs kept a low profile -- you might even have characterized him as a lurker -- in his early years of membership in the Indy Meetup Photo Club. But in the past two years, he emerged as a vital and cherished contributor. He had a dry demeanor, and if you managed to get him to smile or laugh, you felt like you accomplished something. Underneath that tough facade, he had a passion for the craft and a desire to help those in need.

Two Decembers ago, he was the club's lead photographer for two IMUPC activities. One was the setup and operation of the club's station at one of the Indianapolis locations of the annual global Help Portrait project, an endeavor in which photographers, hair stylists and makeup artists come together in communities to provide free holiday portraits to the underprivileged. The other was the club's photo booth at the annual Old World Christmas Market bazaar at Joy of All Who Sorrow Church, located at 16th and Delaware streets in the Old Northside Neighborhood of Indianapolis.

Just a couple months before that, he joined other IMUPC members and members of the Indiana Photographic Society to photo document special needs individuals attending and enjoying the annual Handicapable Camp in Bradford Woods in Morgan County, Ind. In the past year and a half, he was a key component, along with Greg Mitchell, in jump-starting an effort by IMUPC to offer club members some structured opportunities to learn, improve and practice portraiture skills in a relaxed atmosphere. I was among club members who sat in on the first sessions; Greg started off the instruction, and Bill followed up with video lesson reinforcement, practice opportunities and coaching. Both did a lot to open my eyes to nuances needed to feel more comfortable in handling portraiture. I owe much gratitude to both of them for that.

Included with the text of this post are a few pictures I took of Bill in some of the activities mentioned above. The image leading off the post and the first four below were taken at that 2011 Help Portrait activity. When Bill dressed up in the cheerful Santa garb and interacted with adults and children alike -- including helping the young girl in the lead photo learn more about her compact camera -- well, it was the first time I saw that side of Bill.

IMUPC created an album of these and other Riggs photos, which you can find at the club website by following the link in this sentence.

Above and below: Bill was sitting for some practice shots as IMUPC members tested camera settings (at first we used Bill's camera, the original Canon 5D, before switching out our own during the day), and the lighting for proper exposure and white balance (coloring) at Help Portrait 2011, held at the Hoosier Veterans Assistance Foundation, 964 N. Pennsylvanis St, Indianapolis. Bill probably would have appreciated the information I give next: The candid shot above was taken with available light, which is why the coloring on the face is a little different than the one taken below, which was taken with flash (I think from the pop-up on my Canon 7D) ... and which is why you see the shadow on the left and the reflection of light next to Bill's cap.

Above: Bill talking shop -- well, information sharing, actually -- with the same girl you see taking his picture in the lead photo of this post. 

Above: At the end of the Help Portrait 2011 shoot, photographers who were still around posed for a group picture. That's Bill poking his head into the frame on the far right. In a bit of irony (deliberate or not), he was standing immediately in front of one of the strobes used to light the picture. Perhaps he was trying to teach us another lesson ... 

Above: Bill resting during a break at the club's photo portrait booth at the 2011 Old World Christmas Market at the Joy of All Who Sorrow Church, 1516 N. Delaware St., Indianapolis. The T-shirt he wore reveals his punsy sense of humor; the top hat he sports was from the wardrobe of period garb that portrait subjects were invited to wear for the photographs.

Above and below: Also at the Old World Christmas Market, Bill converses (above) with club organizer Carol Thompson and (below) joins club member Hershel Saylor in browsing some of the items on display in the market area. 

IMUPC annual photo show on Friday has historic Indiana churches as theme

This Friday, the Indy Meetup Photo Club will present its third annual November photographic show in Indianapolis. Like the two previous shows, IMUPC will have its exhibit on the same night as a First Friday Art Walk in Indianapolis. Unlike the first two, which were held in the Indiana Landmarks Center (a card-carrying Art Walk venue), Friday's show will be at the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site, just a few blocks west of the IL.

The Harrison Site, 1230 N. Delaware St., in the Old Northside Neighborhood of Indianapolis, is not a member of the Indiana Downtown Artists and Dealers Association, so technically, it is not a First Friday Art Walk venue. IMUPC couldn't show at the IL this year because the November Art Walk coincided with the National Trust for Historic Preservation's annual Conference, which is being held in Indianapolis through Nov. 2. Indiana Landmarks is serving as the host and base of operations for the conference and will be a beehive of activity related to the conference. The people at the Benjamin Harrison House enthusiastically invited us to have our show there instead.

IMUPC chose "Historic Churches of Indiana" for its theme in this year's show, and my seven pictures on display there will be from four churches -- the iconic chapel at St. Joseph's College in Rensselaer, Ind.; St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church and SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral, both in downtown Indianapolis; and Garfield Park Baptist Church on the Southside of Indianapolis (see previous post).

Most of my pictures will be a little different than what you might expect, I'd imagine. Six of them will be interior shots, most of them either using ceilings as the compositional subject or at least integrating ceilings as a significant secondary element. The seventh photo, a night shot of the baptist church, was added to my offerings at the last minute.

Other club members that I know are participating include Brad Brown, Rhonda Clark, Sarah Crail, Karen DeSplinter, Connie Hamm, Tom McFarland, Sundaresh Ramanathan, Don Saxon, Kristi Swift, Carol Thompson and Heather Ziliak. I know they will be showing photos from churches in Hendricks County, St. Meinrad Seminary, the University of Notre Dame and St. Mary's Church in downtown Indianapolis, among other places. 

Of the two pictures you see in this post, only one -- the image leading off the post -- will be in the show. That image was taken last fall, a year ago, at St. John's. The smaller image in the post was one I had considered using, but decided against because it didn't have much of a secondary element to elevate beyond being just a pattern. It was taken at the cathedral, and it, too, was taken last fall.

Admission to the show, which runs from 6 to 9 p.m., is free; we'll have some hors d'oeuvres and non-alcoholic beverages, and visitors will be allowed to tour the house while they are there. So if you've never been to the Benjamin Harrison Home, this would be a good opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Former Indy Star photographer Gary Moore will be on hand selling and signing copies of his new book "Brown County Mornings."

Windows, Gates, Doors: The Art Walk

"Windows, Gates, Doors: Portals to Historic Indy," the second annual Indy Meetup Photo Club project leading up to the November First Friday Art Walk show at the also-historic Indiana Landmarks Center in Indianapolis, is now history. With one exception, but I'll get to that in a bit. 

Thirteen IMUPC members polished off their 2012 effort greeting more than 200 visitors at the Art Walk on Friday. The spread of hors d'oeuvres was probably the biggest hit of the show, but, really, has there ever been any individual or event that could take first fiddle to free food? 

Six of the IMUPC members in Friday's show also had exhibited in last year's inaugural November Art Walk, also at Indiana Landmarks. That show had featured images from the club's summerlong project to photo-document the Old Northside Neighborhood of Indianapolis, an area that has gone through a remarkable revitalization in the past decade or so.

Club members participating this year, in addition to myself, were Andre Arnold, Karen DeSplinter, Connie Hamm, Tom McFarland, Mike Richart and Angela Schaller, all of Indianapolis; Rhonda Clark and Carol Thompson, McCordsville; Debbie and Hershel Saylor, Greenwood; Sarah Crail, Danville; and Phil Taylor, Plainfield. Hamm, McFarland, the Saylors, Thompson and I were returnees from last year.

The photo leading off the post is the view visitors had when they entered the building Friday: Samples, on easels, of each of the show's theme subjects -- a door, a gate and a window -- and, in the background to the left, a salute to the photo club by the host, Indiana Landmarks.

About that "exception" to the show being history ... People unable to attend the Art Walk on Friday can still see the exhibit through November at Indiana Landmarks during the center's normal business hours, which are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. If you do go, you'll have to inquire about the gallery, because it's on the bottom level of the building, and if you've never been to the center, you'll need help finding it. 

Above and next two below: Poster-sized images of photos serving as the visual start points of each of the three categories of the show -- gates (above), windows (immediately below) and doors (second below).

Above and next three below: Looks at the various displays in the gallery, beginning with the long wall of windows images above. 

Above and next five below: Some of the hors d'oeuvres, the real hit of the evening! 

Above: The jazz duo of J n J, performing for at the November Art Walk for the club for the second year in a row.

Above: Club members (from left) Andre Arnold, Mike Richart and Angela Schaller conferring shortly before the 6 p.m. start time ... and before many guests had arrived. 

Windows, Gates, Doors ... on exhibit

I've been meaning to add at least one post here to promote tonight's "Windows, Gates, Doors: Portals to Historic Indy," which is part of the citywide First Friday Art Walk observation. The WGD show will be at the Indiana Landmarks Center, 1201 Central Ave., in Indianapolis, and tonight's Art Walk festivities run from 6 to 9 p.m.

At WGD, 13 members (myself included) of the Indy Meetup Photo Club will be displaying images depicting the theme subjects in images taken during photo excursions in the core areas of Indianapolis. The first link in the lead paragraph of this post takes you to the event's promotional page on Facebook. That page includes detailed information about the show, a few sample pictures by other photographers ... and mentions that if you cannot attend tonight's First Friday event, the exhibit will remain up and accessible to visitors through November and during the Landmarks Center's normal business hours, which are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

With this post, I include samples of a gate, door and window image that I'll be displaying in the exhibit. All three are among my newest photographs -- taken within the past month.

The gate and door are both on the grounds of the old governor's mansion at approximately 43rd and Meridian streets in Indianapolis (this is about three to four blocks south of -- and on the opposite side of the street from -- the grounds of the governor's current residence, which is at 46th and Meridian). The current owners of the former governor's home were receptive to the request to photograph on the grounds.

The doors are from St. Mary's Catholic Church at Vermont and New Jersey streets in downtown Indianapolis.

This will be the second time the club has exhibited at this newly renovated facility. Last November, club members showed photographs taken during a summer 2011 project to photo document the revitalized Old Northside Neighborhood of Indianapolis. It's hoped that we can make this November First Friday arrangement between the club and the Landmarks Center work for years to come.

Hope to see you tonight!

Gowns fit to be ... trashed?

For years, it was my impression that after a woman is married, she stores her wedding gown in a safe place, never to be touched or worn again until or unless a daughter of hers elects to use the same gown in her own nuptials. It was a time-honored tradition to respect the gown, to glorify it almost.

But that was then.

Today, there is a growing trend in which women want to get more bang for the bucks they lay out for this most costly "big day" wardrobe investment. And for more than a year, the Indy Meetup Photo Club (IMUPC) that I belong to has nurtured a niche photography style that caters to that interest. It's known as Trash the Dress (TTD) or Rock the Frock (RTF).

TTD/RTF entails a bride -- with or without other members of her bridal party -- again being photographed wearing their wedding day gowns, but now getting themselves and the gowns drenched, muddied, soaped and suds up and painted -- with removable/washable products if the owners want to hang onto the dresses afterward. In extreme cases of TTD/RTF, the finale shots have the gowns being torn asunder. And all of this in the name of adventure, drama, fun and art ... and getting extra mileage out of that great expense.

IMUPC held several demonstrations of this kind of art form Saturday as part of its booth at the annual Rocky Ripple Festival in Hohlt Park, just north of the Butler University campus in Indianapolis. The demonstrations were led by club member Carter Keith, owner of Once Upon a Gown Photography, a business that provides this kind of photography.

I was there to exhibit some of my work in the club's primary booth, but I strayed from there several times in the afternoon to observe and photograph the demonstrations, which Keith moved from one site to another in the park to give more people a chance to see it in action. At first, I approached it as an observer/documenter, shooting the shoot, as it were. Eventually, however, I took a more active role in the shots, enjoying the challenges -- some of them rooted in portraiture, of course. But on this high-traffic day in a small crowded park, the biggest challenge was finding even a single angle or perspective that could avoid, to the extent possible, the constant background clutter, which usually is a "no-no" in serious photography. But Keith was there to do public demonstrations, and having crowds look on and understand the "why" of all this was the whole point of the demos, so in some cases, we soldiered on and made backgrounds -- clutter and all -- part of the picture.

Leading off the post is a shot of two of the three models used in Saturday's demonstrations -- a flower girl (Arianna) and bride (Katie) from a real wedding in the not-too-distant past. I took this during the painting phase of the frock rocking. This angular and upward perspective was one option I would turn to periodically during the day to avoid background clutter. I liked it, but it has to be done sparingly to pull off the "different" effect. If you do too much of it, it gets old fast ... as well as annoying, even to me! The third model in these pictures, the bridesmaid in the green gown, is Peggy, daughter of Rhonda, another club member participating in the shoot. Rhonda has her own portrait business, Portraits by Rhonda.

To view a gallery of my TTD/RTF shots on the day, visit my online site at SmugMug.

Above and below: Shots from one of the first demos. Above shows something that photographers almost never do -- shoot portraits in open sunlight and/or force their subjects to look into the sun. But these were demos, and the objective was to be seen out in the open, and you can see from the shot above, there were plenty of people -- clutter -- in the vicinity. Below, Keith gets a sun-block assist from fellow club member Brandon Bowen. 

Above: The bridesmaid in a shot that proved her likeness was suitable for framing.

Above: Classic example of background clutter -- the portable restrooms, bright red-and-white Channel 13 logo emblazoned on a trash container and the pedestrian not realizing -- or caring -- about the reach of a camera lens. Photographer Rhonda Clark did her best to work around those while photographing Katie and Peggy on the park's swing set.

Above: When I started getting serious about my shots, this one of the bride, Katie, was among my first on the day.

Above and next three below: The drenching and sudsing of Arianna, the flower girl, concluding with a selective color treatment as she is doused with water from her flower basket.

Above: Bridesmaid applies soap to the bride. In the frames I'd taken immediately before this shot, I had noticed observers' faces in the background appearing in a large gap between the bride's face and the bridesmaid's arm. So when the bridesmaid leaned her arm closer to Katie's head, effectively blocking most of the observers' faces, I took this and a couple more shots.  

Above: A dousing of water, which apparently was cold based on Katie's reaction. Notice more of the background "clutter." On the plus side, it proves that people WERE noticing.

Above: Katie's turn in the tub, as Keith pours more water, and as more people -- in the background -- pay attention.

Above: Muted saturation and a slightly softer focus in this composition of Katie with her bouquet, one of my favorite shots of her on the day ... and without any background clutter!

Above: I went to selective color again on this shot of the flower girl when she started painting the bride's gown. She began by tracing some of the frock's appliques. 

Above: Early in the paint demo, TTD/RTF crew members tried to recruit some adult festival-goers to help splash paint onto the gown but got no takers. When the offer was extended to the younger crowd, they jumped at the opportunity. That got even more attention ... (note background observer). 

Above: One young paint recruit became a model for a shot or two, with Keith behind the camera. And for this shot, apparently I'm the background clutter! I tell you, it was virtually impossible to avoid.

Above and below: Two final views of the "canvas" after the paint demonstration.

Above: The water she was doused with didn't get warmer over time, so Katie bundled up between shots.

Above: Arianna douses Peggy with a pitcher of mud -- potting soil, actually -- during the final stage of the demonstration.

Above and below: My favorite shots of Peggy from the day's shoot, both taken after the round of mud ... and both, I think, suitable for framing.