In Memoriam

toroid_37Friends Who Have Left Us Too Soon

Life inevitably moves on for all us, but at times we are saddened by friends who were taken from us.  This page is dedicated to the friends of NVACC who have moved on to the great beyond.  We will miss each of you!

Steve Passman

On November 30, 2011, Steve Passman passed away after battling cancer. Steve was well known in the local photographic community. He loved photography and lectured and judged at many of the area’s camera clubs; he was often asked to critique other photographers’ work and offer suggestions for improvement. His extensive international travels gave him a rare insight into people and contact with various cultures.

Until quite recently, he was an active member of the Vienna Photographic Society and the Northern Virginia Photographic Society. In addition, Steve designed and set up the Northern Virginia Alliance of Camera Clubs (NVACC) website and was its one and only webmaster.

Steve had a brilliant mind; he was a scholar, university professor of mathematics as well as a superb writer. He did his academic work at Georgia Tech and Johns Hopkins. He had been on the faculty at the Naval Academy and Georgia Tech, and most recently was teaching mathematics at the University of Maryland University College. He will be greatly missed by his students and university colleagues as well as his many friends and fellow photographers in the greater Washington area.

— Joseph Miller

Dave Carter

Long time member David E Carter passed away at home on Sunday June 29th, 2008 from stroke related complications. His remaining family lives in Iowa.

The following are reflections of David Carter and his importance to NVPS and its membership from Joe Miller & Ed Funk.

Additionally here are comments from one of Dave’s former teaching assistants at Georgetown.
If it weren’t for Dave Carter, I wouldn’t carry my camera with me almost everywhere I go. I wouldn’t stop, sometimes in midstep, while going about my daily business and think about how I would crop an image in the few cases when I don’t have my camera at my side. If it weren’t for Dave Carter, I wouldn’t be studying visual perception and aesthetics in the psychology PhD program at UC Berkeley, and it’s no stretch to say that without him, I probably wouldn’t be in graduate school of any kind at all.

When I took Dave’s Psychology, Photography, and Visual Arts class, I hadn’t much idea of what I wanted to do with my life. More than that, I felt conflicted about my two majors — psychology, and digital art & photography — and had resigned myself to the fact that at the end of my undergraduate career, I would have to decide which one I liked more, and pursue it at the expense of the other. Over the course of that semester, Dave showed me how mistaken I was. He showed me that not only did I not need to choose one of my two passions when deciding what to do with my life but that the union of the two was important and worthwhile to both fields, and could lead down an exciting path of academic research and artistic endeavor.

Dave taught me far more than how to compose a photograph, or how to appreciate all of the things that psychology and photography have to learn from each other. I often tell people that in his unique hybrid of a psychology and art class, he didn’t teach “how we see,” he taught “how to see.” He taught me to appreciate the visual beauty in the environments we see everyday. To stop now and then, forget the name of what it is we are looking at, and just take in the breathtaking colors, shapes, and textures that surround us. He taught me to look at the world with new and creative eyes, and I consider myself blessed to have known him as both a professor and a friend.

I cannot effectively convey with words either my gratitude to Dave for what he taught me, or my sadness to know that he is no longer with us. But it is some small comfort to know that he lives on in the minds — and more rightly to say, in the eyes — of those countless students and colleagues whom he taught to see.

— Jonathan Gardner

Dave Carter was a nice person. He was a learned person. He was a talented person. He was a gentle person. He was a gentleman.

Dave had many interests but photography was a passion of his. He was an excellent photographer and he willingly shared his knowledge with others. Dave joined NVPS in l983, and the license plate on his car read NVPS 83. Dave held most Board positions including president and he was the recipient of the 1st Joe Atchison Award, the highest honor NVPS gives. Dave was a true friend to camera clubs, judging and presenting slide shows such as Night Photography, Learning from the Masters, Adventures in Visual Design, etc. Writing was one of his many skills, and he authored or co-authored a number of the booklets on photography in the NOVACC series.

Dave was more than a camera club judge. His ability to analyze an image and critique its merits was unsurpassed. Dave understood the intricacies and nuances of visual design and could articulate why an image did or did not work. Because of his comprehension of visual design he loved abstracts, and they were his favorite images.

Dr. David E. Carter was a tenured professor at Georgetown University teaching psychology. His favorite course was Psychology, Photography, and the Visual Arts, and often Dave invited members from area camera clubs to be guest lecturers in that course.

He possessed a dry and witty sense of humor. Among his many interests, Dave was an avid collector of old-time movie serials. He also collected quotes, particularly quotes about photography.

For 25 years Dave was a valued member of NVPS. We will miss you, dear friend.

— Joe Miller

David Carter (1938-2008) had an enormous impact on the growth and development of the Northern Virginia Photographic Society. Dave  grew up in Michigan and participated in several camera clubs as a young man. He completed his post-graduate psychology studies and earned his doctorate in New York before accepting an assistant professorship at Georgetown University in the early 80’s. When he joined NVPS in 1983 he brought his significant photographic skills, teaching skills, keen vision and understanding of visual design, and knowledge of camera club activities. He devoted this wealth of knowledge and talent to our organization and has left an enduring legacy that includes:

Starting two regular activities that continue today and into our future. The monthly FORUM meeting and the Member’s Gallery show are attributed to Dave’s early leadership although he always deflected credit to others for their ideas and assistance.

His On Location column appeared monthly in our FOTOFAX newsletter. Dave’s meticulous writings and directions could lead anyone right to his tripod holes. His research pointed out items of interest for photographers and non-photographers. These writings became a significant part of a Field Trip Guide Book published by the Northern Virginia Alliance of Camera Clubs and remains useful today. Dave authored or co-authored several other Alliance publications.

Dave served as FOTOFAX newsletter editor for a number of years. Since that time our newsletter has received an award almost every year from the Photographic Society of America for its excellence.

Dave conducted many workshops and his influence was infectious. His Night Photography workshop (with Gary Silverstein) sent us off in a new and delightful direction.

His Learning from the Masters workshop (with Jim Steele) taught us to see how the great painters used design and light in their work; and as a result his influence made our visits to museums and art galleries a more pleasurable experience.

His Macro and Close-up Photography workshops were inspirational to many of us. Dave showed us that we didn’t have to buy expensive equipment to take advantage of these techniques. We could use extension tubes, tele-extenders, diopters and reversing rings and achieve extraordinary effects.

We will miss Dave, his extraordinary contributions and his humanity.

— Ed Funk