An afternoon with Doug England and Alan Norsworthy
The Guelph Photographer’s Guild (The Guild) was established in 2009 by a group of local artists with a shared interest in photography. Today, The Guild is comprised of 14 permanent members who meet twice a month at the Dublin St. Church to discuss their work and their ideas.
On Sunday, Nov. 24, Doug England and Alan Norsworthy delivered a talk about the Guelph Photographer’s Guild at the Guelph Civic Museum.
“Rather than a PowerPoint, we decided to [have] one of our regular conversations,” explained England.
“All we can talk about is how [The Guild] affected us,” added Norsworthy.
The afternoon’s talk began with a detailed history of The Guild, moving through Norsworthy and England’s individual and shared history.
Before the formation of The Guild, several photographers would meet in local coffee shops as a small club. They moved to a local pub, finally settling on the Albion Hotel before officially forming The Guild.
“It started out as a small group…of photographers meeting at the Red Brick Café,” began Norsworthy. “Eventually the students took over [the café], so we moved to the Fox and the Fiddle…but that close down so we invaded the Albion [Hotel].”
Both Nosworthy and England emphasized the importance of the Internet for enabling expanded connectivity.
“I posted photographs on Flickr and Alan [praised] them,” explained England. “Without Flickr, I don’t think we’d have ever met.”
“[The Internet] was a revolution,” added Norsworthy.
Norsworthy made a point of stating that his original venture into photography was through painting. “I was a painter,” explained Norsworthy. “All of the pictures [I took] were so I could paint them.”
The conversational nature of the talk enabled the two friends to work off one another. Norsworthy provided a detailed history of The Guild while England filled in the anecdotal blanks. “During a windy Art on the Street [a Guelph art festival], I had [my photographs] fly off in the wind,” began Norsworthy. “I don’t think I was there for that,” continued England. “I think I was playing golf that day.” “You could have been, it’s entirely possible,” chided Norsworthy.
The photographers discussed the artist’s paradox: wanting to show-off one’s work, but fearing criticism. The Guild holds critique groups for photographers displaying their work and hoping for criticism.
“Some of the members didn’t enjoy having their work critiqued,” explained Norsworthy. “We decided that we’d hold night for people who wanted their work critiqued. For me, it represents everything The Guild is about.”
England mentioned his own personal fears: “I still haven’t brought in my [best work] to the critique groups.”
Throughout the afternoon, England and Norsworthy drew attention to the different ideas that photographers have in mind before they take a picture.
“A lot of my photography is what I react to,” explained England. “It’s what crosses in front of my lens,” added Norsworthy. “There’s a photographer in the guild who, when I see his work, I ask ‘How did he even see that?’”
Instead of offering answers, England and Norsworthy instead offered that photographers and artists should push their own boundaries to learn from the experience.
“One of the most powerful moments for me was taking portraits of mentally handicapped people and their families,” said Norsworthy. “It pushed my boundaries because I’m not a portrait photographer. For [the families], it was the first family portrait they’d ever had. How do you not let that move you?”
England dismissed the idea that professional photographers are difficult to learn from, or that The Guild is a group for the elite. “Everybody’s got something they bring to the party,” said England. Norsworthy echoed this sentiment: “No one [no photographer] hides their secrets; they’re so willing to share.”
On the topic of their professional futures and the future of The Guild, Norsworthy and England revealed that it’s indefinite. “The future is more of the same,” explained Norsworthy. “If you allow The Guild to open up your ideas, there’s a lot you can see out there.”
“I don’t know, but there’s a lot out there,” concluded England.