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Art Gallery - February 2008
John Smayda
Mr. Smayda recently started up his photography hobby after many years.
John’s father was an amateur photographer, although many would say his
work rivaled that of professionals. John remembers as a child
developing black and white photos and the magic of having an image
appear on a blank sheet of photographic paper while it floated in the
first bath. Mr. Smayda is very fortunate to have many of his fathers
cameras; an Exacta, Topcon RE Super, and a Rolliecord.
Entering the digital age, gone are the baths; dodging and
burning are now all performed on a computer by manipulating
pixels. It’s as if the darkroom has been compressed into a
little box. The ideas, tips and tricks are almost the same, but
the vehicle to get to the end result has changed considerably.
Photography is still a lot of fun and he enjoys learning new
techniques. Two of his favorite subjects are his pets Snifter, a
viszla and Romeo, a Maine coon cat.
Mr. Smayda has been involved in public education for over 30
years. His teaching experiences have included vocal and
instrumental music. He has taught pre-kindergarten, middle
school, high school and college. Mr. Smayda has a Doctorate
degree in Educational Leadership, an MBA degree with an emphasis
in marketing, a Master of Music degree in music performance and
a Bachelor’s degree in music education. In addition he holds a
Kodaly Certificate from the Hartt School of Music.
John is a professional musician and plays the flute,
clarinet, saxophone, guitar and accordion. He is a clock
repairman servicing antique and modern clocks. Restoring clocks
made in Connecticut from the 1830’s to 1920’s give the most joy.
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