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Our Faculty
Richard Batch
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Richard has taught Digital Photography I and II, Digital Printing I and II, Kids Camps, Meet & Shoot, Smartphone Photography, The Negative, and Developing a Personal Style. In 2021 he is introducing The Art of Photography, a class that discusses the elements of great photographs and applies them to current work.
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He shoots pictures of life happening, and recently produced a book of somewhat surreal and unusual photographs, Twilight in the Void. Richard’s photography was influenced by Richard Avedon, both his portrait and candid work, both of which showed people being vividly alive. He enjoys passing on what he has learned, helping people become better photographers with less effort.
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Click the arrow to see examples of his work.
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richardbatch.com
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"I aim to make it easier for my students to achieve what they want, not only by presenting techniques I'm teaching, but by helping with any specific area that interests them. This helps to broaden the scope of the class, and benefits other students (and sometimes me) as well."
"Teaching is merely sharing what you have learned. Sharing that body of knowledge in a pleasant, nurturing, and creative manner is my goal. Everyone has a creative spirit. Uncovering that impulse and delivering methods to access and develop that spirit is primary to my teaching style."
Susan "Sue" Ruddick Bloom​
Sue Bloom came to photography in the 1980s from a drawing and painting background. She holds a BFA and an MFA from Maryland institute College of Art. She is a professor at McDaniel College in Westminster, MD.
At Photoworks, Sue has taught Digital Collage, Digital Painting, The Digital Beyond, Digitally Re-Touch Old Photo Family Photos, and multiple iPhone photography classes.
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She has several long running projects that include a series on Venus, Sacred Places that Never Existed, and continuing to create techniques for painterly interpretations of our photos.
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Her photography influences include: Ruth Bernhard, Joyce Tenneson, Arnold Newman, Julia Margaret Cameron, and so many more.
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Click the arrow to see examples of her work.
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suebloom.com
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Joe Bucherer
I really enjoy working with my camera. I absolutely enjoy coaching others to achieve the goals they set. My interest is in having fun and exploring. There is always opportunity to improve and learn more. Photography can be technical, but it can be fun, relaxing, and a great means of expression.
My photographic work is intentional. It means having an idea of the end result of what I am photographing. As an art form, photography has the means to result in different feelings and thought for the viewer. Sometimes I try to memorialize a story, but at other times, especially with creative and abstract work, it is important for the viewer to bring themselves to the image. I take inspiration from a wide range of photographers, but I am always drawn to the most simple images, because I understand how complex they really are in capturing light and texture for example, such as the work of Ansel Adams. Most of all, I have fun in trying to bring the concept I wanted to bear - sometimes I succeed and sometimes I don't, and that is my fun personal challenge.
Mac Cosgrove-Davies
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Mac teaches Historic Photo Processes at Photoworks.
These processes include:
gum bichromate, cyanotype, VanDyke, palladium, and carbon printing.
In addition to building the occasional camera, printing frame or other useful photographic gadget, he also creates books and presentation portfolios for his prints.
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He is currently working on hand painted cyanotypes.
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Mac is inspired by the work of Gertrude Kasebier and Edward Steichen
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Click the arrow to see examples of his work.
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"I focus on my student’s interests. My classes are less about showing how I make prints and more about helping students make the prints they want to make."
"I want my students to experience the excitement and satisfaction of creating engaging, beautifully rendered photographs that re-connect them to the moment of taking."
Alec Dann
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Alec is an artist working in digital photography.
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He teaches Introduction to Lightroom, Shoot and Learn (Lightroom practice and shooting assignments)
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His photography influences include Edward Weston, JP Caponigro, and Murray Riss.​
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Alec is currently working on "Tree Music" - a series of abstract studies of crape myrtle shape and color.
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Click the arrow to see examples of his work.
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alecdannarts.com
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@alec.dann
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Scott Davis​
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Scott has taught Platinum/Palladium Printing, Large Format Photography, Still Life, Understanding Your Process at Photoworks.
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He is currently working on the following projects: Mexico City Street Portraits (Day of the Dead), Sinister Idyll: Historical Slavery in the Modern Landscape.
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Scott is inspired by too many photographers to mention! But when further prompted he mentioned, John Dugdale, F. Holland Day, Robert Mapplethorpe, George Platt Lynes, Duane Michals.
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Click the arrow to see examples of his work.
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dcphotoartist.com
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@dcphotoartist
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"I'm a big believer in the Socratic method, to ask questions and allow students to find their own answers. I give students tools and let them discover how they work for their own purposes. There is no such thing as a stupid question, especially when you're doing something new."
Paige Billin Frye
Paige began taking pictures when she was a kid, printing them with her Dad in their makeshift darkroom. Since then she has studied and experimented with various aspects of photography, most recently balancing the digital world of Photoshop and Lightroom with making work that she can touch with her hands, exploring various historical processes of photo printing.
Working as an illustrator in children’s publishing for over 40 years, along with her photographic work, has created for her a synergy of visual practice and learning. She has illustrated over 30 books for children and has worked for many trade, mass market and textbook publishers. She also uses her skills on a volunteer basis heading up a project to photograph the mollusk collection at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. The digitized images are made available to researchers around the world.
"I believe that everyone is an artist and I enjoy providing the guidance needed for students to find their own creative path... Printing a perfect photographic print is less interesting to me than exploring how I can change, enhance and play with the print. Each becomes a one-of-a-kind piece as I tone, bleach and sometimes hand-color the images with watercolor paint or pastels, drawing on painting skills from my experience as an illustrator."
www.bettermousetrapstudio.com
www.paigebillinfrye.com
"Learning must be an interactive, hands-on process where "teachers" and "students" share equally in the creation of something new, be it a photograph, or a text, or simply a shared understanding. Active participants in learning will always have something to share."
Stephen Greenberg
Stephen (Steve) Greenberg is an historian, photographer, rare book librarian, teacher, and writer originally from New York City, but now based in suburban Maryland. He holds a number of degrees, including a Doctorate in History from Fordham University, and a Master’s Degree in Library Service from Columbia University. He retired two years ago from the US National Library of Medicine (one of the constituent institutes of the National Institutes of Health), and now devotes his time to travel, photography, and writing, with some independent scholarship just to keep a hand in the game. Locally, his photographic work has been displayed at Multiple Exposures Gallery in Old Town Alexandria, the Delaplaine Art Center in Frederick, and various venues at Glen Echo Park, including a solo show in 2023 at Photoworks. He has also self-published several volumes of original photography and verse, which is his continuing interest. Samples of his work can been seen at www.greythornex.com
Christopher Gumm
Christopher originally started taking photos his senior year of high school when he needed an elective course to fill his schedule, and was captivated by the balance of artistic expression and the technical components of capturing light. As an Aerospace Engineer, he brings a technical approach to his processes that allow for a more controlled workflow while also creating an space to explore creatively. Christopher's passions in photography are focused around bending and capturing artificial light along with exploring the outdoors. Once the image is captured, however, the final part of the process is printing the scene to honor the fleeting yet frozen moment in time.
"If I can do it, you can do it! Teaching is not about giving lectures but working together as a group where everyone contributes."
Sebastian Hesse-Kastien
Sebastian has been a (photo) journalist for over 35 years. In addition to his job in the news business he continuously works on long term documentary projects. Sebastian has published four photo books and his images have been in newspapers and magazines. For some time now he has worked with historic photographic processes.
On his own work: I'm less interested in single images and putting photographs on a wall. I prefer storytelling with images and making them accessible in books. Photo books are the most democratic way to share photographic work: affordable, sustainable and accessible everywhere!
Robb Hill​
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Robb has been a teacher at Photoworks for 10 years. He teaches Street Photography, Narrative Landscape, Lighting, Photographic Surrealism, Photography Inside Out.
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His photography influences are Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Frank, Josef Koudelka, Carl De Keyzer, Saul Leiter, and John Cohen. ​
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He is currently working Views of the U.S. Capitol, and Representation Without Taxation.
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Click the arrow to see examples of his work.
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robbhill.com
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"My goal is to unlock the creativity of my students. The assignments for all my classes are designed to give everyone technical foundation and confidence but are flexible enough for each student to find their own voice. "
""Life is experienced through our senses. My goal is to encourage people to use their senses to create. Fabrics and textiles are all around us and appeal to our senses of sight and touch. I want to show students the simplicity of using everyday items and/or pieces of material to create unique wardrobe or looks for any client. No sewing required!"
Donnamaria Jones
Donnamaria is a published, award-winning portrait photographer based in the Washington DC-Maryland-Virginia area and has exhibited both locally and internationally. She joined the military in 1983 and has served both in the United States Army and Air Force for a combined total of 28 years.
Donnamaria has loved photography since childhood. From her early days in the military, she photographed family, friends, and colleagues just as a hobby. In 2012, she opened her first studio part time, and in 2014, she committed to the full time operation of Circa Life Images Studio, a 2,500 square foot space located on the north end of Waldorf in Southern Maryland. Donnamaria also travels internationally to provide on location photography services and education.
Karen Keating ​
Karen is the former high school photography teacher at the Field School in Washington, DC and is the director and a teacher at Photoworks.
Karen was a recipient of a Maryland State Arts Council grant; published her photo book, “Cuba: Watching and Waiting” in 2008 and received the Center’s 2010 Teaching Award. Fine art photography in the genre of street shooting and documentary defines her style.
At Photoworks she teaches Visual Poetry, Close to Home, and various camps for youth.
Click the arrow to see examples of her work.
karenkeating.com
" I want the students to fall in love with the idea of visual communication and exploration – to love to make photos! I encourage my students to photograph what they know and who they are. I believe in the power of a small, trusting community for critiquing and in the process of dialogue with students. Teaching is a passion for me."
"I teach the way I cook: hands-on. The manual will teach you the basics, but I am there to help you get the most out of your camera by showing you how it’s done. Then (here’s where the magic happens) you take control of your camera, newly confident, and make photos you never thought possible."
Frank Van Riper​
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Frank is an award-winning documentary and fine art photographer, journalist and author whose work has been published internationally.
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He has lectured widely, including at the Maine Photographic Workshops and the Smithsonian Resident Associate program. In 2007 he was awarded the Distinguished Achievement Award from the University of Maine at Machias for his “outstanding career in journalism and photography” and in 2011 was inducted into the City College of New York Communications Alumni Hall of Fame.
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At Photoworks he teaches a myriad of classes, including: Lighting Basics, Glen Echo Park at Night, La Faccia - Photographing the Face, and Photographing art work.
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Click the arrow to see examples of his work.
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gvrphoto.com
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David Scherbel
David teaches the following classes at Photoworks: Printing Photographs on Alternative Papers with Inkjet Printers ; Make and Print Your Own Photography Book with Online Sites;
Creating Handmade Photography Books.
He manipulates traditional and alternative processes to produce handmade works of art, often building on a traditional silver gelatin or digital photographic image as the foundation for his creative journey.
He is currently photographing new building constructions in downtown Bethesda for a handmade book.
David is inspired by the work of Robert Frank and Annie Leibovitz
Click the arrow to see examples of his work.
davidscherbel.com
"I believe teaching and learning are a give and take between students and teachers, and accordingly, I encourage questions, thoughts and conversation."
Francesca Scott
Francesca Scott is a photographer who lives and works in Washington, DC. A native of Washington, DC for most of her life and an alumnus of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Francesca considers herself a documentary photographer, constantly seeking images that may disappear at any given moment.
She graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design, she began working for Scurlock Studio in Washington, DC. Under the tutelage of Robert Scurlock, Francesca assisted with weddings, family portraits, and more. Later she worked with various news agencies and covered the 1996 Olympics.
"As an educator, I encourage students to think "outside of the box" through exploration, critical thinking, and self-discovery. The principles and elements of design are key as well as technical development with the medium."
Alan Sislen
I am passionate about photography. Not just the finished photograph, but also the process of capturing, processing, and then creating the final print. I want the viewer to be moved or intrigued by what they see, regardless of whether their reaction is exactly the same as what motivated me to press the shutter release. Through my photographs I am showing what I saw, but more importantly, what I felt.
The writer uses words; the musician uses musical notes. My goal is to present images that stimulate more than our visual sense, but to also evoke emotion and imagination. While I use the most modern photographic equipment and software, my style and approach to photography are traditional, driven by my photographic vision.
My greatest influences have been those with whom I have studied, including well-known British landscape photographer Charlie Waite, former National Geographic legend Bruce Dale, digital expert Thom Hogan, fine art image processing and printing experts Eliot Cohen, Charlie Cramer, John Paul Caponigro, Julia Anna Gospodarou and darkroom master John Sexton.
Tom Sliter
I began serious work as a fine art photographer in 2014. Among my earliest inspirations were the works of Ansel Adams and Edward and Brett Weston for their mastery of composition and the subtleties of grayscale and Margaret Bourke-White for the boldness and beauty with which she portrayed the natural and man-made world. It was these masters who guided my choice of the black and white medium and the fine art print as its ultimate expression.
Today, I remain captivated by the ability of a good black and white print to isolate the essence of light and shadow, of shape and texture, while evoking a deeper range of emotions. Within an image, I look for a sweep of curves and lines, shadows, textures and a perspective that prompts a lingering connection with each viewing.
Most of my work uses Olympus and Nikon digital cameras, Lightroom, Photoshop, and Nik software for most post-processing, and an Epson 3880 printer and Canson, Moab, and Red River archival papers for printing.
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