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Written by Morgan Kriz
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Tuesday, 22 January 2008 |
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 William Cooper and JoAnn Lippert, a husband and wife team from Nevada, have traveled the world combining their passion for adventure travel and photography. Their passion for mountain climbing, trekking and whitewater rafting has taken them to all corners of the earth.
In February North Tahoe Arts welcomes William Cooper and JoAnn Lippert for their dramatic photography show, “Worldly Encounters.” Since 1995, Lippert and Cooper have traveled to some of the most remote regions of the planet, visiting hill tribes, climbing mountains and getting views of the world that few people have ever seen.
Their fine art photos will be on display in NTA’s main gallery from Feb. 1 through March 3. An opening wine and cheese reception will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 1.
For the past five years, Cooper and Lippert have explored the remote tribal cultures of South East Asia. Their images record the lifestyles, faces, patterns and textures of China, Myanmar, Bhutan, India and Tibet. The two shoot separate images, but sell and distribute their work together through their business and Web site, Wild Encounter Photography. It’s no accident that their photographs radiate unusual color, light and life.
“I’m looking at the composition, the lines,” explains Cooper, describing his approach to shooting a procession of Buddhist monks across a Myanmar bridge (pictured above).
“What my camera is looking at is people walking across the bridge; but what my camera is recording is very abstract — shapes and color, for example. The color depends on getting really good exposure by utilizing my meter to capture the exposure and light.”
An example is this image of three boys walking in Myanmar in strong blue morning light. “You see their backs and robes,” Cooper said, “but you see one head turned. I was captured by that scene and the photograph turned out just right. You get a sense of peace and serenity from it. I want the photograph to convey the same emotion I had when I saw it,” he said. “If I get that connection with the viewer, then the photograph is successful. When I photograph something, it’s always because I’m having an emotional response to the subject.”
Cooper and Lippert, together since the mid-1990s, have completed their exploration of South East Asia. Next, they will turn their lenses on Africa. They are working with African guides to plan three years’ worth of journeys to remote villages there. The difficult travel, safety and health issues simply provide greater challenges to the couple, but don’t deter them, Cooper said. They plan to photograph not only village life, but also festivals, rights of passage, and other, sometimes private, sometimes dark events, he said.
Fortunately for people who love their seductive images, they choose to share their photographic experiences with the world. In between travels, the two develop, print and sell their photos. They also manage full-time professions: Cooper is a Las Vegas attorney; Lippert is a clinical psychologist in Reno. They see each other on weekends and on their adventurous trips.
For more information, visit www.northtahoearts.com, www.wildencountersphotography.com or call North Tahoe Arts at (530) 581-2787. North Tahoe Arts is at 380 N. Lake Blvd. next to the fire station in Tahoe City.
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