Published: Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Edmonds photog shares skills with Hutch kids
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Dean Forbes/Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Deborah Kirsner watches as students explore a sculpture called “Vessel” on the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center campus. Kirsner, an administrative coordinator in special events at the center, was teaching a workshop to students. They are holding small framing cards to help them learn how to see and compose photographs.
EDMONDS — Bringing out the shutterbug in others is what Edmonds resident Deborah Kirsner feels obliged to realize.
The award-winning photography hobbyist was taking a seminar through Landmark Education and had to complete a project underscoring her photography passion and how that zeal could be shared with the community.
By day, Kirsner is an administrative coordinator in special events at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. So it was no great leap that brought her to the conclusion that her obsession with film should be brought to the students at the Hutch School.
“What better place to encourage self-expression than with young people who are in the midst of cancer treatment or who are watching a family member go through the process and likely experience a range of feelings on a daily basis?” she said.
The Hutch School is an accredited K-12 program sponsored by the Hutch and the Seattle School District. The school serves patients and their siblings during treatment times.
Sharing the love
“I am grateful for the opportunity to share my love with children,” Kirsner said. “They have an openness that can be amazing. How young people see through the lens is inspiring.”
Kirsner is set to give students a peek through the lens on March 23 when she will give a workshop on photography.
“Photography is my self-expression, an activity I call my sanity check,” Kirsner said. “It seems I have always held a camera, since I was 8 years old. Every time I'm photographing, I'm happy and I get outside of myself. I want to share that passion with the students and experience the possibilities of healing and joy.”
Students participating in the photography workshop will be given a camera, donated by Glazer's Photography in Seattle. They will shoot film, not digital images, at Seattle Center and will not be using faces in their compositions.
The end result will be a framed piece of their work presented on Arts Day, April 12, at the Hutch School.
Prior to the photography field trip the students will discuss what they know about film photography and be given a lesson on how to use the cameras.
Photos and more
They will also view photos from the Hutch's collection of master photographs, including one by Ansel Adams. The collection includes diverse subjects ranging from landscapes to portraits.
“I want them to explore what they see and what they feel,” Kirsner said. “I also want them to think about what feeling the photographer had.”
Kirsner is an Edmonds Arts Festival winner. She was awarded a Best of Edmonds in 2003* and also won first- and third-place awards in subsequent festivals.
Kirsner has also had her works purchased for various collections, including Edmonds Community College. However, her most rewarding positions are within hospitals around Puget Sound including Harborview, Group Health and Cascade Valley Hospital in Arlington.
“Those works were selected because they make people feel inspired and hopeful,” she said.
*Correction, March 24, 2011: This article originally said Kirsner won best of Edmonds in 1995.
The award-winning photography hobbyist was taking a seminar through Landmark Education and had to complete a project underscoring her photography passion and how that zeal could be shared with the community.
By day, Kirsner is an administrative coordinator in special events at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. So it was no great leap that brought her to the conclusion that her obsession with film should be brought to the students at the Hutch School.
“What better place to encourage self-expression than with young people who are in the midst of cancer treatment or who are watching a family member go through the process and likely experience a range of feelings on a daily basis?” she said.
The Hutch School is an accredited K-12 program sponsored by the Hutch and the Seattle School District. The school serves patients and their siblings during treatment times.
Sharing the love
“I am grateful for the opportunity to share my love with children,” Kirsner said. “They have an openness that can be amazing. How young people see through the lens is inspiring.”
Kirsner is set to give students a peek through the lens on March 23 when she will give a workshop on photography.
“Photography is my self-expression, an activity I call my sanity check,” Kirsner said. “It seems I have always held a camera, since I was 8 years old. Every time I'm photographing, I'm happy and I get outside of myself. I want to share that passion with the students and experience the possibilities of healing and joy.”
Students participating in the photography workshop will be given a camera, donated by Glazer's Photography in Seattle. They will shoot film, not digital images, at Seattle Center and will not be using faces in their compositions.
The end result will be a framed piece of their work presented on Arts Day, April 12, at the Hutch School.
Prior to the photography field trip the students will discuss what they know about film photography and be given a lesson on how to use the cameras.
Photos and more
They will also view photos from the Hutch's collection of master photographs, including one by Ansel Adams. The collection includes diverse subjects ranging from landscapes to portraits.
“I want them to explore what they see and what they feel,” Kirsner said. “I also want them to think about what feeling the photographer had.”
Kirsner is an Edmonds Arts Festival winner. She was awarded a Best of Edmonds in 2003* and also won first- and third-place awards in subsequent festivals.
Kirsner has also had her works purchased for various collections, including Edmonds Community College. However, her most rewarding positions are within hospitals around Puget Sound including Harborview, Group Health and Cascade Valley Hospital in Arlington.
“Those works were selected because they make people feel inspired and hopeful,” she said.
*Correction, March 24, 2011: This article originally said Kirsner won best of Edmonds in 1995.