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Carrollton photographer’s work on display at Irving Arts Center
By Dan Eakin, deakin@starlocalnews.com
William McEwen of Carrollton is not a run-of-the-mill photographer.
And his camera is not a run-of-the-mill camera.
He takes black and photographs of interesting people with his Wisner 8X10 view camera, which looks similar to the ones seen in western movies with settings from the 1800s.
McEwen, a native of Michigan, moved to Carrollton a few years ago. He has no need for an enlarger in his darkroom at home, because his prints are made from contacts with the 8x10 negatives. He has to order developer and fixer ingredients because they are no longer sold in local camera stores. Darkrooms are very rare today because of the advent of digital cameras.
McEwen has spent the last three decades photographing people from all walks of life. His photographs have been exhibited throughout the United States, are in several public collections and have been published internationally.
For more than a decade, McEwen has specialized in photographing classical musicians. Most are members of U.S. orchestras, and some are internationally-acclaimed soloists.
“I like being with classical musicians,” McEwen said. “These people are fun to be with. They all have senses of humor. They are smart, disciplined and very talented.”
Through Jan. 27, 40 of his portraits of classical musicians are on display in an exhibition titled “Faces of Classical Music” at the Irving Arts Center, located at 3333 N. MacArthur Blvd. in Irving.
Some of McEwen’s portraits have been sold for much higher than run-of-the-mill prices. His portrait of Canadian cellist Leanne Zacharias was purchased by Haverford University in Pennsylvania in 2010 for its permanent collection.
McEwen is a graduate of Central Michigan University where he majored in journalism with an emphasis on photography. Photography continues to be his serious hobby.
McEwen is author of “People and Portraits: Reflections and Essays.” He also teaches a workshop at the Irving Arts Center, called “People and Portraits.” Between 2004 and 2010, he taught a photography class two evenings every semester at Texas Christian University.
McEwen first became interested in photography in the mid 1970s when his father, a physician, bought him a 35mm Canon for Christmas. Two years later, his photography was exhibited at the Saginaw Art Museum in Michigan.
He first became interested in classical music in 2001. He said he became bored with the music he had listened to all of his life and began listening to classical music and opera. A year later, he photographed pianist Petronel Malan and thus began his quest to photograph as many classical musicians as possible.
He said he disagrees with those who believe that classical music will one day be a thing of the past.
As for darkrooms and film cameras, he was quoted in a recent interview on Dallas classical radio station WRR as saying, “I won’t be the last person using film, but I’ll probably be among the last 10.”
Some of McEwen’s photographs may be seen online at www.mcewenphoto.com. He may be contacted at mcewen123@yahoo.com or at 817-881-5392.
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