Essay series by Greg Cooper, Visual Journalism Educator at Brooks Institute.

Essay series by Greg Cooper, Visual Journalism Educator at Brooks Institute.

The Ojai Photography Club welcomes Greg Cooper, who currently teaches Visual Journalism full time at Brooks Institute, as our guest judge for April.

Ojai native Cooper graduated from Western Kentucky University in 1996, with a double major in photojournalism and anthropology.

Cooper was hooked by photojournalism in 1988, while attending classes at Ventura College. During his time in junior college, Cooper worked as a staff photographer at the Ojai Valley News. He spent the next eight years finishing up an associate’s degree, traveling abroad, working part-time in photo labs, shooting freelance, and working as a staff photographer.

After leaving Western Kentucky, he returned to Southern California, where he worked at the Ventura County Star. The Columbus Dispatch lured him away to work as the Sunday picture editor. Three years later, Cooper returned once again to Ventura County, this time to pursue his Master’s Degree in Photography at Brooks, where he graduated in December of 2004. While studying at Brooks, Cooper did his Master’s thesis on the future of digital photography at newspapers -- “Still Photography at Newspapers: It’s Uncertain Future as a Medium.”

Most recently, Cooper has been cutting his teeth in video and Web design. A graduate of the Platypus Workshop, and Apple certified in Final Cut Pro 7, Cooper continues to tell stories with a variety of media, including the iPhone. In the fall of 2010, Cooper was the education fellow at The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, Tenn.

The meeting will begin at 7:00 pm, April 17, at Help of Ojai’s Kent Hall, 111 Santa Ana Street, Ojai, CA..

The Ojai Photography Club, which is devoted to education, inspiration, and camaraderie, meets on the third Tuesday of each month, February – November. Visitors are always welcome, but only members may submit images for critique. For more information, please visit http://www.ojaiphotoclub.com/