Anita Elder
Name: Chris McFarland
Hometown: Coeur d’Alene, ID
Member Since: 1993
Occupation: Biological Laboratory Technologist
Favorite Things to Photograph: Mushrooms, animals, candids, unusual “stuff”
Prior to joining The Mountaineers, Chris McFarland had a photo background with 4x5s that included darkroom work, equipment sales, and amateur 35mm. His wife, Elizabeth, introduced him to the Photography Committee.
Chris’ biggest motivation to go outside and photograph things is his love of mushrooms. In fact, many newbies of the Photography Committee took some of their first field trips with Chris to photography mushrooms.
“It was my second trip with the mountaineers and I went with Chris and others to Discovery Park to photograph fungi. In spite of a damp day, I found myself laying on the ground to get up close and personal with some Amanitas mushrooms (the kind that are either red or yellow with big white “dots” on the cap and are poisonous, although I didn't know that until I took the Naturalists class). I was having trouble stabilizing my camera for the close-up shots and Chris handed me a bag of rice to use as a prop.” – Anita Elder, current Photography Committee chair
Chris has lots of fond memories of his time with The Mountaineers, but his favorite one was when he was coordinating the field trips for the committee’s Basic Photography Course. The wind and snow came during one trip and he ended up with six shivering volunteers helping the only devoted student to brave the weather on the hands-on field trip. These kind of unexpected things really inspire him.
When asked what his strength was when it came to photography, Chris said that he’s very persistent (though it doesn’t always work). He also said that the best award or recognition he has received for his photography is when a friend said he was really good at it. Well, Chris, we think your photos are exceptional!
Over the years, Chris has been the trip coordinator and a trip leader for the Photography Committee. He also joined some of the other committees, involved with Outdoor Leadership, Hiking, Snowshoeing, and the Naturalists.
WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHY COMMITTEE?
Attend our monthly potluck, which is the third Wednesday of each month. We socialize and share food, then we have announcements and show photos of what we have seen during the past month or year.
