Our Photographers

How He Got His Start 

The early years:  

As a young child while visiting relatives on vacation he  was introduced to the world of photography by an older cousin. This was in the era of "Film and Dark Rooms". After returning home he was always borrowing his parents Kodak 126 Instamatic camera to take picture of friends and nature, then he would ask if they could go to Fotomat to get the pictures developed and printed. His  parents noticed his  interest in photography and bought him his first dark room starter kit for black and white film as a birthday present. The kit had all the equipment to develop film and print 3.5" x 5" inches photos. 

The New Dark Room Equipment: 

As Steve's enthusiasm for photography grew, his father decided to take up the hobby as well. It was intended to be something that a father and son could both do and share. After some parental research and decision-making, his father invested in actual dark room equipment, similar to what Steve's cousin had, rather than the small darkroom hobby kit Steve received as a child for his birthday. 

Under parental supervision, Steve progressed from small 3.5" x 5" black and white prints to larger 8"x10" prints using the new equipment.   Steve, as a child, thought the 8x10 prints were enormous in comparison to the 3.5 x 5 prints he was used to doing.  He eventually learned how to develop and print his own color film and prints.  On occasion, he would process color film and prints for friends. 

The Camera and Optics: 

Steve's parents decided it was time for him to get a new camera because he was always borrowing theirs. Steve's father took him to the same camera store where he had bought the dark room equipment years before he was a young teen. Steve bought his first Kodak 126 Instamatic camera here, while his father purchased a Canon AE1 35mm camera with a 50mm lens. Later in life, his father's camera was passed down to him.  During his later years and global trips, Steve added more lens and optics devices to what was previously his father's camera gear.

The Digital Age:

Photography advances along with technology. Memory cards have taken the place of film. The dark rooms where film was developed are no longer dark rooms, but rather computers with various software used to process the information on a memory card to create a photographic image. Despite technological advancements, Steve still chooses to work in nature as his studio. To keep up with the digital world, he now utilizes a Cannon digital camera rather than a film style camera, multiple optics (lenses), and a computer with a variety of software packages to "Develop the Film."