How I Got Started
I’ve always enjoyed taking photos. I got my first camera in the late 1980’s. It was a Yashica 35 millimeter film camera. I would take my 35mm film into K-mart and get double prints made. Then, I’d sit in my car and eagerly look through the big stack of prints. I was often disappointed with my results; out of 24 photos I would have maybe one good photo.
I’ve always had a tendency to shoot subjects up close—and I was once criticized for that—but, doing so allowed me to have enough image quality to crop a photo exactly the way I wanted without losing too much detail. In order to crop the images, I’d take the negatives into a place called Simon Camera Shop. I would select the part of the negative that I wanted them to enlarge by drawing on an actual print. They would make the enlargement and I would get prints made of the image. It was a very satisfying experience.
I loved taking close-up photos. I always liked to fill the frame.
I take photos of what pleases me. Primarily flowers, plants, and insects. I enjoy shooting abstract photos, especially of subjects viewed from an unusual perspective. Most of my nature photos are of plants I’ve grown in my yard. I also enjoy HDR work and on the commercial side I really enjoy taking photos of objects made from metal.
I like looking at things in new ways. It gives me a new perspective. Sometimes, I’ll lie flat on my back beneath the canopy of a plant and shoot straight up, other times, I’ll lie flat on the ground and shoot straight on. It is through doing this, that I captured the image of the 2 insect visible in the bumble bee photo below. I held the shutter down and took 8 rapid exposures. It was only weeks later as I processed the images in Adobe Lightroom that I became aware of the 2 little insects. In the other 7 exposures, the florets of the clover flower obscured them.
Editing Files in Adobe Lightroom
I enjoy editing files in Adobe Lightroom where you have a lot of freedom to create a photo you enjoy. The digital camera’s sensor merely captures the light and, when a JPEG is created within the camera’s native software, certain commitments are made with regard to how the photo is rendered. The JPEG conversion simply presents you with a reasonable interpretation of what the sensor captured. In Lightroom one has complete latitude to be more artistic.
The example below illustrates what I mean by showing a before and after. This one is exaggerated for illustrative purposes.
I mostly enjoy close-up and macro photography
I like discovering the hidden worlds that exist inside the otherwise mundane.
Like a small clover flower. Clover is the kind of thing you walk around on your lawn all day long and just step on. But when you take the time to examine it you discover that it is staggering in its beauty. The little florets by themselves are fascinating. Taken together as a whole they add a whole new dimension.
Most people wouldn’t recognize the things that I photograph as parts of their every day life.
Like the clover. Or a blueberry flower. Or a tiny insect.
Thank you for visiting my website and I hope you enjoy the photos. I am working to add a shop in the future. In the meantime if you’d like prints of the images you see please contact me for availability and pricing.
Memberships
I am a current member of Professional Photographers of Ohio and a past member of Professional Photographers’ Association of Pennsylvania.
Being a member of professional photography organizations gives me exposure to peers, insight into the technique and gear used by others, and opportunities to learn and improve my skills.
My Work at True Leaf
In addition to my photography, I also co-own and operate True Leaf where we provide suite of expert support services. for food producers, health and wellness providers, and small businesses.
Our services include supporting our clients with their labels and packaging together with brand and project management.
We primarily serve:
- Food Producers (produce growers and specialty food producers) in the organic, sustainable, and regenerative spaces
- Health and Wellness Providers, especially those in functional, integrative, and alternative worlds
- Small Businesses, often the makers of manufactured goods from beautiful bakery items to industrial products and everything in between
Whether you’re buying labels, packaging your product, leveling up your website, or taking on a new initiative, our team at True Leaf is ready to put our 70 years combined experience to work to get you the expert support you need.