My interest in photography began as a kid in Redwood Falls, MN. My favorite subject was Ramsey Falls using a plastic bodied box camera with 620 black and white film developed at the local drugstore. To this day, waterfalls are still one of my favorite subjects.
Don't ask me why, but I rarely shot photographs during my teens. My interest in photography was renewed during my years in the United States Air Force, especially during a year spent in Pakistan, truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
My return to civilian life involved a move to Lansing, MI where I worked nights as a computer operator for Michigan National Bank. During the day I attended Lansing Community College taking several classes in their highly regarded photography program. An important element of the curriculum was the study of the style and work of several preeminent photographers, both past and present, in a variety of genres. While I appreciated the work of portrait artists; photojournalists; commercial photographers; and others, I found I was consistently drawn to the work of the major nature and landscape photographers.
I was especially influenced by Eliot Porter (1901-1990) an early proponent that color photography, in addition to black and white, could be legitimately considered fine art. Porter's 1979 book, "Intimate Landscapes", became especially important to me. Its focus was on capturing details and smaller areas of coverage rather than the grand vistas of the Far West favored by Ansel Adams and many other well-known landscape photographers. By this time I was living in the Twin Cities where opportunities to capture large nature scenic views are limited, but smaller, intimate scenes similar to those in Porter's book are bountiful.
Porter remained active into his eighties making trips to Antarctica at age 75, China at 79, Hong Kong at 84 and publishing a book on Maine when he was 85. His level of productivity in later life inspires me to keep striving to grow as an artist as I grow older.
During the 80s, a friend and I made photographic trips to the Badlands and Black Hills, the Smoky Mountains, the North Shore into Canada, and Yellowstone Park.
The 90s were again a period of relative photographic inactivity. The digital era reawakened my creative spirit. The vast majority of the photos in the gallery were made during the past three years along with a few older shots - Minnehaha Falls, Minnehaha Trees and Mt. Moran.
I hope you enjoy the galleries of some of my favorite recent photographs. If you wish to purchase any of the pictures and you may also contact me at PaulWingerPhotos@aol.com for additional information or options such as note cards or to order the petite panoramas.
I appreciate any feedback or thoughts on my photographs. If you wish a reply use the email address as gallery comments without logging in do not allow me to respond to you.
Thanks for stopping by,
Paul W. Winger