Shutterbugs -
2013 and 2012 Columns
December, 2013 Shutterbugs
It may have all started when a submitted photo of my dog's nose appeared in the Tribune in June, 2008. I was ecstatic . . . I was published! Little did I realize that I had started on an incredible photographic journey. To this day that journey continues to amaze me!.
October, 2013 Shutterbugs
So far as I can tell, many of us come to photography from different perspectives
— a desire for self-
September, 2013 Shutterbugs
I grew up in Bakersfield and worked mostly in the oil fields until deciding to have my own shop and build street rods for customers. I married the love of my life, Diane, in 1969 and together we had a successful business for many years. I took a lot of pictures of the cars we built, but left the real photography to the pros that worked for the magazines that featured our cars.
July, 2013 Shutterbugs
In the 80's I got my first really great 35mm camera. It was a Canon AE-
June, 2013 Shutterbugs
As a young child I drew constantly -
May, 2013 Shutterbugs
Shutterbugs by Bob Canepa -
April, 2013 Shutterbugs
My photographic specialty is underwater photography. However, I do occasionally take a picture above water. It is impossible not to notice and photograph the incredible topside beauty of the Central Coast — the gorgeous coastline, the stunning flower fields that bloom along Los Osos Valley Road in the late summer, the bird life, the otters, and the elephant seals.
March 2013 Shutterbugs
Photography, to me, is a passion, a second job, an excuse to go outside, an opportunity to meet others, and a wonderful way to feed my need for creativity. I am constantly seeing the beauty that's all around us. A romantic at heart, photography helps fuel this passion
February, 2013 Shutterbugs
Wildlife and nature are my obsessions. I think they always have been. Often times I blame my Native American bloodline, though, much like my hairline, that excuse is getting a little bit thin. I have always had a passion for nature.
That was the advertisement that sent me to the local Pasadena camera store in 1966. I wanted to take photographs, more specifically bird photographs. And then I got my first roll of slide film back from the lab and realized a 50mm lens was not the best thing for photographing hummingbirds…
January, 2013 Shutterbugs
Photography defines me as much as anything does. From the amount of time spent with
a camera, to computer time, planning the next shoot, how friends and acquaintances
know me—it's what I do. It wasn't always that way. After all, until recently I had
a full-
December, 2012 Shutterbugs
One of the nicest things about being a photographer here on the central coast is that there is such comradery among fellow photographers. The friendships I have developed with other photographers here are an unexpected and wonderful surprise. In my opinion central coast photographers are the best.
November, 2012 Shutterbugs
My photographic journey began in the film days with this Red-
October, 2012 Shutterbugs
My photography was originally used to enhance my career of some 43 years of teaching
biology and zoology. This was before digital, and almost all my film was converted
to slides that had to do with the lessons being taught. My camera was primarily on
"program" mode, so I did not think much about post-
September, 2012 Shutterbugs
Steve Corey . . . Early retirement from the nuclear industry allowed me to pursue personal interests and recreational activities. During my first years of freedom, I could be found at the beach at San Onofre, surfing and playing beach volleyball – all day, everyday. I stayed at the beach late each day and had watched literally thousands of sunsets, but it never occurred to me to photograph any of these many beautiful scenes.
August, 2012 Shutterbugs
Photography defines me as much as anything does. From the amount of time spent with
a camera, to computer time, planning the next shoot, how friends and acquaintances
know me—it's what I do. It wasn't always that way. After all, until recently I had
a full-
July, 2012 Shutterbugs
The Central Coast and photography just seem to go hand and hand. This area is so beautiful, it just beckons to be photographed. We moved here just over 11 years ago and I am so grateful to be living where nature predominates. Nature has always been part of my soul and I am much more comfortable in a world that has more dirt than cement. Living here is a dream come true.
June, 2012 Shutterbugs
I like the fact that this feature is called Shutterbugs, because I can embrace that label more easily than "photographer." I figure I spend enough time behind the lens of a camera to qualify as a shutterbug. I guess I could use the same logic to call myself a photographer, too, but I'm careful to note I'm not a professional one. I write fiction as a profession, and take photos just as a way of sharing observations. This is not false modesty. It's a kind of realism. I look at the work of professional photographers, and I know they're doing something I'm not. They are adding something to the moment. I'm documenting it, without much embellishment.
May, 2012 Shutterbugs
My photographic journey began in the late 1970s, when Lee and I worked in Madrid, Spain. During our weekend and vacation travels throughout Spain and Europe, we always had two cameras around our necks — one for color, and for one black and white.
April, 2012 Shutterbugs
Ansel Adams allegedly said that the magic of photography is in the darkroom. The negative is the score; the print is the performance. When people complain about photographs that don't exactly reflect what the camera recorded, I spew the words of the master in their defense. Still Ansel was a photo realist, not a pictorialist who was trying to create a painting out of a photograph. He was in favor of depicting what the camera saw even if he fooled around with dodging and burning in his darkroom, repairing the tonality that "God didn't get quite right*," he said. I doubt he would approve of the license I take in the performance of photography, but the digital darkroom is indeed a magical place for me.
March, 2012 Shutterbugs
I moved to the central coast after art school and set up my studio in Morro Bay, where I painted for 40 years. Morro Bay is a wonderful place for an artist to work. I flourished here, but in the late 80s , looking for new worlds to conquer, I took up scuba diving. When I went down and saw all the wondrous things, it was like a new world. I tried painting it, but I was unable to capture the beauty, so I took up photography. That opened another world to explore.
February, 2012 Shutterbugs
The Central Coast is a beautiful place to live and an absolute paradise for nature
photographers. From the wide-
January, 2012 Shutterbugs
If you are hesitant about picking up a camera and becoming a shutterbug, feeling you just can't match what's going on in the Great Shots section, Devra Cooper should certainly be your inspiration for jumping right in and enjoying this fabulous hobby. She may not have the experience or the intense camera and lens obsession of many, but she has the eye for great shots. Check these out, read what she has to say, then visit her Flickr pages for more.