Personal Background

I grew up in a family environment that included a lot of art. My mother was a professional artist with an MFA obtained from the Chicago Institute of Art and taught art at the college level. As a child I used to help her with her paint mixtures and in my teen years I did a significant amount of work building the framework and stretching of her canvases for her oil paintings. I even tried to build her an easel one year which turned out to be a disaster. But I still liked art. Unfortunately, I was not talented when it came to drawing or painting. So, I eventually turned to woodworking and photography as my forms of artistic expression.

I started to take photography seriously in the 1970s and took several classes at our local college in the art form. Early on my work was all film based of course but I quickly switched to digital when it became available. I have never looked back to film. Digital just gives so much more flexibility.

My main style of photography is documentary in many respects and my wife and I travel extensively, always with my camera in tow. I love documenting the beauty and interesting features of the world and the peoples we meet. In addition to the travel photography, I also have a deep interest in performance photography with a special interest in documenting jazz performance.

I have five projects that reflect additional interests that have crossed the places I have traveled to and through. I am fascinated by windows and doors and the seen and unseen potential they offer behind them. Neon signs have intrigued me since childhood. Religious iconography fascinates me in the breadth creativity and wealth that is evident all over the world. Closer to home the Wild West intrigues me as a lifestyle in a harsh environment. Each of these interest areas have a separate section on this site.

One last area that crosses all the other areas is the people category. I find that the great majority of people in the world are friendly and most often more than happy to have their picture taken. There is a section on this site for the best of those photographs. Thank you to each of the people that allowed me to take a picture of them. I appreciate it.

I hope you, as a viewer enjoy these photographs.

Take care,

Steve Pope

Services and Audience

Many of my photographs are available for purchase. If you are interested in one or more of them please contact me as all of my work is sold and priced individually.