10/05/2022
Here is my Bio of sorts.
Thanks for stopping by and checking out my fine art photography page. I appreciate your interest in my photographic creations and adventures. I'm in the process of shooting some interesting fall locations. I welcome you to join me on this journey.
My team of Daisy , Obi, wifey and I will be venturing out to grab some of the amazing colorful landscapes and sites, Minnesota has to offer.
Hope you enjoy our , adventures and photographs.
If there is a place that's dear to you ,around Osakis, and nearby central Minnesota, that you'd like photographed . Just let us know and I will see if I can shoot it for you. Where I try to Create something unique, special and memorable for you. Any photograph you see featured here can be purchased . Just message or email me , the picture of your interest , size and print media and I will contact one of my printers for pricing.
[email protected]
Or [email protected]
I have many photographs on my from the back roads page that can also be purchased. I'm in the process of streamlining into this one page.
Fasten your seatbelts and hang on. As our team sets out to capture and create unique photograpghs to share with you. All from our back road adventures across Minnesota and beyond.
I've been shooting pictures since my grandpa and grandma gave me my fist Kodak camera. I still remember those square cubes flash bulbs and 126 film cartridges. I then stepped into 35mm when we went on our first real family adventure. An adventure that took us west to the amazing and interesting beauty that is the black hills and Yellowstone national park.
I had but two lenses in those days accompanying my old Minolta . But I made the most of them and what an adventure it was. It was here we started going to the off the path back roads and finding many unique treasures along the way.
My job eventually transferred me to Osakis, Minnesota from my home state and town of Wilmington, Illinois. It was at this time I switched to digital photography .I started at this time shooting high school and grade school sports. I started with a point and shoot Olympus which folks were shocked at the images I was creating from it. I eventually stepped up to a canon 20d DSLR . When a super nice co worker of mine made me knowing what I was trying to do, an offer I couldn't refuse on it. He knew I wanted to offer the kids of our small farming community some great action memories but only asking for a donation to cover the print costs.i was shooting every kid on those teams and offering a d featuring them in action as they played. I set out to make each kid from the far end of the bench to the starters making them all look like the stars. I started designing and creating custom posters. I did this to create memories for my daughter and her wonderful friends and classmates in the beginning. Then it evolved to other kids. All featuring each one as the star. In the process I fell in love with highschool sports all over again . It in some ways it became a way to let my cousin Hermie's memory live on. He was tragically taken as a young man In a car accident but he loved , loved, loved sports especially high school sports. We would travel to all the games. He'd research them In the paper for big matchups and we'd go what amazing adventures those were. So in effect I was shooting sports in his memory. I just wished he was here with me to enjoy it. In many ways I think he was running those sidelines with me. He'd be smiling and doing mental stats enjoying every minute of it. I can still see him to this day. Miss you buddy
I then got back into wildlife and landscape photography as my job and then my health kept me from being able to make and give a 110%effort and commitment to the kids and the sports. My job became more demanding as I had to cover two areas. My own and a coworker who got sick with cancer. It required me covering over 140miles of pipeline and the Minneapolis metro area. It took a heavy drain on both me and my time. I did this for around 3 years as I also had to train in several people and cover the area. I took the responsibility very seriously, and gave 110%until I too was slammed to a stop by cancer.
The cancer and the treatments really took a toll but I'm lucky to still be here. I had stage IV and was given less than a 30%chance. But I took it and with a great medical team and family and friend support and by the grace of God and still kicking. Just not as high or fire as long . Cancer has effected my vision along with an earlier Ampe virus that's left my eyes with a perpetual floating haze. Ive had several surgeries to correct it but all for not. It also hit my lungs and body slowing me down. I used to feel spry now I feel, well my age plus 20years. But after all that , I was hit with another blow loosing the job I loved and was anxious to get back to. It became my focus through the treatments. Though I tried I couldn't get back to 100%. So they let me go.
So after all that I sold all my canon L glass and some other stuff to replace my old camera with a new canon 7dmarkii . My lens selection went from super man to Clark Kent but hopefully even so I can still create some super shots.
I add to my lens array little at a time. So I now find it not as easy but it's still a joy to get out into nature to capture and create some amazing reproductions of the amazing art work of gods creations. By adding my unique style to make them mine to share with you all . I hope you find my creations as fun and enjoyable as I did creating them. Life I've learned is an adventure,. One you know not how much time you have to travel and explore it . So you need to slow down and take it in while your able. All from the back roads...
I've met many fascinating people along this journey. I will try to mention and feature them as I go. But here are a few that had big impacts on my photographic journey through life.
Rich Pulaski , he was my awesome neighbor when I lived on bruining drive in Wilmington. He was a great neighbor, though he may not say that about me as one of our first meetings was when I caught his backyard on fire whilst burning leaves. Holy cow it was the first time I'd burnt so many leaves . I piled them in my driveway and with no wind lit them . Then as they began to burn , this massive pile . The wind took off. And the fire spread into Rich's yard . I quickly got out the hose and that with my rake began to put it out. How embarrassed was I . But this lead to a friendship and into Rich's amazing photography. He volunteered on the fire department and through that started shooting the fire scenes and accidents. Though many of the pictures would be considered graphic or gruesome to some degree. He captured shots others darned not to. He had amazing skill and technique. He shot these pictures not for the joy of it but to give to families, law enforcement and the fire departments to use in making an insurance claim and filing reports. These pictures earned him a bit of money but it was his wildlife shots that blew me away. To this day he still has one of the best raccoon shots I've seen. He shot black and white 35mm film. But his raccoon picture was truly amazing. He was driving home after the sky turned to night. It was as he was driving a raccoon crossed the road before him. He stopped quickly grabbed his camera . Aiming up the tree , one shot left and bam . He was a master of the flash and art I still get wrong occasionally to this day. But Rich was amazing. And with just one shot left he captured this amazing tack sharp image of a raccoon looking down the tree at home. I'm still blown away by that shot. It's really difficult shooting at night up a tree hoping you capture not only the subject but the subject in sharp focus with a nice composition. He nailed it. Checked all the boxes. Rich was an interesting guy, great photographer and good friend. He sadly got stomach and esophagus cancer and passed away shortly after I was transferred to Minnesota from Illinois. I miss him a lot but he was one of the people that influenced me to pursue this amazing thing called photography. I hope I meet Rich's expectations as I chase down these adventures.
William Butcher
