Home Address
Byron Will Photography
3334 NE
19th Ave.
Portland, OR 97212
Phone
Biography
"There is nothing like a Bach fugue to remove me from a discordant moment... only Bach hold up fresh and strong after repeated playing. I can always return to Bach when the other records weary me."
- Edward Weston
Music, art and the outdoors have been the mainstays. Photography grew from creating art, hiking and capturing these transient and inspirational moments.
Growing up in a large metropolitan area in the Midwest, as a child the interesting places were the pockets of nature along Lake Michigan or open fields next to industry. Pheasants and rabbits eked out a living next to drop forges.
First experiences of the West were trips via rail at 5 years old to visit my Aunt and Uncle in Montana . Dad shot rolls of Kodachrome slides of Glacier Park. I loved peering over precipices. They tied a rope around me. Later, he became keenly interested in 3-D photography with a Realist Stereo camera. I loved to draw and paint.
In the early 70's, photographic endeavors were with a basic SLR and Tri-X film. Close up diopters were a welcome addition to get closer to flowers and insects.
Uneven academically in Climatology (loved the subject, was lost in programming FORTRAN), I switched to Art, Music History and Literature. Grades improved dramatically, harpsichord keyboard skills improved slowly. The West beckoned.
Color slides supplanted B&W with Kodachrome and Fuji films. The Northwest became home in 1975; an ideal combination of weather and light, mountains, water, forests and fine woods for instrument making. Practicing Asian calligraphy and painting brought more insights. Began my harpsichord making career.
Transitioned slowly from slide film to digital starting in 2001. Photoshop had already been a friend and challenge since version 3 with layers starting in 1994. As inkjet printers improved, the digital darkroom was complete, with better tools and control of the final print in a new and different way than film.
Being outdoors, capturing those fleeting moments, remains humbling, wonderous, amazing and reflective. Kayak photography brings another perspective.
A desire to share knowledge acquired over the years led to teaching part-time at Portland Community College in 2002. Learning from participants in my classes is equally rewarding as is helping to facilitate their creative goals.
Teaching continues in 2020 with workshops, as well as my continuing classes at PCC . Please see my Classes/Workshops page. You can also visit my PCC class listings here on their website>
Thank you for visiting!
