Ron Ritcher

I first picked up a camera in self-defense. My father, a self-taught artist, had seemingly mastered just about every artistic style I could imagine, and in no mood to compete with his expertise, I chose photography, not so much because it pulled me in, but because Dad already did everything else!

But, pull me in it did . . . eventually. Once I began learning the basics, I noticed that my view of the natural world had changed. I found myself getting caught up in details and subtleties that previously I’d simply ignored or taken for granted. And while I don’t constantly carry my photo gear around, I continue to “see” my surroundings as raw material for art, I gaze more intently and less hurriedly, and appreciate more than ever.

Thanks, Dad!