Galleries / Richard LaBella
Richard LaBella Bio
Like just about everyone else, I grew up with cameras and took tons of snapshots. I didn't get serious until I got my first 35mm camera, a Yashica rangefinder. That camera got me started taking pictures at the beach, surfing, out with friends, and much more. Through high-school and college I learned a lot about photography through trial & error, magazines & seminars and the snapshots slowly evolved into photographs. Once I graduated and got my first real job, I bought a "system" camera, a Miranda Sensorex, with normal, wide angle, long telephoto lenses, tripod, and a Vivatar 283 flash. My photo skills improved, but since I had no room for a darkroom, I labored to get printing shops to produce what I wanted in prints. Eventually I did my own matting & framing and our house started looking like a mini-gallery.
Then came the purchase of a sailboat and the discovery that yacht racing could be really exciting & fun. I had to make a choice between getting salt spray in my face vs. the frustrations of getting the prints I wanted, so my time shooting dropped drastically.
I was drawn back to photography around the time when digital cameras developed to the level where large prints could be achieved without sacrificing quality. Armed with the knowledge that I could get almost total control in the digital darkroom, I dove back into photography. This time with Canon gear.
I like to photograph mostly nautical themes, concentrating on our shorelines & bays, yachting, the bridges, wetlands, lighthouses, wildlife, flowers and the unique things that make living near & on the water on Long Island a special experience.
Website: http://www.RJLaBellaPhotos.com
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