A man inspired by fine art, music and culture, Jim has always pursued
photographic excellence. Born in a small New England town, his photographic
chronicles began along a beautiful coastal panorama amongst some of the
most beautiful scenic vistas in the world.
Jim's passion for taking pictures began in high school and continued
into the United States Armed Forces, where he became a Paratrooper. Nurturing
his love for photography and country, he was the Photographer of the U.S.
Army Parachute team and served as an Airborne Ranger. Later, he went on
to serve with the U.S. Army Special Forces in Panama.
A past president of the Professional Photographers of Western Michigan,
PPWM, Jim also served as Membership Chairman and Program Chairman while
working his way through the Executive Board positions. PPWM recently named
him Photographer of the Year for the third consecutive year.
Jim has also served on the Professional Photographers of Michigan board
as the Properties Chairman and Print Chairman for 3 years and is currently
serving on the Executive Board as Vice President.
In addition, Jim also serves on the board of the Great Lakes Institute
of Photography, as the Liaison between the state association and the school.
Jim's strong conviction and dedication earned him the Master of Photography
degree in 2001 and the Photographic Craftsman Degree in 2002.
In a very short time Jim has received many prestigious awards including
two Kodak Gallery Awards, five Fuji Masterpiece Awards, and the Burrell
Award for the highest-scoring image in the Mid-East States Competition.
The print titled "Mortality "scored a 100. Jim has also won nine
Best of Show and nine Court of Honor awards. In 2001, Jim received the award
for the best Black and White image at the Mid-East States Convention.
Jim continues to display his commitment and dedication by finishing
in the top five Photographers in the state of Michigan for seven consecutive
years. Jim was the 2002 Michigan Photographer of the year and most recently
was named the 2003 Electronic Imager of the Year, in his first year entering
this competition.
Photographic excellence and service remain his driving forces. His willingness
to share his expertise and to work for the profession of photography is
an integral part of his daily life. Jim believes that this fundamental contribution
is the key to strengthening and enriching the photographic community at
large.
This program has a little for everyone; Jim will take us through what
got him started in photography and into His fine Art black & white work.
This portion of the program will cover the use of film as well as digital.
The later part of the program will be covering what Jim does in his everyday
work on weddings, seniors as well as some of the things he does in Photoshop
and painter. Jim will also cover some of his competition views and also
give people a better understanding of how to approach print competition.
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Congratulation
to Kathryn "Sunshine" Sommers for 
