Chris Moretina

My photographic experience began when I was about the age of 11. It was on a cloudy day, playing in my parents backyard when something told me to look up at the sky. When I looked up, I was amazed at what I saw. It was unbelievable to some when I told them what I saw, but to me it was so real that I still believe it today, and I will until I meet him again. I saw the face of Jesus in those clouds that day. Of course, when I ran into the house and came back out with the Kodak pocket camera just a couple of minutes later, the image was gone. From that moment on, I swore to myself that I wouldn’t be without a camera so that I could capture that special moment, whatever it might be.

This is still true today. I always carry a camera with me to capture that special moment or image. Although I have not had much formal training behind the camera, I have certainy had plenty of OJT throughout the years. I do have a small studio in my finished basement today, but for me my real studio is out in the world, experiencing different cultures and trying to capture that special image in each one.

My first real camera was a Minolta 35mm film (of course). Back then, that was a camera. That’s when I was in Vietnam. When I came back to the states, I began shooting weddings and I have done them for years. I loved it, seeing people enjoying one another and capturing that special moment. That to me is so rewarding. I also would shoot wildlife, and some landscapes. Several years later, a new camera came out called digital. All I can say is WOW. That somewhat changed the way I looked at things, as it did for everyone else going from film to digital. You can shoot many more images just to make sure you catch that special one. Today, I belong to several professional photography organizations, and I am constantly learning new ideas, techniques, and software. This is the key to any profession, constant learning, I believe that one cannot learn enough about the things that are the most important to them. This is my passion today. To me, if I stop learning, it means it’s time to meet the person that I saw in the clouds that Saturday afternoon, BUT I’m not there yet!!!

I hope to see you at the end of my lens,