Martin Unrue

I am from WV, I have am a lifelong resident of this fine state. I currently live within 5 miles of the home I grew up in. I have never lived anywhere else other than this same area. I graduated from Ravenswood High School in 1982. I received a degree in "Drafting Technology" from Parkersburg Community College in 1985. I started my first job as a draftsman while attending college. I used the earnings from this first job that I used to purchase my first serious camera, a Canon AE-1 Program. After graduation I got a job in my home area, again as a draftsman. I worked at this position for 3 years until I was offered another position with another local firm. I am still with this company, and have been here for 23+ years. I think it is this background in engineering that helps the technical part of my photography. I tend to be a perfectionist, which can be both good and bad. I believe without a doubt, I am my worst critic. My inspiration for my photography comes from the natural beauty that surrounds me in my daily life. I was raised in the country and I still live there too. I reside on 56 acres of wooded property away from most people and other distractions. Every day that I walk outside awakens my senses, being surrounded by the woods and wildlife makes for great photographic opportunities. My favorite photos are animals and landscapes, these are what bring me enjoyment. I consider myself to be an "Old School" photographer, in that I do very little post processing to my photos. I may crop them slightly, or in some cases add some special effects to them. I think once a person puts hours in post processing into a photo it is now art and not so much as a photograph. For others there is nothing wrong with this, but it is not my style. If I take a picture that is not up to my liking, no amount of work will fix that. A bad picture is just that, a bad picture! I have seen information become so much easier to obtain of the past 20 years with the ease of internet access. In my mind this is a great thing, it makes learning new ways of being more creative so much easier. There is rarely a day that passes that I do not learn something new about photography. We must keep learning if we expect to grow and improve. I have come so far in my creativity and abilities in the past 6 months. I also know that as I continue working and studying I will progress even further.