|
|
It was the storm Agnes that flooded Harrisburg PA in August of 1972. A photo opportunity of most people's lifetime and Steve Miller did not participate because he did not have a camera. As he looked around at the strange sights, he knew he was called to take pictures, to chronicle what was happening around him and within a week he had scrapped together $127 and bought his first camera, a brand new Nikon 35mm.
The following January, on a partial scholarship from Teen Challenge, he started at Evangel College as an art major. He volunteered for the school paper and yearbook and anywhere else he could take pictures. He quickly saw that the pictures others were taking lacked something. His love of his craft and hard work taught him “what would sell and what made a good photo.”
Others saw it too and he soon was selling his photos for $10 each (shot, processed, printed, and delivered) and was able to pay off his college debt, one 8 x 10 at a time. “This was good training, it taught me to look for good photos.”
While going to school in Missouri, Steve met and became the personal photographer for former Attorney General John Ashcroft. Before become Attorney General, John Ashcroft was Governor of Missouri and Steve was his campaign photographer.
In 1987 Steve began shooting as a “stringer” for United Press International (UPI) and later for The Associated Press (AP), which he continues to shoot for today. He has also worked USA Today (The Newspaper), The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Harrisburg Patriot News. He has completed photo shots for numerous Christian recording stars including Dallas Holmes, Big John Hall, Andre Crouch and Tim Sheppard.
In 1975, David Wilkerson (Cross and the Switchblade and founder of Teen Challenge) invited Steve to come to Dallas to work with his staff as photographer and filmmaker. Sensing a better learning opportunity Steve stayed for two years.
Like all photographers Steve has had to adapt to the changing technology. He started with a 35mm but quickly learned that he had to upgrade, as his camera and its quality could either add to his keen eye or subtract from it. He has used many different formats including standard 35MM form, 2X2 slides, to the larger 8x10 format. Today he shoots mostly all digital and uses the highest quality Nikon.
Steve has been working on a number of on-going personal projects. His Cuba photos were displayed at the Key West Historical Museum for three month in 2002 where he sold a number of photos. This collection continues to draw attention and he sells the photos as prints, media or as historic resources.
“Cuba is one of the most beautiful locations I have ever seen. It is frozen in time architecturally. Most of its buildings have not been touched in 60 years. Change is inevitable for this country and I wanted to capture it before the change occurs,” reflects Steve.
Living along a massive river offers many opportunities to shoot. The Susquehanna is a documentary project from New York to the Chesapeake Bay and is on going. Small boats, large seaworthy craft, river island farms to massive industry, quaint villages to larger cities, and of course the picturesque capital of Pennsylvania which has one of the most beautiful capital buildings, ‘the river' is a virtual bonanza for a professional photographer.
Steve does not normally enter shows or competitions but in 1985 he entered and won “Best of Show” in the Art of the State, a prestigious show for the State of Pennsylvania with his photo “Haitian Student.”
Steve's keen eye makes him a desired photographer for companies like Rite Aide, McDonalds and other fast food companies as well as many real estate companies that need more than just flat photos of their properties. Steve works with many pilots to photograph these businesses in a way to show them at their best. “Lighting and weather conditions always come into play but never more than when you must point your camera out of a airplane.”
He has traveled the world for many reasons including mission trips to some out of the way places including Israel, Germany, Greece, Switzerland, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Haiti, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, and Mexico. With at least one camera always with him, his portfolio boasts of many interesting and candid shots, at times to his embarrassment. On one mission's trip he and two others were walking on the streets of Havana. When one of his friends fell and hurt his head, Steve started shooting the scene while his other companion tended the man. “When the action started, my first thought was to record the event.”
Currently, beside his ongoing photography assignments, Steve publishes and distributes a line of DVD's of Pennsylvania scenery and attractions. Subjects are typical to Pennsylvania and include the large Amish community of south-central PA, Covered Bridges, Rail Roads, drive-in theaters and much more. Steve says, “Drive-in theaters are a cultural icon from our past. They will not last long and I wanted to capture them before they fade into our past.” The DVD's are available in gift shops throughout Central Pennsylvania and online.
Whether it is his interest in capturing the moment or his desire to record history Steve's camera details his actions. When asked about his skill, he shakes his head slightly and says, “It's hard to talk about my skills as a photographer, I'd rather let my pictures speak to that.”
|
 |
|
|
|
AE"ptiho46 y'pw40i6y' pw4oi6h[w40 i6h[bpw40iy6[p'wo4p'o4gpjteglkmntb/lakenr/blkanef/blvkqje
|
| |
|
|
|