Timberlake

Timberlake

My first experience in photography came at 10 when my parents bought me a small darkroom kit. (Anything to keep a hyper-active kid occupied…it worked.) After getting really tired of printing the two negatives that came with the kit, I then proceeded to take over my Dad’s twin lens reflex and light meter. I began shooting my own negatives which added a whole new dimension to my photographic education.

Everything progressed very nicely until the second day of Jr. High School, my math teacher who had just been saddled with being the annual staff sponsor, decided I needed to be his official photographer! Lucky me!!

His only words of encouragement were, “Show up at the football game tonight and just act like you know what you’re doing. I don’t care if you have film in the camera; just pop off a few flash bulbs and look intelligent.” Little did he know that I actually could take pictures and got some really nice shots. Being the annual staff’s only photographer followed me all the way through Jr. High and High School.

I realized very quickly that I needed an SLR to really get the job done so I proceeded to buy a Miranda FVT (cheap) camera. Fortunately, it also used inexpensive lenses and accessories, which at the time was one of my main concerns, considering I was 12 years old - with no job. I did manage to make the camera pay for itself however by shooting my neighborhood friend’s cars and copy work which paid for lenses, flash bulbs, darkroom supplies and other goodies.

After High School I attended the Atlanta Institute for Professional Art and had a chance to focus my creative talents in a more positive and diverse direction. I went through a bunch of high end cameras, supported primarily by freelance work and being a camera store manager was a great help. I actually tried making it as a professional photographer and discovered that the very thing I loved doing was turning into something I was beginning to dislike because it had become a haft-to job!

I woke up one morning and decided that I would rather walk away from photography than completely ruin the very thing that I enjoyed doing so much, and I did! Many years have gone by since then; digital photography has come on the scene, and I’m back shooting again! The digital domain has finally allowed me to achieve my dream of making extremely large prints without sacrificing the quality of the image! My goal is to make all of my 30 x 40” images just as sharp and impressive close-up as they are from 4 feet away.

Although I don’t possess a wall full of accolades, special achievements, diplomas, or degrees, I have created what I feel is a unique perspective of the world as seen through my lenses and I hope to share that perspective and excitement with those who experience my work.

M. Timberlake Orr

website: timberlakespa.com