Elliott Sturm

My first camera was a twin lens reflex that was held at waist level. I’d look down and see the world through a two inch square of glass and press the button, stopping time in lack and white on a piece of chemical-coated celluloid.

I’ve had a number of cameras since that first one almost fifty years ago, and they’ve all brought me something different in their capabilities and drawbacks. I don’t believe real photography is a mechanical thing. Modern technology is a wonderful thing, but mega pixels and lenses only take one so far. The photographer has to have a relationship with his subject. His job is then to put that emotion on a piece of paper and present it to others, much like a painter.

This show is primarily mature stills, but I’ve been branching into portraiture and wedding photography. I don’t have any preference for color or black-and-white; I use what will make the most effective show. I grew up close to Lake Michigan and have a close affinity for water. Most of these photos were taken in southwest Michigan.

So, about me. I’m a 22-year resident of the Fox Valley. My twin sons graduated Geneva High School last year. I’ve been involved in various activities in the area, including acting in local theater, and stints writing for the St. Charles Sun and Arts Beat Magazine. I’ve been a member of the St. Charles Writers Group here at the Library since 2000.

My father was an outdoorsman who taught me a love of the natural world. My mother is a painter. I hope I’ve inherited her artist’s eye. My wife is a saint who encourages my eccentricities.

Each 11 x 14 print is reproduced only 100 times. Each is numbered and sold for $125.00, unframed.

1/09

The Artist of the Month is on exhibit for the entire month at the St. Charles Public Library on the Mezzanine level. For further information: please contact Pam Salomone, 630-584-0076, ext. 246.