The Weary Wolf Journal: Becoming A Photographer-In-Residence

I have a long, personal attachment to the Regional Center For The Arts in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. It's a building that was formerly the city's pump house, and that was an awful long time before I ever set foot in the door.

My relationship began in the early 1980's when I walked in the door and sat down with the executive director and proudly announced that I would like to use the basement as a space to teach private guitar lessons, and that I would donate a portion of each lesson back to the Pump House as my rent. No one had ever thought of it before and the idea was quickly welcomed.

Over the decades, I've performed many concerts there, the most recent being the "Me And My Old Man" concert at which my father's exhibit of oil paintings opened the same day. That performance was recorded for broadcast by Wisconsin Public Radio, and I hired an independent production company to film the event (using four cameras) so that a documentary could be made about it. The film is still being edited at this time.

There have been many directors, staff changes and terrific upgrades to the building since those early days. It's really something. And, I've always held a special regard for the place. So, imagine how I felt a few weeks back when I dropped by with my camera to make a candid record of a friend's art show and the current director and queen bee (my own term of endearment) told me she sure needed a photographer to capture new images for the Pump House web site.

I piped right up without hesitation and (paraphrasing a made-up comment by the Hollywood Doc Holiday) said, "I'm your huckleberry". What a great way for me to offer something back to the Pump House as well as get my work seen by a lot more people!

Now, in this day and age of funding cutbacks and people debating whether taxpayer monies should be going toward non-essential programs and places and projects ... I can think of no better way to buck the system than to step up and "keep it local". If "the arts" are to take care of themselves, then this is how it is done. I can't afford to pay a photographer to do the work the Pump House needs done, but I can do it myself.

And so, I suddenly find myself the photographer-in-residence at the Pump House Regional Arts Center. I'm going to be shooting art and events as they happen and as I am able. In return, the Pump House has agreed to showcase my photos on their site and leave my signature (watermark) intact on the images they use. In time, I hope to work with them add a photo gallery to their site in which all my facility related past images will be stored and available to browse. Quid Pro Quo ... it works.

They have just added a bio to the site and made the announcement that I have come on board:

Meet Our Photographer-In-Residence:
Clay Riness

"Most people know Clay Riness as a decades-long fixture on the Coulee Region and Midwestern music scene, a serious singer/songwriter who always sells out when performing in our Dayton Theater concert hall. Few, however, realize he is an accomplished and passionate lifelong photographer.

Clay’s history with the Pump House reaches back to the 1980’s when he was a music teacher-in-residence for a number of years. However, during the 1990’s he took a rather lengthy sabbatical from music to develop, market and operate a successful trout guiding service catered to fly fishermen. During that time he also wrote extensively for outdoor magazines, many of which also published his photographs. Although photography was largely a hobby at the time, it served nicely as an add-on to his prolific outdoor writing.

To the relief of many, Clay eventually made his way back to music, but he never put down the camera for long. In 2003, he began the changeover from film to digital with a 5 megapixel Nikon. There was no turning back to conventional photography from there.

He explains, “I’d been toting a film camera around forever, and it was serious love for a long time … but the change to digital really allowed me to have total creative control over my images. There was a profound sense of newfound freedom because I could just keep shooting, assessing and reshooting until I was satisfied with the outcome. Amazing thing … immediate feedback! And, I never again had to worry about wasting money on film and prints that weren’t acceptable.”

Of course, today’s digital photography requires post processing in a digital darkroom, and this is where images are edited to their full potential to showcase their final presentation. “I have to admit“, he says, “the learning curve of a powerful tool like Photoshop is long term. Even after all these years, I still marvel at what can be done … as well as what I haven’t mastered. I do, though, feel that I’m farther along on that journey than I’ve ever been.”

A few years ago, friends, neighbors and followers began to take note of Clay’s images on his blog and Facebook pages. More change was in the air. He explains, “First a few folks started to ask me to do portraits and shoot events. So, I made the jump to buying some studio lighting and some other new toys. Then, I was fortunate enough to be offered an extensive food photography shoot and some other more serious work. So, there just came this day when I thought … why am I not offering photography services for hire?”

And now, Clay has another exciting new photography job. We’re simply delighted to announce that Clay is returning to the Pump House team as our resident photographer. You’ll be seeing his work more and more on our web site as he shoots events and other fare. You’ll know his work when you see it; just look for the signature watermark. And, if you like what you see, I’m sure he’d be more than happy to talk to you about offering his services for your project, business, event or family portraits. We think you’ll see why we’re so happy to have him back on the team! Welcome back, Clay! Or maybe we should say, welcome home."

And so ... the fun has begun! I've been in and out for a few events and already delivered some images. I've got a good handle on upcoming events and a meeting set up with the Queen Bee to develop a comprehensive shot list. It's great being a photographer.