FEATURED ARTIST OF THE MONTH: Bob Doak Mr. Doak took first place in the Sweetwater County Photo Contest Calendar 2014. His winning photograph, “Old Giant Juniper” is on the cover of the 2014 Calendar and is featured on the City’s Facebook Page in January. Doak is originally from Oregon. He moved to Rock Springs with his wife during the oil and gas boom of the 1970s. He started with Jim Bridger in 1983 and worked there as the Plant Mechanic until his retirement. Doak’s love affair with photography began long before he moved to scenic Sweetwater County and he says his first photograph was probably of a ship. Doak was in the Navy, and during that time he became friends with the ship’s Photography Mate, who taught him the principals of photography and the tricks in the darkroom. Doak’s first camera was a Pentax Spotmatic F version, but he is a Cannon man now. Doak is glad that photography has become digitized because it is easier to take up as a hobby now and a lot less expensive. “When I was growing up,” he says, “my mom maybe took one roll of film in a year, now I take that in an hour.” In Doak’s opinion, technology can make everybody a photographer; images are more accessible and easier to share. He says, “Now the photos are coming from the guy in the street.” However, there is still skill involved in composing a good photograph and Doak has been rewarded for his talents over the years. He has had at least one photograph in the Sweetwater calendar almost every year since it started. In 1990 his work was honored by the Wyoming Wildlife Federation and one of his photographs was commissioned for a limited edition painting by Ann Paige. Doak loves to shoot the topography around Green River. There are some very special places in the Flaming Gorge too, but to reach them, “You gotta’ get out and walk” he says. In Doak’s work he endeavors to portray a familiar scene in a new light. “I shoot from a spot and try to do a rendering of a scene that no one else has done.” Doak has been inspired by famous photographers like Ansel Adams, Galen Rowell of National Geographic and George Lepp and Dewitte Jones of Outdoor Photographer. He was also inspired by two local men, Finis Mitchell and Dick Randall. They taught him a lot about photography, preserving wildlife and being a valuable member of your community.
Posted on: Wed, 15 Jan 2014 17:11:35 +0000
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