about steve

I have been snapping pictures ever since my grandmother let me borrow her Leica that was too heavy for me to really hold onto when I was about ten years old. I took a lot of pictures of my shoes and some blurry shots of gravel, but I was hooked.

Just a few years later, I was lucky enough to inherit one of her enlargers and a box full of darkroom gear. My mother, seeing my passion and potential got me enrolled in photography classes at a local college (when I was 14). Pretty soon, the bathroom was taken over by safelights and trays and the house smelled of developing chemistry. Again, I was hooked.

In college, needing to find a way to pay for my room, I found myself managing a camera store and photo lab in Oregon. I learned more from my customers and employees in those two years than I had learned behind the lens to that point. The position also gave the chance to try out all kinds of gear - different camera bodies, lenses, filters, and films. Having an entire color photo lab at my disposal also made it convenient (and relatively cheap) to take as many photos as my heart desired. (this was before the days of digital and the little “erase” button.)

Soon after, I won a few big photo contests put on by Canon, Nikon, and a couple of magazines (I am still looking for those prints to post here). Later, I had the opportunity to teach a few photography classes at the college in town and loved every minute of it.

On this site are just a few random shots from the last few years as I’ve found myself in the middle of a great moment, lucky enough to have a camera in my hand. To me, photography is not so much about the print that comes out of capturing a moment, but the experience of the moment itself. Hopefully I can capture enough of the beauty, emotion, feeling, and depth of a moment so that you can feel just a bit of the original joy. Enjoy!

- Steve Ramsey, Photographer
Also, feel free to drop me a line any time!