I picked up my Dad's Nikon S2 rangefinder while in high school and he didn't see it again until I finished college. It was a cool manual tool that taught me a lot about exposure but didn't create many memorable images in my hands.
I studied photo journalism in college since it was the only degree I could use a camera for. The cameras I've owned have managed to put bread on my table since 1977. Working for daily and weekly newspapers right out of school gave me great lab and shooting experience for telling a story with images and even put a few awards on my wall.
Newspapers and I parted ways in 1984 and I opened Portraits Plus Studio in Duncan, Oklahoma in 1985. Being self employed showed me that I needed some better business skills so I went back to shcool and got my MBA in 1987, the same time I bought Color West Photography in Crested Butte.
Color West was a full service commercial photo lab offering everything from same-day photofinishing to Ilfachrome custom printing and E-6 slide processing. We frequently offered workshop support to photographers including John Fielder, Nancy Rotenberg, Allan Rokach and others. Our convention and event support included clients like K2 Skis, The Veterans Administration, Crested Butte Mountain Resort, United Airlines, Quest, Art Carved, VH1, Sports Illustrated and many more. Photo labs were busy places until the digital revolution displaced most of them. Color West embraced and succumbed to the revolution in 2004.
Since that time I've worked full time as a photographer in a host of disciplines. Portraits, weddings, fine art reproduction, stock, landscape and even a little photojournalism have kept me busy since closing the lab. A few years ago I began teaching photo courses for the Crested Butte Wildflower Festival when one of their instructors passed away just before the festival. I've taught their courses every year since. Lately, you've been able to find my work in The Crested Butte Magazine, Crested Butte Land Trust Calendar, Crested Butte Mountain Resort and other local businesses and publications. The Rijks Family Gallery and Alpenglow Gallery represent my images locally.
Check out my work at these sites:
Blog: www.crestedbuttephotographer.com
Stock: www.cbstockphoto.com
Landscapes: www.imagescolorado.com
Portraits and weddings: www.demersonphotography.com
