David has been a key member of the Simsbury Camera Club since he joined in 1994. He served two terms as President 1999-2003 and helped grow the club; taking on many additional duties when his terms as President ended. He created the club’s first website in 2004 and served as Webmaster until 2010. He also served as the first Simsbury Bank Calendar Coordinator 2003-2006 and Coordinator of the Print Competition 2005-2011. His dedicated time for the Simsbury Fly-In since 2007, and Simsbury Celebrates from 2005, as well as chairing the effort to place club photos on the walls of the then newly redecorated Eno Hall have all contributed in major ways to the club’s growth and connection to the town. Not the least of David’s duties is his ongoing role as Nominating Committee Chair, which he assumed as he left the presidency. His instinct for the right person for the right job, and his gentle arm-twisting, have greatly helped assure the continuity of SCC under strong leadership.
David started out taking pictures of his family while they were growing up, and when they began commenting on how much they enjoyed his photos he decided to get more serious about his hobby. David’s first major camera was a Minolta X700 SLR. He befriended a home based camera dealer in town and bought and upgraded all of his equipment from him over many years.
David retired from his job as a mechanical draftsman at Hamilton Standard in 1998. He worked for many companies in Connecticut during his 35 year career. He worked on products such as jet fuel controls, propellers, environmental and helicopter control systems, firearms, elevators and nuclear reactors.
In his retirement years David has become a professional photographer and picture framer. He says he owes 90% of his knowledge in photography to the members of the Simsbury Camera Club. The other 10% he owes to making mistakes and learning from them. “Becoming a better photographer is a direct product of belonging to the Club. When I had a question about what I was doing there was always someone there to answer it. I have also been supported over the years by club members when I started my picture framing business. Members of our club have always been supportive of one another. That is what makes our club stand out. That is the way it is supposed to be.”
David particularly delights in shooting scenic and nature photography. He was attracted to large format photography during his earlier years as a member of the club. He said, “I was lucky enough to be able to acquire a 4×5 large format camera in a trade with a friend that wanted a lot of my radio controlled planes. This was a good thing.” David’s most memorable experience was when he and his wife Mary Lou were in Acadia National Park. David enjoyed the complexity of large format. He said, “It took twenty minutes to set up for one shot. I took many exposures at every setup just so I would be guaranteed a perfect image. It was very rewarding when the film was developed.”
Over the last several years David’s photography has taken on a new direction. David is the primary photographer and picture framer for the Sacred Heart Church in Bloomfield, as well as its webmaster and Electronic Information Distribution Coordinator (I send out information emails to everyone in the parish and also came up with the title). He is involved with many Ministries and covers all of the church events. David has been involved with the Catholic Transcript magazine and has contributed many photos as well as having two covers published so far. “My future plans include getting back to my first love, scenic and nature photography, so I can start competing again in the intra club competitions. The feedback is always helpful and rewarding.”