During the months of November and December, Painted Turtle Studio is exhibiting the beautiful landscape photography of Bill Proud.
In 1965 Proud attended the U.S. Navy School of Photography in Pensacola, Fla., where he learned the basics. But it wasnt until he worked evaluating aerial photography in Washington, D.C., that he really learned a lot about photography.
Hes done several kinds of photography over the years, he said, including wedding photography, and he became a chemical engineer by trade in between taking photos. He used a Hasselblad camera, which, he said, is the best one for wedding photography.
Proud is still a believer in using film cameras, as most of what he does is in a large format.
I dont think you can do that as well with the digital format, he said.
He loves the beauty of a landscape, especially those where you can see for miles.
When I see a place like that, I really want to capture it on film, he said.
Proud remembers camping near the Grand Tetons when he was in high school.
I was about 15, I think, and I was exploring the West, he said. I wanted to photograph them and learn more about them.
He said that its a bit difficult to get the photos you want when youre a landscape photographer. You have to time your trips according to what you want to photograph.
I love the fall colors, so I have to make sure Im in the right place to capture them on film, he said.
He feels like he needs to wait for the right kind of light and the correct conditions to present themselves.
You learn a lot of patience that way, he said.
Proud mostly takes his photos around Colorado, Utah and Arizona, capturing the scenes of the desert and the mountains. This is the first time that hes shown in Mancos. His work is also on display at Once Upon a Sandwich and First National Bank in Cortez.
He now uses a Monorail camera for his photography and sends all his film to Denver to be processed in the exact size and format that he wants it.
