John Shaw has been enjoying the art of photography for 47 years. He spent many years in Central Falls, Rhode Island before moving to Venice ten years ago with his wife Jane to escape the winter doldrums. The couple have been married 27 years, and she’s his biggest supporter. John sold photographic equipment when he was younger to support his passion for photography.
His go to camera these days is a Minolta SRT-202, and he’s been using a flat-field portrait lens to capture low light portraits with greater sharpness throughout the frame. Flat-field lenses are designed for copying artwork and macro photography.
John is inspired by how photography allows him to capture a moment in time. He’s also a bit philosophical about being a photographer.
“Every photo has an autobiographical quality,” he noted. “Each photo reflects the soul of the photographer. The individual photo is part of their story in obvious or subtle ways. It’s sort of like a variation of taking a selfie.”
John doesn’t follow a particular format either. He enjoys experimenting with his camera and the editing process to refine the artistic potential of each subject. He uses the popular app Waterlogue to give some of his photos a dreamy watercolor effect.
John enjoys photographing people, buildings, coastal scenes, artifacts, and animals including his beloved dog. “One of my favorite subjects are the colorful artifacts and décor found in ancient cities and towns that still hold their rich sense of history,” he added. “A few memorable places include Firenze (Florence) and Venezia (Venice) in Italy, along with Krumlov in the Czech Republic. If you can’t find inspiration in these fabulous cities, you might want to consider pickle ball.”
In addition to taking photos everywhere he goes, John enjoys traveling in Europe and consuming great tasting wine. See more of John’s photos at The Island Bookshop on Venice Island at 206 Miami Avenue West.
