Contributed by Charice Chambers
Life wasn’t always easy for John Gould. When he was about ten years old he invested in his first Kodak Instamatic camera. He though it was cool to see people taking pictures. He quickly discovered that the camera provided a great escape from his often not too pleasant surroundings. Peering through the lens, he could frame spaces in his environment that were beautiful, unique or exciting, and exclude those that weren’t. Thus began a life long love relationship with the camera lens. Self taught, Gould learned by trial and error. He would examine each of his photos searching for what might improve each shot, trying to discover how he might do it better. His early cameras were limited in terms of adjustments, so he focused on the relationship of spaces and shapes, the effects of light on them and the relationship of the parts to the overall piece. He improved.
Growing up in California, Gould spent as much time hiking and fishing in the state’s magnificent parks as he could. His father, a forest service ranger, encouraged Gould’s love of nature. Gould was especially fond of time spent on the Feather River, and named his photography business after it. It was along the river’s banks that he learned to appreciate the awesome grandeur of nature and endeavored to capture that grandeur on photo paper.
For nearly 20 years Gould put down his camera to work in construction. He is a master carpenter, and owned his own construction company. He also worked as a fire fighter and a medic. Eventually he returned to the camera.
Thanks to the help of friends, he was able to make the leap into the photographic digital age. He spent time doing wedding photography, learning its business aspects from a close friend. He also tried his hand at portraiture. He loves to catch people’s expressions, as they reveal the person’s character and personality, their joys and their sorrows. Gould continues to do both wedding photography and portraiture as he hones and expands his photographic skills.
However, his current emphasis is landscape. Moving to Alaska in 2014 profoundly affected his photographic journey. The state was so beautiful, that it compelled Gould to begin landscape shooting again. Semi-retired, he now has a bit more time to follow his passion. It isn’t unusual for him to awaken in the night, get dressed and head out to shoot haunting pictures of the moon as seen through barren tree branches or catch unusual night lit vistas at Hatcher Pass.
Gould prints his images on aluminum sheeting which creates a visual with intense color saturation and great pop. Most images are large and in this format require no framing. Their rear mounted hanging boxes help to maintain an even visual bordering that renders each print stunning. Gould’s art must be seen in person to experience its full impact. Fortunately, he is currently displaying a large collection of his work at the Matsu Senior Center Gift Shop. They, like other items in the shop, are designed to be affordable and are available in a variety of sizes.
Located at 1132 South Chugach Street in Palmer across from Palmer Junior Middle School, the gift shop is open to both seniors and the public. For your holiday shopping convenience, hours have been extended from 10 am to 4 pm Monday through Friday through December 23rd.
