Bill Miller bought his first “serious” camera almost 40 years ago and hasn’t stopped clicking since. A few years ago, he inflamed certain obsessive-compulsive aspects of his personality through the purchase of a large format camera on eBay. Two years ago, he took the plunge into digital. He has presented photographic exhibitions and multi-media travel slide shows in several venues around central Ohio.

Bill, a native of Lakewood, Ohio, attended The Ohio State University where, long ago, he received a degree in Architecture. He works for Moody Nolan, Inc. where he is a Principal and Director of Healthcare Architecture.

In addition to photography, he is also involved in music and musical theatre and serves on the Board of Opera Columbus. He and his wife Jane enjoy travel. Other hobbies include painting with watercolors and model railroading.

Artist’s Statement
It all started four years ago when I purchased a used view camera on Ebay. This is one of those “old fashioned” cameras with big black bellows that uses 4"x5" sheet film. The camera allows much flexibility in focus and alignment and the negative has about 14 times the area of a standard 35mm frame. So now I had this rather complex camera that I didn’t know how to use and I needed some subjects to practice on.

About that time, my wife was pointing out some things in her garden and I was surprised by the way the light fell on some of her flowers. I noticed that the sun was overhead but behind the flowers. The flowers were back-lit and appeared to glow from within. The effect struck an emotional and spiritual chord within me and I decided to catch it on film.

Most of the pictures seen here are an attempt to show that inner glow. The effect comes and goes as the sun arcs overhead and the leaves in the trees move the breeze, projecting constantly changing patterns of light and shadow across the flowers.

The photographs were taken around Columbus and central Ohio. They include my wife’s garden at our former home in Bexley, Inniswood Metro Gardens, the Park of Roses, Kingwood Gardens in Mansfield and Slate Run Metro Park. No flowers were cut in the making of these pictures.

All photographs are for sale. Proceeds benefit Opera Columbus.