About John Wooley

My Vision

The iiS2c logo design is a representation for “Eyes to See”. 

The S and the 2 form a heart.  My prayer before each outing is,

“Give me eyes to see and a heart to respond.”

Basically, I am a minimalist photographer who enjoys a variety of

photographic expressions from Abstract to Portraiture.  I often take

photos in response to a deep-seated spiritual nudge, ignoring my mind’s

regard for the subject’s significance.

The "ii" in my logo is an acronym for "image inversion".  Often, you will discover images that have been rotated between 90 and 180 degrees.  These inversions accomplish one or more of the following objectives: 1. To force viewers into a more analytical assessment of the image because the brain cannot immediately understand what the eyes are seeing, 2. To change the emphasis of a specific portion of the image, and 3. To modify the story-line of the image. 

Although my photography is both an outlet and a means of personal restoration, I invite you to join me into my images; to see what caught my heart.

In the Beginning

My interest in photography began in 1977.  I purchased my first camera, the Olympus OM-1 35mm SLR because I had full control over the image capturing process.  My first rolls of film were color, but as I poured over the prints, the images felt cheap and ordinary.   They were what my college photography professor called “snapshots”.  (The point-and-click method of photography that captures the moment but does not draw the viewer into the image.)  I longed to turn my snapshots into photographs; and I chose to do this using black-and-white film instead of color. 

Family members were willing subjects and my first roll of black-and-white film was dedicated to my grandparents, aunt and uncle, mom, and my three sisters.  Rather than snapshots, these images displayed their characters and personalities.

After the decision to be a black-and-white photographer, I discovered Ansel Adams, Yousuf Karsh, Minor White, and Hubert Shuptrine.  (Mr. Shuptrine was a watercolor artist, but his work captured what I aspired to do with photography.)  I was greatly encouraged by these artists’ works, and their expertise became by inspiration. 

When I left college, I lost the ability to process my own images and I did not want to entrust that to photo processing labs.  So, my photography went into hibernation.  Meanwhile, the digital age of photography was born.

Not until 2006 when my wife and I vacationed in the Western US, did I seriously look through a lens again.  I was awed by the geography and vistas on that trip.  My heart re-engaged!

Gratitude

It was my mom’s comments on a few of the photos I took by the Savannah River on May 26, 2014, accompanied by her urging to share my work, that I finally decided to share my photos.  My sister, Louse, has been a tireless advocate and source of encouragement.

Thanks to the endless encouragement of family and friends, I am sharing the images of my discoveries.  My grandparents gifted me with the ability to purchase my current full-frame DSLR. 

Thank you, family and friends, who have discovered with me, indulged me, encouraged me, and especially those of you who have purchased images! 

But most of all, Jane, my wife, who has shared herself with me: discovering with me, indulging me, believing in me, and tirelessly encouraging me.

The Objective

My hope is that you enjoy the images you see; that they invite you into discovery and engage you.  Please use the Contact page to share your comments with me.  Thank you for visiting.

Each quarter I remove roughly 7-8 images from each of my six galleries, and replace them with newer ones.  Each gallery has a Favorites sub-page of images that are my favorites.  My goal for the Favorites gallery is to only add images.

Galleries:

·     Abstracts

·     Architecture

·     Miscellaneous

·     Nature

·     Old

·     Openings