Photography is serious hobby for Lee Becker
By ROWENA PLETT
Staff writer
He's a magician. He can make a person look slimmer, show people doing things they would not be able to do in real life, or take parts of photographs and put them together to make a completely new photo.
Such is the wizardry Lee Becker produces with a digital camera and a Photoshop computer program.
As sheriff of Marion County, Becker often takes pictures at accidents or crime scenes. It's part of his job.
But photography also is his personal interest. It is such a serious interest that he has made it into a business known as Nu-Image Photography.
Becker has been involved in photography since the fourth grade, when he became an active member of Sears Film Club.
As a member of Peabody Achievers 4-H Club, he chose photography as his club project.
He had a darkroom at home and could do his own film developing.
He enrolled in a photography class in high school and shot 8mm films of football games.
After high school, Becker considered photography as a career but wasn't able to pursue it.
"Life got in the way, and I got away from it for a while," he said.
In 1996 or 1997, he was able to purchase the camera he wanted, a Nikon N70.
He began filming weddings and taking pictures for friends.
"I found I got a lot of fulfillment out of it," he said.
He realized the venture was getting serious when relatives from as far as California and Texas began using his services.
It dawned on him that he needed back-up equipment in case his camera locked up. So he bought another camera, a Nikon N90, and another flash unit.
He used a one-hour photo service in Hillsboro for developing and re-touching photos. Seeing what they could do, he hungered for more.
He was asked to take pictures at a wedding in California, where he took more than 1,000 snapshots.
That experience was a highlight for him as a photographer.
"It was a wonderful experience with beautiful people in beautiful country," he said.
Another photographer at the wedding was using a digital camera. Becker later looked at the pictures on the Internet and decided to make the switch.
"With digital, you're in total control of the final product," he said. "It's what I can do with the pictures that makes the difference."
He purchased a Nikon D100 digital camera with changeable lenses, a Toshiba laptop computer, Photoshop software, memory cards, and a flash unit.
He downloaded information about Photoshop and spent many hours, early and late, studying the program and practicing various techniques.
The software allows him to do many things with an original picture. He can lighten, darken, crop, and create collages, to name a few.
Becker created a three-sided cube-like photograph with pictures of his five-year-old son, Chase, on all three sides.
He also can "cut" something from one photo and "paste" it into another photo. A whole new photo can be created out of parts from other pictures.
Best of all, he can correct mistakes.
Becker began taking photography assignments from others the first of the year. The enterprise is named Nu-Image, "because image matters," he said.
One room in Becker's Lincolnville home serves as a photo studio. It has a high ceiling for backdrops.
He prefers to take pictures on site outdoors and enjoys capturing nature scenes.
After he is finished tweaking selected pictures, the final products are uploaded electronically to an online service for printing. They are delivered to his door the next day.
Becker does weddings and other group events, as well as individual portraits or anything else a customer may want.
He also can create trading cards for groups such as sports teams. Another unique item he offers is personalized magazine covers.
For weddings, he has a set charge for travel and another for six hours of time. He provides 175-200 proofs and can furnish a digital album, if desired. A price list is provided and includes additional cost for re-touching.
"If I do a good job, I might make some money," he said.
Becker prizes his laptop because it allows him to work on photographs while interacting with the family, such as at home or at the park. He can take it with him wherever he goes.
All pictures are burned to a CD and are kept from heat and humidity for safe-keeping, just like film photos.
Becker calls his photography business a serious hobby. He relies on word-of-mouth advertising to attract customers and to avoid being stretched too thin: "I don't want to overstep my ability."
He acknowledged digital photography is an expensive hobby, but he hopes to make it worthwhile.
Some of his work is on display at The Daily Grind, 125 E. Main, Marion.
His goal is to photograph a wedding or two a month and take candids of people at events. Next year, he plans to follow the staff of Relay for Life of Marion County and create a collage.
"Capturing the right moment and seeing the joy it gives people is my ultimate goal," he said.
