Local photographer has an eye for detail

Since he got serious about photography in 1993, Weiser resident Royce Nowlin has been prolific in his pursuit of the best shots, to say the least. 

 He estimates he has 150,000 photos in an extensive collection that he has amassed over the past 25 years.

 Nowlin was selected as the current featured artist by the Four County Art Guild, an organization that promotes art in Washington, Payette, Malheur and Adams counties. A selection of his photos can be viewed at Zions Bank in Weiser. 

 They include a print of a captivating photo of Multnomah Falls he took in the rain while someone was holding an umbrella for him and his camera. Solitude is suggested in a photo of ancient pines taken near Crater Lake. A larger print captures the magnificance of Mesa Falls in Yellowstone Park. The falls are located in a small part of the park that is actually in Idaho.  

 “I really fell in love with that area of Idaho,” he said.

 Nowlin has owned his own commercial photography business for the past nine years. All the photos he posts at the Lonesome Pine Photography website are for sale. He can size them to a customer’s specifications or re-edit them. A vendor that Nowlin uses will make a print for the customer that is worthy of framing.

 In the summer months, Nowlin is a regular on the rodeo circuit from the Weiser Valley Roundup to Cambridge to Vale. He might take up to 2,000 photos a day of the rodeo events. He edits those down to the best shots and puts them on his website. He doesn’t presell photo packages and lets the cowboys and cowgirls buy the photos they like off his website. 

 “I rarely miss anybody at a rodeo. I try to get all the contestants,” he said.

 He shoots 10-12 rodeos a year and has been for the past seven years. He sees a lot of friends at the rodeos and likes the action in the arena. He likes the horses and 99 percent of the people. Anymore, he’s shooting a lot more youth rodeos. 

 Nowlin also does high school senior photos and weddings and is always booking dates to do photo shoots and events. He will be traveling to Mesa, Ariz., for three days to shoot a wedding. A sampling of some of his best landscape shots can be found in a new calendar he is selling.  

 Taking professional photos requires professional-grade equipment. Nowlin has eight cameras and 40 or so lenses. Right now, he’s shooting with the top-of-the-line Nikon D850, a SLR digital camera that does everything, he said, including time lapse, video, full frame and shoots in unreal clarity of 4K resolution.

 A Weiser resident since 1983, Nowlin discovered a passion for photography more than two decades ago. He signed up for business classes at TVCC in Ontario, Ore. Along with the business classes, he took a few electives, including art and photography.

 He gives credit to art department chairman Ted Fink at TVCC in Ontario, Ore., for encouraging and inspiring him to pursue photography. Fink helped him get several scholarships to continue his schooling. 

 It was Fink who taught him the basic technical details of photography, including shutter priority and composition. He also instructed Nowlin on shooting sports. Each shot is manually focused on the action, he said, and he hasn’t put a camera on automatic in eight years.

 He advises amateur photographers to first read the camera manual. He also thinks it worth the time and effort to sign up for a photography class at a junior college to learn the funamentals. 

 Of course, he also advises novices to shoot a lot of photos. With experience will come the photography focal points of perspective and composition. There is formal instruction and there is self-taught.

 Over the years, Nowlin’s photos have been featured in magazines. He’s won awards, including the artist of the year for the Treasure Valley Artists Association. He sold photos that now line the walls at Saint Alphonsus Hospital in Ontario, Ore.

 He said he doesn’t do it for the money. He loves the art of photography and continues to search for those great photos. Maybe one will earn him a coveted prize.

 “I keep going to crazy places hoping to get that shot in National Georgraphic,” he said.