Loyal Auterson
Photographer, Maker and Raconteur
Phone:
417-849-8438
Email:
Address:
360 Hog Creek Rd.
Ozark, MO 65721
Primary Function
Memory Maker
A Letter of Introduction
Dear Friend,
I started taking pictures as a kid documenting my parent's missionary work in Papua New Guinea; I learned to make photographs as an adult going through some moments of deep spiritual crisis. I'd spent too much time and money in college studying things in the Humanities that always made my thoughts drift to paintings, sculptures and fine literature. So I set about to take a Minor in Art Photography and after I realized one night that I'd spent over 2000 hours photographing, developing film and printing in the darkroom I soon found that I'd switched majors and stopped counting. Somewhere in the dark, watching the emulsions form into images on pieces of paper I began to realize that I was midwifing artifacts of memory.
The combination of software filters, camera technology and smartphones puts an ad hoc photo studio in your pocket, its been with you through thousands of memories and prorated over the life of the device costs you pennies per image. I get it. For the last ten years, my own iPhone has often been the first thing I grabbed to take a photo.
All of this technology gives you instant control and feedback over your self image. So why retain a photographer to craft an archival memory for you? Is it because he or she has a fancier camera, specialized lighting gear or have mastered YouTube tutorials for Photoshop?
Think of the chef in a restaurant with 3 Michelin Stars. You could stay at home, use farmers market ingredients with a recipe from a famous chef on the Cooking Channel, prepare the meal in an Instant Pot and it won’t cost $100 per plate. Your heart knows that it just didn’t taste the same as if it had been prepared by a master chef.
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That's the same kind of talent I bring to your experience of photographing with me, we'll transmute the photons of that moment into a memory. It will mix your feelings with a sprinkling of sentiment, stir in just the right amount of nostalgia and heat it with enough art to give you an artifact of emotional umami. Together we'll make a photograph that takes the elusive experience between anticipating the future and remembering the past and transform it into something you can hang on your wall, put on your desk or keep in a locket next to your heart.
Sincerely yours,
Loyal Auterson
Woodcutter Farm, Missouri
Work Experience
Spring 2004 - Spring 2008
Summer 2004 - Present
December 2008 - Present
I became a student staff photographer for Missouri State University's Office of University Relations. Over my tenure there I learned to work across a wide range of client demands from portraiture, to studio, to theater, to sports, to architecture. Simultaneously I completed a Bachelor of Arts in Photography.
Between semesters I stayed employed as a freelance photo documentarian and eventually found a niche providing images and digital editing for non-profit organizations around the globe. I currently work out of 1600 sq. ft. studio located on 6 acres at Woodcutter Farm, in Ozark, MO.
After graduating from college I enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve as an Officer Candidate. After gaining a commision at OCS I went on to serve as a Battalion staff officer. As a Unit Public Affairs Representative I went on to use my skills documenting the mission of the U.S. Army Reserve.
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