“I guess you could say, I got bit by the bug” – the photography bug that is.
For Scott Raup, the adventure into photography began in the Smoky Mountains while on his honeymoon. “I had just got a DSLR camera, and while we were hiking I would experiment with photographs. Over the next 5 years, it progressed from there.”
Through explorations in photography, Scott has discovered a few truths. “What it really boils down to is your unique perspective, it doesn’t matter what technology you have. You typically can’t change the scenery, so it’s a lot harder to work on composition.”
The process for Scott is generally more planned, especially with his astro-photography shots, and the conditions need to be perfect. “You may only have a 10-minute window to capture that moment, and you have to consider location and perspective.” In that way, the combination of variables can make photography very technical.
A Richmond native, Scott enjoys capturing the scenery and city skyline in different conditions. Like his piece RVA Supermoon, showcasing a unique perspective of downtown Richmond, under the luminous light of a supermoon. Scott enjoys capturing the vibrant colors and landscapes of his favorite places, like the North Carolina beaches, seen in his piece Into the Sun. “I love what I'm experiencing when I’m in these places. You can’t take the same picture twice, and the same moment will look completely different to someone else.” Scott hopes to create a seasonal series in the future, capturing the same location in every season.
“The best thing about photography, for me, is getting into nature. Some of the best pictures I have are from expeditions when searching for the perfect moment to photograph.” Scott has found that it’s not always the photo, but the adventure leading up to that exact moment that no one else can see.