A Sterling photographer is one of the featured artists at a northern Illinois art museum. This photographer almost stopped taking pictures, but his mother helped bring his craft back to life.
Stephen Hart was 12 years old when his father, a photographer, introduced him to the craft. When his dad died in 1986, Hart’s moment-capturing hobby came to an abrupt stop. He said every time he picked up a camera he would think of his father. Then one day his mother asked for his help.
“And she needed somebody to take pictures of her teddy bears — she made mohair, alpaca bears,” he explained. “Um, actually, she was on [the] Paula Sand Live television show.”
The Paula Sand Live television show was a program in the Quad Cities that introduced its viewers to area people and places.
Hart said his stepfather did a good job with the pictures he took, but his mom wanted something a little better. He stepped in to give her what she needed. This was in the 1990’s and Hart said when he started using the equipment again, he realized he’d undergone a drastic change in how he felt about it.
“One of the things that was kind of exciting is you look on the back of your viewfinder, it's like, 'oh my goodness, the picture’s right there,'” he said. “You know, so you kind of got, instantly you knew what you had.”
He said the transition back to taking pictures was not easy because the latest technology included automatic settings.
“I was having a difficult time trying to figure out how to put that camera in manual because everything was auto,” he said. “I didn't like that. You know, and then I started doing what they call JPEG shots and I found out later hey, you got to process in raw if you really want to get artistic.”
Hart didn’t let this stop him. He figured out how to make the new types of cameras work for him. The kinds of things he captured also changed, based on another nudge from his mother.
She had a bird feeder and one day she told him she wanted him to take some time with her and watch the birds.
“I did. And I was hooked ever since. So, I basically went from there and I started going to local parks,” Hart added.
He said he was most excited by a photo that he took of a Cedar Waxwing in Buda, Illinois. He said the bird came close to him and he got a great shot.
“It was like my first sharp clear shot and the Cedar Waxwing was sitting there so regal,” he said. “And he could tell I was there with him. But he wasn't bothered.”
His images eventually went from capturing birds to taking pictures of other wildlife.
Hart said the images that are on display at Coliseum Museum of Art, Antiques and Americana are pictures of local animals.
He said some came from the Franklin Creek Park area. He has pictures of a squirrel, bison, deer, and other wildlife.
“The deer came from Carthage Road at Nachusa Grasslands. And I spent a lot of time at Clear Creek Knolls. It’s a beautiful path,” he added. “If anybody has ever been out there that is just an awe inspiring, just — it's so beautiful. It's like probably how Illinois was before we came in and kind of, you know, changed things a bit.”
Hart said he wants to start travelling outside of his local area.
“I'm trying to figure out a way maybe to try to make it more story related. Maybe try to include some more environment,” he explained. “Try to get a deer [and] a bison doing something they do on a normal, normal day to day.”
His art will be on display at the Coliseum Museum through March 31.
