Orah Moore- I began my photographic explorations in Dewitt, New York, as a child of twelve with my grandfather's camera, a Kodak Retina III. In high school I acquired black and white darkroom skills which opened a whole new world to me. In my late teens I ventured out to the Colorado Rockies amidst columbine and pine trees that smelled of vanilla. Mountain vistas seeped into my veins and found expression in color photography.
Next my visual sojourns took me to California and Montana. I studied with Ansel Adams, Ruth Bernhard, V.M. Robertson and Ralph Cooksey-Talbott. I earned my MA in Fine Art Photography from California State College of Fullerton studying under Eileen Cowin and Darryl Curren. My Master's graduate show was from a body of work I shot in black and white infrared on a widelux camera of the ranching lifestyle of the family rancher (see Stewards of the Land on the home page).
Another turn of the clock brought my young family and me to beautiful northern Vermont, where I began working in color again. Summer, fall, winter and spring: nature's rhythm passed before my camera and I took notice. I began Haymaker Press in 1987, publishing my own images of Vermont, Maine, the Cape and the Adirondack as greeting cards, journals, posters and original framed photos. I also shot weddings and portraits running both these businesses out of my home while my sons grew. In 2000 I moved the businesses to Main Street, Morrisville and also opened Haymaker Card and Gift. I also began a new journey with kayak, camera and pen to observe and record the lifecycle of loons. I paddle out at sunrise to photograph and write about them in my "Loon Journal"
