ORAG FEATURES PHOTOGRAPHER CHARLIE HECK IN JANUARYThe featured artist for January at Ouachita River Art Gallery is photographer and local attorney Charlie Heck of Monroe, Louisiana. Raised primarily in northeast Louisiana, Charlie’s first serious exposure to photography was during a tour with the United States Air Force. Through the kind and patient instruction of an elderly sergeant who managed the base photo lab, he was gradually introduced to the entire gamut of photography and still vividly recalls the thrills of working in a wet darkroom and the excitement of watching negatives or papers develop.
This initial exposure bred a continuing involvement with cameras and a growing, driven interest in the capture and development of images. The advent of digital photography and its progression to the point of challenging the advantages of film, commanded his attention. All of Charlie’s work is now processed electronically, using Photoshop and inkjet printers.
While his initial interest was nature photography created during regular visits to many wildlife refuges and preserves, Charlie is presently working with scenic images and an exploration of high dynamic range imagery. Charlie has been a supporter of Black Bayou Lake and other national wildlife refuges, and was involved in developing a photographic blind and an annual photographic competition at Black Bayou Lake. Charlie’s photography has been nationally and regionally published has been selected for book covers and wildlife refuge brochures. He has been accepted into juried competitions at the Masur Museum and the Louisiana Museum in Baton Rouge. Exhibiting locally, his images received first place awards at Art With a View in 2009 and 2010. One of his images is in the collection of the Biedenharn Museum.
