Lou Janelle

I started in photography around age eight, with an Argus C3, 35mm, helped by my older brother who worked for a local daily paper.  He quickly taught me the basics of composition, shutter speed, aperture. I also learned that I had a lot more control over my work by developing and printing my own black and white photos. I continued at this level until I entered High School and joined the yearbook staff and had my first experience with the Speed Graphic, sheet film camera. That old heavy thing allowed great photos because of the sharp lens and the 4 x 5  negative. 

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Then I joined the football team!  I was never a jock but I took great 16mm movies with a Kodak Cine Special.  I went to all the games with the team because the films I took were used by the coach, with a projector that allowed him to show, review, stop and play in slow motion the players actions and provide them feedback. 

On to college for undergraduate work at Kent State where I majored in Public Relations and photography and went through ROTC. After graduation, off to Fort Gordon where I learned more about photography and ended up in New York City as an assistant Motion Picture director.  I made training films in an old Paramount film studios Long Island City.  Several other assignments, then off to Vietnam where I was the commander of the Army‘s only major Combat still, MOPIC, and Combat Artist company.    I spent a lot of time in the field taking mainly still photos using sometimes a Leica, Nikon F, or my own Nikkormat.    I fired several thousand shots; film, not bullets!  After Vietnam, off to Germany.  I was a staff  officer so I had plenty of time to tour this beautiful country and capture it on film. A few years latter, back to the US, Southern California , were I picked up using Video cameras of all types while staying in the Army Reserves and selling Real Estate

After Graduate School, studied Instructional Technology with a helping of photography at Florida State, then went back to Southern California, this time working for all the major Aerospace firms while staying in the Army Reserves. Now I stick with mainly Fujifilm cameras and lens with an occasional Zeiss and Nikon lens thrown in the mix. I shoot mainly landscapes and candid photos, usually of kids; they are so much more interesting as everything seems new to them. I was fortunate to find the Akron Camera Club and enjoy learning from the wealth of experience found with its membership.  I look forward to helping provide equipment for for us to create a series of YouTube videos so we may share the presentations done by our membership  unable to attend.