John Buffington
Portland, OR - United States
John Buffington - Fine Artist
Member Since: 03/05/2012
I was fascinated with photography at a young age. As a child around the age of nine, I used my mother's Kodak Brownie and stared shooting my first photos and in the sixth grade, I saved up enough money to buy processing chemicals and instructions and processed my first film in my bedroom closet. My interest in photography remained from then on and in high school I was shooting a Kodak Instamatic and experimenting with cut glass from a crystal chandelier.
I remained interested in photography but for some time I was more interested in ham radio and learning to fly an airplane. After 2 1/2 years of college, I took a break for a couple of years and in that time I became clear about my interest in photography and pursing this as my career. In 1973, at the age of 23, I took off for Santa Barbara, California and graduating 2 1/2 years later from Brooks Institute of Photography. I was particularly influenced by the simplicity of Japanese design and photography and the work of Ernst Haas and Pete Turner among many others.
In 1976 following my graduation, I returned to Texas and moved to Dallas where I began my professional career working in a large catalog production studio. I was one of about a half-dozen photographers cranking out photos of TV's. Stereo's, Refrigerators, and all manor of consumer products. Working with an 8X10 view camera and hot lights, I worked away as a studio photographer.
In 1979, I opened my first studio with a partner whom I met while working in the studio. Though that partnership was short lived, it gave me a place to begin to develop my own commercial photography career. Over the next 20 years I worked as an independent commercial photographer and my work was varied and included advertising, corporate, editorial, fashion as well as some product photography.
In the mid 1990's, I accepted an offer from PhotoDisc to begin contributing to their stock library, which eventually was purchased by Getty Images. The first few years were very exciting because I had the freedom to shoot many kinds of images and subject mater and there was a market for my images.
In 2001, I moved to Portland, Oregon where I currently live. I continue to shoot and follow my passion for photography.
