Written by Merry Lee Jones
hris Hefter seems to be a photographer who enjoys the process of making photographs. He pays attention to the joy found in the act of finding a certain
image, be it hiking a trail to a destination, patiently waiting for a wildlife subject, composing a scene, measuring
exposure, or even processing the image on his computer. A nature photographer lets his or her photography
take them deeper into the process of making
photos. There is a vast difference between setting out to “shoot” a given subject vs. venturing to create a meaningful image of it.
When I first saw his work I was amazed at the richness of color; the butterfly collections are simply stunning.“I grew up with an English mother;” Chris says,” needless to say we had a beautiful formal garden, and an 8 bed veggie garden. That is where my love for gardening is rooted. When my wife and I moved into our home in the Lowcountry several years ago, we planned a raised bed butterfly garden – I like to call it my outdoor fish tank. It is always a great feeling when you see a species you have not seen before or you look out in your garden and see 30 butterflies floating around. There are hundreds of varieties that take advantage of the great weather and living conditions here. I found that photographing butterflies that stopped by our garden was something I truly enjoyed. I had always paid attention to the little details of nature, but with the camera in-hand, I discovered even more interesting creatures and beauty in the outdoors.”
Nature photographers are occasionally welcomed into a natural event or phenomenon that brings out that which we recognize as artistic pose, composition, or behavior. Being there at the moment is essential. Having the patience and the vision to see is the heart and soul of the art.
“More recently, I’ve moved away from taking the more macro/close up shots and have begun focusing on taking photos of our local and migrating birds, says Chris. The Lowcountry offers up beautiful scenery and wildlife all year ‘round, so making time for photography is usually rewarded with fantastic light and majestic scenes. I would say that the only thing that has suffered is my golf game. My main focus as a photographer has been on nature, and what a great place to be, Bluffton South Carolina.”
Birds pose particularly difficult challenges because they rarely allow us to see them except in fleeting glances. But when you have the will to study your subject and know what to expect, the rewards are fantastic.
“I often find myself on a walk with my camera, not knowing what I will find to shoot, said Chris.” “When a subject is spotted patience and slow movements become necessary, especially with birds. Having your camera with you as much as possible helps, and keeping a log of where you saw certain things of interest helps me remember to go back to good locations.”
Christopher Hefter, a Bluffton resident for over a decade and a graduate of the College of Charleston, is also the Vice President of Product Development for Optimum Resource, Inc. and has been responsible for the production of over sixty award-winning educational software programs.“Years ago, I began to share my photography work with others, mainly with the local newspaper and they have published many of my photos. I have been on four front pages,” said Chris. He joined the Camera Club of Hilton Head Island and was thrilled to exhibit in their last few shows. In 2005 he was juried into the South Carolina Artisan’s Center in Walterboro and was particularly flattered by that because the center has some well known regional photographers.
He started his website a year ago and has been surprised with the success and the number of hits it has received, over 22,000 to date. Keeping it updated is difficult
and a constant challenge.