About the Photographer, Reuben L. Moss

"The Accidental Photographer"

Photography comes natural to me, as both a hobby and a way to express myself, my interests, and how I see the world around us. In fact I've at times considered myself an 'accidental' photographer because I've gained the ability to take excellent photographs in unlikely situations or as a snapshot. Since the Christmas when I was given my first camera, a small "110" which came with the aptly named book "My First Camera Book", I have held a great love for shooting both candid and planned exposures. Though I have preferred Digital since 2004 due to cost and ease of processing, I do occasionally shoot film and have some darkroom experience through past studying opportunities. (I presently do not develop my own film, and most of the prints I provide are printed by an external lab.) Several of the images in my collection also are products of post-exposure digital darkroom, using The Gimp and Photoshop to adjust image quality and appearance. My primary interests and the main themes found in my collection are and have been Railroads and Transportation, Nature, and community architecture. I also have explored other themes and thus offer a wide variety of images.

My Photographic Philosophy

For myself, taking photographs is not just something to do in my spare time or as a job, but also a responsibility. I have spent nearly 9 years in the museum industry through combined services as both staff and volunteer, giving me an insight in to both the past and the future. Many of my images document historical figures and settings, the neglect and ignorance toward historical subjects, or present day items and designs which will themselves be considered history in the future. Among the primary photographers who have inspired my interest in photography, O. Winston Link has contributed to this feeling of historical necessity. In the late 1950s, Link took several trips to Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland to photograph the last major steam railroad, the Norfolk & Western, and how it impacted and interacted in society. The N&W discontinued steam in 1960, But Link had preserved in photographs what no longer existed for new generations to see. (More information on O.W.L. can be found at the Link Museum) All around us are buildings, people, places, and things that change, age, and in time dissapear, only with photography can these changes and historic records be documented for future historians.

I do, however, also take photos for the sheer joy of doing so, to capture a mood, or to display the natural beauty of this planet the Lord has put us on to care for (or at times photos of what we're doing to it as a people). If my images can be used for a positive benefit, I have offered their use for free or at low cost to organizations including museums such as the Brunswick Railroad Museum and Rose Hill Manor for which I have worked, the Greater Brunswick Area Chaimber of Commerce, The Citizen Newspapers, and Brunswick Crossing LLC.

Outside of the Darkroom

Aside from Photography and Museum acitivities, I also serve as web designer, treasurer and A/V Technician for Fellowship Baptist Church of Middletown, and have provided websites for several local businesses. I dabble in traditional art mediums with acceptable (though not sale-worth) results. I am currently providing website services as an employee of Out of the Mud Multimedia and am not accepting private web site projects to avoid conflict of interest. However previous web clients have included the Brunswick Railroad Museum, Keepsmesane Art, Grace Episcopal Church, and various private firms. None of these sites remain online.