WILLIAM A. MERIWETHER, M.A.
Photography began for me in 1958 when a gentleman friend of the family introduced me to his Minox B Camera. I have been forever fascinated with these exquisitely engineered marvels for more than 50 years.
The negative is the size of a person’s little finger nail. The lens is capable of greater resolution than any other commercially manufactured camera. The diminutive size of the Minox makes it easy to carry.
During the Vietnam War, I enlisted in the United States Air Force Precision Photography School. After graduating from the advanced course I was held back at Lowrey AFB to teach same. In 1970, after three years in the classroom, I graciously accepted my honorable discharge and set up my own freelance photography business. I also taught evening adult photography classes as an adjunct photography professor at Regis and other colleges in Denver, Colorado. After many years I realized I would need a graduate degree if I was to advance. So accordingly I enrolled in a graduate degree program at Adams State College in Alamosa, Colorado. I earned a Masters of Art degree in 1988 and wrote my dissertation on the Platinum Printmaking Process. This is an obscure 19th Century Sun Print technique that yields the most secure, non-fading, photographs in the world.
Since my 20’s I have loaded up my 4WD truck every weekend along with pet dog and cameras and escaped to the wilderness. This accounts for approximately twenty thousand negatives in my files. I have used every conceivable camera format from 8X10 inch View Cameras to Hasselblads, Leicas and Minox. My favorite Landscape Camera was the Pentax 6X7. I preferred this 2 1/4 X 2 3/4 inch format camera to all others. It was heavy but I could sturdily hand hold it clear down to a 15th of a second. It also accepted strong contrast filters which I used with great enthusiasm. I worked primarily with B&W films and my technique was a simple variation of Ansel Adams Zone System. This style of working provided me with beautiful photographs (as long as I could find interesting subjects!).
In the fall of 2004 I was diagnosed with bone cancer and a host of other illnesses. I have devoted my remaining time to printing from my extensive negative files with the new digital technology. I hope you enjoy my work.
William A. Meriwether: 8/02/1944 - 6/01/2010
Bobbie Meriwether
rtm_rof.net
970.319.5558
If you are interested in purchasing any of the photographs from this website, please email Bobbie Meriwether at rtm_rof.net. Provide your name, email, phone number and the ID # for the photo you are interested in.
