Ross is a member of the Professional Photographers of America (PPA).
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How did I get started in photography? The story is quite interesting. As a child, I can remember sneaking into my parents bedroom to get the family polaroid camera and snap a few candids of my six siblings. Of course, I would always return the camera before either of my parents came home. Ahh, the 80's... By the time I was in highschool I was "upgraded" to a small 35mm camera. It was a Christmas present from my mother (thanks mom!). I promise it would have taken a small army to pry that camera from my hands.
I used to travel around the neighborhood taking pictures of everything in sight. After an afternoon of photography I would race to the local grocery store to get my images developed. During the early 90's one-hour photo was still new technology to me. I would actually wait outside the store with my claim ticket in hand for the entire hour. If my finished pictures were over one minute late, I exercised my right to free 3x5 prints!
I kept the same 35mm camera throughout college and suffered ridicule from my friends for always having my camera with me. I took pictures at football and basketball games, parties and homecoming festivities. On one of my holiday trips back home to Pensacola I asked my father about his experiences in college and growing up in the south. He was able to tell me about them but could produce very few pictures. So I decided to get even more serious about documenting my college experiences. Further, I gained an intense desire to trace my heritage and locate old photographs of my relatives. Finding several damaged pictures, I learned to use computer software to digitally reconstruct the images. This is when I was first introduced to complex digital editing. To date I have collected over 100 pictures and gained information on six generations of my family.
Being a broke college student, photography became my therapy for stress. I would drive for hours around the city of Atlanta and small towns throughout the state to find interesting locations. I didn't even use a map! I still use some of these little known places today for lifestyle portrait sessions. It was not until I graduated from college that I had enough money to retire my faithful 35mm Olympus and purchase professional equipment.
With no formal training and my God given talent to tell stories through pictures, I capture life and freeze moments in time as I see them. I believe when you follow God's plan for your life, you will be successful no matter what. I am thankful for His many blessings upon my life and the way He allows me to view the world through my camera lens. Jesus is my saviour and I bless each and every one of my clients with the gift He has given me.
How do I capture such passionate, thought provoking pictures....the key is to love what you see.
Thank you to my family, friends and past clients for your support of my passion.
- Ross Oscar Knight
Learn more about me: my blog
A book written on my family: A Way Out of No Way, by Dianne Swann-Wright
Trace your own heritage: Ancestry.com
