Artist’s Biography
Bill has lived most his life firmly planted in the “left brain”, as evidenced by undergraduate degrees in Math and Physics, a Master’s Degree in Computer Science, and business careers in and around Information Technology with Hewlett-Packard and Anheuser-Busch. As a creative outlet, however, Bill bought his first camera, a Nikkormat, while in college. He dabbled with black and white photography and “messy” chemicals in his dormatory darkroom. Soon, his interest turned to capturing vivid colors using slide film.
Sandy and Bill Miller
A turning point in Bill’s life was in 1980 when he took up scuba diving at the same time (but in a different class) as his future wife, Sandy, a graphic artist and designer. The total experience of breathing underwater and suspended weightlessly in a foreign world is a whole other story. It was not long into the diving experience before Bill began capturing underwater images with a new Nikonos camera, strobe, and a variety of lenses. Part of the experience was learning that waterproof cameras...aren’t.
Bill became a scuba instructor in 1984. He married Sandy in 1985, then helped her earn scuba instructor certification. Together, they taught scuba, and Bill taught Sandy and others underwater photography. For almost twenty years, they led group adventure / diving trips throughout the Caribbean and Pacific. Following each trip Bill and Sandy edited hundreds of slides, then organized the best into a computerized two-projector slide show synchronized to music. These entertaining shows became the basis for lectures about the underwater world Bill presented to a variety of groups in the St. Louis area. His underwater images became popular, and trip participants and other diving enthusiasts purchased his prints.
Bill with Taffy and Ginger
For health reasons, Bill and Sandy retired from diving after their last trip in 2001. While Sandy turned her creative energy to ceramics, Bill had to relearn how to take pictures with feet firmly planted on the ground and with cameras that were not submerged in salt water. After a couple years of continuing to use slide film, Bill acquired his first SLR digital camera, the Nikon D100 (now upgraded to the D200), and he has rarely used film since. Bill’s darkroom is now filled with computers, scanners, and printers instead of chemicals. Finally with the merging of digital technology and photography, Bill’s left and right brains are whole.
Bill continues to work as a manager at Anheuser-Busch, and he is furthering his photography education and experiences at St. Louis Community Colleges, workshops, and with as much travel as possible. Bill and Sandy live in downtown St. Louis with their two adorable long-haired Chihuahuas, Taffy and Ginger.
Artist’s Statement
Nature fills the world with incredible diversity and beauty, from the details of the smallest ice crystal to immense landscapes incapable of being captured in one image. Contrasts of colors, shapes, and textures naturally catch my attention, but only shapes appear constant as varying light continually alters colors and textures in infinite ways. My motivation is to capture a unique moment in time when all the photographic elements come together, a moment never to be exactly repeated. My fulfillment as an artist comes from bringing to others the same emotional response I felt when taking the picture. Finding the right moment in time is both my challenge and inspiration as a photographer.
