Vincent A. Loomis
Oxford, CT
My senior year of high school, I got my first camera, a Nikon D3400 with kit lenses. I graduated from Oxford High School in 2015 with little to no direction and immediately began working at a Scout camp in Goshen, CT. In my spare time, I would walk the trails and fantasize about the places I would go and the things I would see. Day by day, I began to take the time to look around me and really see the things I was passing by while dreaming of something I expected to be "better." I started photographing the landscape with my camera and a cheap tripod I found lying around. I remember thinking, "Auto is on every camera.. this one has Manual. Manual must mean professional." So it's safe to say that beginning my photography using manual settings only, there was a steep learning curve, and 6 years later it has yet to settle into a mastery. I am always learning and growing with my settings, my compositions, lighting, and overall landscape images, and I love every opportunity I have to gain insight and learn from not only my own experience but from more experienced photographers.
At 19 years old, I completed my boot camp at MCRD Parris Island and went on to become a towed artillery technician in the Reserve. My first choice was Combat Camera, but having no options for it in my area, I settled for the next coolest sounding option. Over the years with my unit, I initially made myself known as the "guy with a camera" and seized every opportunity I had to use that camera. I took photos primarily for the Marines and their spouses or dates at the Marine Corps Birthday Ball every year, and pushed my way into becoming the unofficial photographer for the unit. I began taking my camera with me everywhere I could, and taking pictures of anything they would let me. In 2020, being exempt from the Rifle Range testing after two consecutive years of Expert Marksmanship, I decided to shoot photos while the other marines shot their rifles. I did my best to make sure that everyone on the range would go home to see themselves participating, and the feedback I received was phenomenal. I have been in the Marine Reserve for 5 years now and hope to continue for as long as they'll have me, and never give up my unofficial position.
I currently work full time packaging performance aircraft coatings, and do my best to manage my time and opportunities when it comes to photography. In 2020, I expected to have the most free time and enthusiasm to go out and shoot landscapes due to COVID-19.. However, the exact opposite was true. During 2020, I instead spent a large portion of my time behind a screen developing my editing techniques, building my website and portfolio, and taking mostly Portraits!
I look forward to working with more people and exploring more places in 2021 and further creating and building my portfolio.