A Portugeese fishing boat touched
by the fading rays of the sun as it dips behind the ocean.
A spray of sea foam lacing the cliffs along the coast of Northern
Ireland.
The Eiffel Tower viewed from the shadows of an avenue of barren
trees.
For years, Pat McNulty III hung framed photographs of scenes
such as these in his home.
An international traveler and vivid photographer, he's always
had a knack for capturing the beauty around him.
But it was not until friends told him the artwork he hung on
his walls looked like postcards that McNulty gave any serious
thought to turning his hobby into a profession.
Today, he is the owner of www.premierphotographer.com, an Internet
gallery offering dozens of his photographs at affordable prices.
His collection includes lighthouses, castles, covered bridges,
horses, and sunsets.
Many of the photographs were taken during his travels. At 32,
the Sellersville native has toured 22 countries and 37 states
and it was during those sojourns that he discovered his talent
for photography.
"I've always been very observant and has an eye for beauty,"
he said.
As a boy, McNulty spent countless hours with his grandmother,
an art teacher. He also spent vacations traveling to Maine, Florida,
and various locals along the West Coast with his parents.
Those years, he said, created in him a yearning to travel and
an aesthetic appreciation for his surroundings.
Yet rather than pursue a career in art or photography, he obtained
a business degree in college and has spent the last 15 years
of his life working with people with mental disabilities at various
nonprofit organizations.
Although he'd been taking photographs for years, it was only
12 years ago, when he started traveling in earnest, that he became
serious about the hobby. |
"I didn't get into photography
to make money," he said. "It's just very rewarding
to be good at something and to see the fruits of your labor.
I think photography helps nurture the soul."
Despite a profession built helping others and a passion for photography,
he still considered himself something of an entrepreneur, so
when friends started commenting on the beauty of his photographs,
he decided to capitalize on the surge in Internet commerce and
create his own Web site.
He launched www.premierphotographer.com a year ago. At the time
he offered only 15 photographs. Today, his collection stands
at 107 and has been recently updated to include flowers and kittens.
Now, when he leaves his house, he always has at least one camera
with him. And when he takes a photograph, he is looking at more
than just capturing a moment.
"I'm looking for something that someone would want to frame
and hang on their wall," he said.
Getting that perfect shot sometimes takes month's of looking
at different subjects and hours of searching for just the right
angle and light. Sometimes, it's all pure luck.
Last year, while looking for a shot of a deer in Valley Forge
National Historic Park, he came across a horse on covered bridge.
For two hours, he sat, waiting for the perfect moment to capture
the horse. He found it when the animal walked to a nearby stream
for a drink of water.
"Sometimes, it can really be serendipitous," McNulty
said. " Happy coincidences happen all the time."
He offers his photographs in both color and black and white.
The prices, he claims are what make his business unique. Whereas
similar photographs may be purchased at exclusive galleries or
trendy art stores, he offers 8-by-10-inch prints for $19.95 and
11-by-14-inch prints for $29.95. Each photograph is original
copy of a particular print and is processed |
upon request at his Gwynedd Valley
studio.
"The photographs absolutely caught my eye," said Angel
Flagler of New Britian's Lenape Valley Foundation.
She has purchased three from McNulty so far , drawn, she said
to the originality and passsion of his work. She also found the
prices impressive.
Eileen Hackman of Willow Grove has McNulty's print of the horse
drinking water hanging in her living room.
"It was just beautiful- I had to have it," she said.
"He's just showing you something , you wouldn't ordinarily
see."
She also prefers the convenience of purchasing the photographs
on the Internet , where McNulty also offers tips on framing and
hanging his pictures.
"It's, wonderful to deal like that," Hackman said.
"It 's not anything like what I'm used to. I'll deal with
him any day." |
