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Photographer shares his art online Mail Tribune file photo Scott Frazeur, who lives in Merlin, has uploaded an enormous archive of aerial photos and other images to a Web site for his Global Photos business. Scott Frazeur does much of his work from a higher perspective By SHARI DOWNHILL Even with his recently launched Web site showcasing a collection of 2,000 photographic images, Scott Frazeur maintains he is not an artist. "Photography is an art," Frazeur says. "But I�m not an artist. I�m a technician. I�m a shooter. That�s what I do. I shoot." The difference, he said, is that he pushes himself and his equipment to produce exactly what his eye sees through the lens. "My only purpose in life is to faithfully reproduce what I see through my lenses. Nature has done a tremendous job creating this beautiful scenery and I don�t feel I should (alter it) ...." The Merlin resident has taken more than four decades of photographic experience to new heights, offering his services to customers in aerial and commercial photography via GlobalPhotos.com on the Web. The retired U.S. Navy chief photographer launched a career in civilian photography in 1983, building his image portfolio on his experience from a lofty prospective. His passion for the powerful image encompasses a wide range of subjects � from the wild-eyed flamenco dancer to the thundering bomber, newly hatched ducklings to a minutes-old baby. On the second floor of Frazeur�s secluded Merlin home, he flips through stacks of poster-size mounted prints from the past. "Here. Here it is. You�ve got to see this one," he beams. Taken during Frazeur�s military years, the photographer has filled the frame with the rear of a submarine plowing through ocean waves. A vulnerable sailor tethered to the bridge stares back through binoculars. To catch his views from above, Frazeur hires either a helicopter or fixed-wing airplane, complete with pilot. Shooting with a Nikon R-3 35 mm or Pentax 6x7 cm, he captures images for the most part with film, but anticipates including digital equipment when technology allows high-quality enlargements. In June, he�ll travel to the Montague Air Show in California and shoot air-to-air images of aircraft, from both a Robertson R-22 helicopter and a Cessna 170 airplane, with Mount Shasta or Crater Lake in the background. Soon, he�ll begin expanding his image portfolio with a photographic study of volcanoes, he said. Frazeur became a volcano buff while working for the U.S. Geologic Survey�s Office of Earthquake Studies. Within two years, he anticipates his online inventory will reach 10,000 images. About 80 percent of Frazeur�s images are taken from the air. But he�s also captured breathtaking environmental panoramas, animals, exotic birds, babies and children, cities of the world, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, ships, and ski parks, among others. Frazeur�s prints are available for purchase through GlobalPhotos.com in a range of sizes as large as 30 inches by 40 inches, mounted and ready to frame. "I just happen to live in Grants Pass," Frazeur said. "My palate is the whole Northwest. I can be anywhere in this state within two hours by airplane." He also plans to open Winfield Gallery in Grants Pass by this summer, where mounted prints will be exhibited and available for purchase. Frazeur�s work will be available soon through online auction house eBay, with additional links to photographic equipment. Future plans include production of a full line of digitally reproduced images for brochures, letterheads or business cards, and special products like T-shirts, coffee mugs, calendars and posters. Reach reporter Shari Downhill at 776-4463, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.