Illuminations

Raymond Klein is the MacGyver of photography! This book is a reflection of Ray’s photographic life from childhood throughout his long career as a successful commercial photographer and into his retirement as an award winning photographic artist. The book recounts Ray’s earliest experiences with photography including learning how to use a camera and develop film. One early success was a photograph that was published in the local newspaper while still in high school. It is obvious that the early successes led him into his long and successful career as a photographer. His interesting and varied career starts as an Air Force photographer which lead to employment at a defense contractor in Orlando, then as a product photographer in Chicago. His work included not only product photography mostly used in print ads and catalogs - but also portraits, album covers and television story boards. It is striking how often Ray learned new skills quickly and successfully improvised to creatively meet the customer’s requirements. The book covers the details of trials and tribulations of what it takes to start with just an idea to his finished photographic results. I really appreciate that the book has so many wonderful images of his projects throughout his working career and later on as an artist. The photos alone are amazing! The book goes into detail about how Ray approached challenges and is an inspiration to anybody considering photography as a possible career choice. While photographic technology has changed from using film and chemistry to today’s digital images, Ray’s creative approach to photographic problem solving is an inspiration to anyone. Highly recommended