PLAINWELL, Mich. — Capturing that perfect moment can be important! It may never come again. That’s what the husband and wife team of Patrick and Sally Leone do all of the time. They own and operate Photographic Memories photography studio in downtown Plainwell.
While they cover all of the standard things like weddings, babies, portraits, graduations, and almost everything else, their passion is with nature. Sally is the official photographer at Devos Place each year for the annual Michigan Taxidermy Association show.
The Leone’s have taken vacations and trips around the country (and in a few others) snapping pictures of nature every chance they get. One of their bigger vacations was a road trip from Michigan to Alaska’s Katmai National Park where they got some fabulous bear shots in the wild. “That was such a difficult place to get to” says Patrick. “There was a time when we were literally standing next to a National Geographic film crew. We felt really special to even be there.”
The Leone’s have also spent time photographing wolves at nature preserve parks, and plenty of time in North Carolina. “That’s one of my favorite places to go…there’s waterfalls, and rivers, and streams, and just interesting routes” says Sally.
They’ve documented their trips with a vacation book, showing all of the wildlife and highlights along the way. It’s not much different that documenting that special night for a bride and groom. Capturing the moment, getting it just right, and having it available forever.
Both Sally and Patrick say lighting is probably one of the most important things a photographer needs to be aware of. Simply put, it can make or break the picture. “The time of day, the direction of the sun…lighting is about 90 percent of what makes a good photo over a mediocre picture” says Patrick.
One of the other things Photographic Memories will do is release all of the rights to all the photos they take of your gathering or portrait. That means you own everything. That’s quite different from most traditional photographers where you’ll need to pay extra if you wish to purchase more photos. That makes it easier when trying to make copies for family or friends and/or uploading images to Facebook pages or online photo galleries.
Anyone is welcome to stop by their studio and see some of the collection of photos that have been taken and archived, many of which are for sale. Their studio is located at 133 North Main Street. Click herefor their Facebook page. Click here for their website. They have quite a number of photos and galleries to click through that showcase their experience and professionalism. Lights, camera, action!
