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Bryce Ross Denison Jr (9-12-1952-) is a nature, wildlife photographer, author, and photographic educator. As the director of Midwest Photography Workshops, he is best known as a photographic educator, mentoring and nurturing photographers for over 50 years by hands-on class settings, lectures and leading photo safaris all over the world.

1. Early Life

Denison was born In Wyandotte Michigan in 1952 as the eldest child of Bryce "Ross" Denison Sr and Hazel "Jean" Denison. Jean's family hailed from Ecorse, Michigan where maternal Grandfather Robert Cameron worked in the steel industry. Bryce's father and grandfather were professional hunting and fishing guides from Gibraltar, Michigan. Bryce's middle name Ross came from the family ancestor Betsy Ross of Philadelphia.

2. Early Childhood

Denison learned about the ways of nature and wildlife working alongside his father farming, hunting and trapping wildlife. Trading his firearm in for a camera in 1964 at the age of 12, he went on trip to Florida where he shot his first serious photograph using an Argus C3 camera. Always appreciating humor and irony in a photo, the first real photo was of an alligator sunning himself underneath a no swimming sign. Bryce came from an athletically gifted family who always encouraged young Denison to pursue sports like baseball, football, track and field and rowing. However, his camera never left his side; often taking photographs of his teammates, whenever he was not in the game. He later developed the photos in his home darkroom located under the basement stairs and sold the 4”x5” prints for 25 cents each.

3. Early Education

Bryce was introduced to photography including the darkroom by fellow Boy Scout Daniel Petters. Peters took interest in the young Denison and offered him the opportunity to work with him shooting photographs for the high school yearbook. Bryce found further mentoring from family friend and police officer Robert Heumann.

His other high school activities included marching band, sports, singing in the church choir, and hunting and fishing including running a trap line. He sold both the muskrat pelts and the meat for spending money. Denison was offered, but declined an offer for an athletic scholarship to The Rochester Institute of Technology for both football and track. Instead, to pursue his passion for photojournalism with an emphasis on sports, he spent his weekends shooting for local weekly newspapers and apprenticing under a local wedding photographer Hugh Kessler. 4. Post-Secondary Education and Career Beginnings

Denison started his professional career working at local hometown newspapers like: The Wyandotte News Herald, Trenton Times, The Flat Rock Guardian and the Gibraltar Pulse. Deciding to dedicate his lives work to photography, he started working at Feldman Camera in Wyandotte, Michigan while attending The College For Creative Studies. While working at Feldman Camera, he met Joseph Herrick a prominent industrial photographer who’s clients were basically the fortune 500 companies of Southeast Michigan. It was his apprenticeship under Joseph Herrick (Aurora Photographic) coupled with the formal training at The College for Creative Studies that his skills and talent really became apparent. Bryce did go on to earn a B. F. A. degree in Applied Photography from CCS and a M.A. degree in photography from Wayne State University. After a few years, Bryce left Aurora Photographic to venture out on his own. The greater Detroit Metropolitan area had no shortage of heavy industry needing photographs to illustrate engineering reports and the like. He opened a combination camera store and custom photofinishing laboratory (Trenton Photo).

5. Non-Career Activities Denison led a busy life even outside photography. He began a formal education at Eastern Michigan University as an Education Major and a Music Minor. Singing in their Men’s choir gave Bryce the experience and confidence to successfully audition for the Racham Symphony Choir (Official Choir for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra). He sang with them for seven years until his photographic career became too demanding. Industrial photography requires an immediate 24-7 response availability. Bryce also became involved with the Trenton Junior Chamber of Commerce (JC’s) and sponsored and coached one of their softball teams.

6. Finding the Passion and influences Bryce’s fathers influence and tutelage of the ways of Mother Nature led toward his passion in landscape and wildlife photography. Hiking, canoeing and camping were always a part of his life. Now they enabled him to integrate those skills with his photography. Meeting and studying under noted photographer Ansel Adams gave Bryce the roadmap that would define the fine art work and directions that much of his career would embrace going forward. Other photographers who’s work influenced Bryce’s vision included documentary photographer Walker Evens and painter/photographer Charles Sheeler. In order to emulate their style, vision and technique of photography, Denison began shooting most of his work using large format cameras such as an 8”x10” Deardorff or a 4”x5” Linhoff. These cameras precluded photographing subject matter that moved as their use required the use of a heavy sturdy tripod and long exposure times. Landscape photography became the natural choice of subject matter.

7. Teaching Photography Denison began teaching photography in 1970. At first it was just helping fellow high school students on basic technique at his alma matter Gibraltar Carlson HS. Later it was teaching at Ypsilanti High School where he began teaching both shooting and wet darkroom techniques. Success teaching at the high school level inspired Bryce to start teaching at the college level. He taught photography for several years as a member of their faculty at Wayne County Community College, Mott Community College, Schoolcraft College, Grosse Point War Memorial, The Birmingham/Bloomfield Art Council and Wayne State University. Bryce was hired as a guest lecturer at nearly all the local colleges and camera clubs. He was also hired by film manufacturer Ilford to travel around the country providing lectures and demonstrations how to print photographs using a darkroom material called Cibachrome. As color negative film technology advanced, particularly in the proliferation of one-hour developing laboratories, fewer photographers did their own darkroom work. This led to a change of direction of teaching subject matter toward studio and portrait lighting. Bryce was hired by lighting manufacturer Westcott Corp. to travel all over the United States lecturing and demonstrating lighting techniques. After over 20 years of straddling the tasks of shooting photographs for money, teaching and running a camera store/photofinishing laboratory, Bryce had to make a decision. Was he to devote all his energies in becoming the best photographer he could or becoming the best photography teacher he could? He chose to become the best photography teacher he could. He closed the store and laboratory to devote everything to teaching. He joined the faculty at Midwest Photography Workshops as co-director.

8. Fine Art Photography and Exhibitions Having shot 30+ years of fine art photographs, Denison had to find a venue for his archives. Students would purchase the occasional print, but not on a large enough scale. Ford Motor Company decided to commission the purchase of hundreds of large scale photographs to decorate their corporate walls. Photographs like music can have a calming or soothing effect to the viewer. These peaceful soothing photographs led to other exhibitions at heath salons and spas. The same photographs led to even more exhibitions at libraries, galleries and other public venues. Bryce did not want to limit the type of subject matter in his fine art prints. Landscape, nature and wildlife photos was not enough. This is when Bryce started to include working with the nude to accent his landscape images. Southeast Michigan is seriously devoid of landscape imagery; no mountains, no waterfalls and few lighthouses. Therefore, with only a short travel distance, photographers like Bryce would explore an Urban Landscape of Industrial buildings and churches now in decay. The juxtaposition of the beautiful (model) against the un-beautiful (abandoned building) became the new landscape. Bryce had two major exhibitions at the National Center for Nature photography in the mid-2000’s: one on wildlife photography; Fauna of North and Central America and the follow-up exhibition a few years later: Flora of North and Central America. These exhibitions led to a lecture series and publishing of books of the same titles.

9. Forensic Photography Bryce taught for one year as a founding faculty member at Enterprise High School; a school for at-risk youth as a way to give back to society. It was rewarding in every way but financially. So when the City of Detroit Fire Department was looking for a forensic photographer, Bryce applied and was hired to be that person. His background as an industrial photographer proved to be invaluable to perform the tasks of a Forensic Photographer on call 24-7. This position allowed the flexibility to continue teaching at Midwest Photography Workshops and Wayne State University. Bryce also trained the Police Department Evidence Technicians in photographic procedures. The Detroit Fire Department loaned Bryce out to other law enforcement agencies because of his unique set of skills: Federal Bureau of Investigation (F.B.I), Alcohol Tobacco and Firearm (ATF), Michigan State Police (MSP), Wayne County Sheriffs and The Detroit Police Department. Bryce retired from the Detroit Fire Department in 2012 to pursue teaching photography full time at Midwest Photography Workshops.

10. Published Works and Fine Art Portfolios A Darkroom Guide to Printing and Processing Film Namibia - Through the Lens of Bryce Denison Costa Rica - Through the Lens of Bryce Denison Fauna of North and Central America Flora of North and Central America See you at the Big One - A Photographers Journal of Forensic Photography by Bryce Denison 1988 Penthouse Calendar St. Johns Hospital Charity Calendar for Therapy Dogs 20 St. Johns Hospital Charity Calendar for Therapy Dogs 20

11. Affiliations PPA ASMP Michigan Friends of Photography Detroit Professional Photographers Metro Detroit Media Photographers