Studio Tour Cover Art

I’m a fine art photographer with an extensive background as a leading advertising photographer for over 30 years in Seattle, WA. During that time, I worked on assignments for ad agencies and corporate marketing departments across the country. Whenever I wasn’t shooting for a client, I was experimenting with fine art techniques that I would later teach to aspiring photographers in workshops up and down the West Coast. These techniques eventually became my full-time obsession, which continues to this day.

My wife and I moved to Camano Island in 2017, thrilled to be surrounded by the waters of Port Susan and the diverse fauna and flora found on the island. It was a welcome change from the tall buildings and traffic we had been immersed in prior to our move. After procrastinating for seven years, I not only joined the Camano Arts Association (CAA) as a member, but I also became the secretary of the board at the first general meeting I attended! The rewards were immediate, with a successful first studio tour last year and numerous new friends and acquaintances in a very short time.

The cover image is titled In the Late Afternoon. It’s a diorama of a moment of grace in nature. The image is a composite of multiple photographs I’ve taken and then assembled with the intent of conveying the peaceful feeling of a late afternoon through the eyes of a young child. This child lies hidden in the grass, quietly observing a small theater of nature in motion.

I’m inspired by everything around me, but my artistic vision is especially shaped by painters such as Andrew Wyeth, the Hudson River School artists, and Edward Hopper— artists who produce impressionistic, emotional representations of their subjects.

My process begins with an idea and an image. I digitally composite multiple photographs together, often adding textural overlays, in a careful and painstaking process until the result most purely reflects my emotional attachment to, or reaction to, the subject. When I’m out shooting, a multitude of sensory inputs are at play. It’s not just the visual scene in the viewfinder, but also the sights, sounds, and smells of my surroundings that create meaningful moments. These elements provoke memories and insights that the camera’s capture alone can only partially convey. My post-processing and compositing processes aim to dig deeper than the camera’s capture, creating imagery that will evoke similar emotional responses in the viewer.

I will once again be showing my work at the historic Camano City Schoolhouse during the 2025 Studio Tour! The 1906 Schoolhouse is a significant historical landmark, an intact example of an early one-room schoolhouse, directly tied to the early educational system of Washington State. It’s a must-see!

For more of Doug’s work, visit: douglandreth-art.com (his e-commerce site) or douglandreth.com (his portfolio site).