Michael Stano – Photographer
In the mid-50s, Cub Scout Mike Stano made a pin-hole camera from plans in Boy’s Life magazine. “The camera ‘body’ was a Folger’s one-pound coffee can. The ‘lens’ was a nail hole poked through the can, and the ‘shutter’ was a piece of electrical tape over the hole. The inside of the can was painted black, and there was a cardboard sheet film holder. I don’t remember if I took any photos with the camera.”
Mike’s early interest in photography was set aside for years of education and varied career accomplishments. He earned a B.A. in Political Science at the University of Nevada, Reno, an M.A. in Speech Communication at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and a PhD in Speech Communication at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. For 27 years, culminating in 22 yrs. at Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, he taught various communication courses. Mike attended law school at night, and, in 1990, he earned a J.D. at Oklahoma City University School of Law. He was in a private practice for nearly 10 years in Stillwater, and he later served as Assistant District Attorney for Payne County, and as Special District Court Judge for Payne County.
As retirement approached, Mike began to reconnect with his early interest in photography. “Work and school had consumed more and more of my time, and in the mid-80s, I was pretty much finished with photography until 2002, when I bought my first digital camera, a 4-megapixel Fuji point-and-shoot. With that camera, I took what is probably the best photo I will ever take. When that photo won a small-pond award, I was again hooked on photography.” He moved to Chatham County in 2015.
Mike’s main photographic interest is architecture, which likely stems from his early ambition to be an engineer. “My mother worked as secretary in an engineering firm. She encouraged me to be an engineer. However, I just didn’t get physics, and I majored in political science instead.”
Rather than wide-angle views of buildings, Mike frequently focuses on semi-close ups of details. “I like abstract images which are, at first glance, unrecognizable for what they are, and shots that initially throw a quirk into the viewer’s perception.”
Mike isn’t deeply introspective about his photography. “It is just my way of seeing.” He takes great pleasure in meeting with others and discussing photography and photographs. “After all, I have a PhD in talk!”
Michael Stano’s work can be seen on his website michaelstano.zenfolio.com and on his Chatham Artists Guild page at https://chathamartistsguild.org/artists/michael-stano/.
