First Posted: 1/13/2015
The simplest of hobbies can have the greatest rewards.
J. Michael Schirra, of Pittston Township, will have his photography work displayed at the Luzerne County Community College Annual Faculty and Alumni Art Exhibit that features art work and photography of current LCCC faculty members and selected alumni.
Schira, 57, graduated from the college in 1977 and has been taking pictures since he was a youngster, at one point begging his parents for a better camera.
“I actually was involved with photography before college,” said Schirra. “I started off with small cameras as a kid and I was taking a lot of pictures that developed into something. Ultimately, what happened was I kept asking for a good camera as a kid and I kept pressuring my parents to purchase me a good camera as a teenager, and my cousin had a camera he wasn’t using. My parents purchased it and got it for me for my birthday. That started the whole process of being into photography.”
Schirra attended concerts as a teenager and took pictures. He’s also taken pictures of his family and wildlife.
Despite being heavily involved in photography, Schirra did not pursue a career interest in it, instead graduating from LCCC with an associate’s degree in science.
Schirra had various jobs over the years, including managing a hair salon, owning and operating a landscaping business and working in environmental consulting helping to restore wetlands, for which he used his science degree.
He also shot photos for the Moscow Villager as well as the former Go Lackawanna newspaper.
“Photography was a hobby, not something to make money off of,” said Schirra. “But it was an integral part of everyday life. My cameras are always close nearby. I take photos everyday for fun. There’s almost no day where my camera doesn’t get used. My camera is right next to me all the time. If I go anywhere, it’s coming with me. If I go to the same old places, it depends but if I go to out-of-the-box places, it comes with me.”
One of the photos being displayed in the LCCC exhibit is Schirra’s “Golden Sunset,” which he did not photograph by accident.
“That day we had this warm weather, then rain coming that had a temperature inversion,” said Schirra. “The moisture steamed off into the sky. I grabbed my camera and went over to the location, knowing the sun would set and I needed to be there to capture that particular mountain area. I hurried there to get that photograph and it was perfect. The sun was coming through the sky and everything was just lit up perfectly.”
Schirra likes to keep a mental reminder of areas he likes to visit, so he knows where to get a good photograph when he returns there.
Having his work on exhibit was never Schirra’s goal when he decided to make a hobby out of photography but he has been in a fair share of them, including last year’s LCCC Alumni and Faculty Art Exhibit.
“I’ve done exhibits before and to be here in a ‘judged before you get in’ situation and be part of the school and alumni, right off the bat I was just floored,” he said. “It’s amazing. The whole concept of LCCC is for so much talent, for people who couldn’t afford to go to other schools like me. You have great alumni and great faculty who are willing to show that it’s work that you can represent for the core of the college. We don’t always get our pieces in there, but those that do is way above average to begin with. It’s a great exhibit and an honor to be in it.
“It’s always fun taking pictures,” said Schirra. “Sometimes it’s work to take them, but to get people to laugh and smile for a photo, it motivates you after a bad day. It’s always fun to take pictures.”
