About the Photographer

Greg Kiser is a self-taught photographer that tends to gravitate towards landscape photography.  Having lived in North Carolina all of his life, Greg developed a love for the Appalachian Mountains and their many moods.  In these mountains he discovered a profound connection with nature.  Since 2005, Greg has tweaked his photographic style to capture what his eyes see.

Over the years, Greg's definition of "Landscape Photography" has changed slightly.  At first, the hand of man was to be avoided at all cost, in favor of a pure and natural scene.  However, those scenes are getting to be very difficult to find.  In order to keep things fresh, Greg has taken on a "Wabi Sabi" approach to his photography. Essentially, this is a Japanese concept that explains that "everything passes, and in their passage lies beauty."  As barns and automobiles deteriorate, and begin to fade away, there are infinite opportunities to capture the many stages of that passing.  In many cases, the resulting photographs are the last remaining evidence that the subject was even there in the first place.

Whether the captured scene is a mountain range, or a rusting Chevrolet, Greg strives to capture not only the subject...but the emotion behind it.  Each photograph is special to him, and he hopes that you will find a photo or two that sparks a memory, or a forgotten feeling from your past.  


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Notoriety in my photography



In the Winter of 2010, I had the great honor of becoming one of "Roy's Folks" which was a regular feature on WGHP, Fox 8, in Winston Salem, NC, for many years.  My wife set this up for me as a surprise back when my website was Four Forty-Six Photography.  A little bit of trivia about this appearance...the camera that I was using had been dropped and was damaged.  I was waiting on a replacement to come in.  Fortunately, it worked well enough to perform for the segment.  It was a great experience being a part of this well known feature with our local news.

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In April, 2014, I finally achieved a long standing personal goal of mine and became a published photographer.  Not only was one of my photographs in a book...it was the cover!  The cover of this book is none other than Spiritual which was shot a few miles from home.  While working the scene, I had the opportunity to meet the author of the book, Twinkle Scott.  She told me that she had been thinking about using this tree at sunset for the cover of her new book.  One thing led to another, and here it is!

You can read about the actual Trek by following this link.  It's always funny how things work out because as you will read the entry, you can see that this wasn't my first choice for a subject.  In fact, it was almost a last ditch attempt to salvage an otherwise futile evening.

You can purchase Spiritual Breath for the Soul at Amazon.com.

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Dairy Barn in the Summer
Professional B&W

Down to Earth
Professional Color

On September 26, 2016, two of my photographs earned first place ribbons at the Dixie Classic Fair in Winston Salem, NC.  Dairy Barn in the Summer, and Down to Earth have been added to my award winning prints.  This honor cements my Wabi Sabi approach to my photography since the subject matter in both of these prints center around the rustic and the rusty.  

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Mint
Professional Color
Sponsors
Professional B&W
On September 25, 2017, two of my photographs earned awards at the Dixie Classic Fair in Winston Salem, NC.  Mint took top honors in the Professional Color category with a First Place Ribbon.  Sponsors brought home Second Place honors in the Professional Black and White category.  I seem to have found my niche with this particular contest with the subject matter.  I'm very happy to have another couple of my photographs being award winners. 

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A Rusty Streak
Professional Color

On September 24, 2018 I entered two of my photographs into the Dixie Classic Fair photo competition.  When the judging was finalized, A Rusty Streak took home top honors in the Professional Color Photography catagory.  My other image Timeless View was entered in the Professional Black and White category and unfortunately did not place.  The competition is getting stiffer at the fair and I will have to step up my game it would appear.  I am still very proud of my showing for this year and Timeless View is still one of my all time favorite images.
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In the Summer of 2018, I was invited by Singh-Ray to host a webinar discussing some of my techniques for photographing in the Wabi Sabi style.  This marked my first experience leading a discussion group on a photography subject.

The best part about this experience was that it also marked the first time that my photography had caught the attention of a company such as Singh-Ray which makes some of the products that I use every time I go out and shoot.





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Behind every good photographer....


...is the photographer's "Photo Wench."  This is my beautiful wife Toni.  Not only does she support my want to be a starving artist, she has a great eye for interesting subjects that I tend to miss from time to time.  She also keeps me in fresh lens caps when she drops them down to the bottom of waterfalls.

In all seriousness, in addition to helping me in the field, she has a certain talent for portrait photography as well.  All of the pictures that appear here of me, are thanks to her.

Toni is an artist in her own right as well.  She has recently started learning pastels and is continually improving with that talent.  Often times, she will spot a scene that she likes, and we will work it together so that she will have a photo reference that she can reproduce later with her own media.  I fully expect that some day she will eclipse me as the primary artist in the house.

Toni is a real patient woman to be such a great Photo Wench.  She can attest to how boring a landscape photo shoot can be.  We often times will sit for an hour or more just to capture a picture of a single tree so we can move on.  While I'm sure it is no fun for her most of the time, I sure do enjoy the company, and sometimes the voice of reason when I'm blocking out my own good sense.