A friend's death provides the spark

Local photog engineers new book about Wissahickon

by LEN LEAR

Former Chestnut Hiller and current Germantown resident Laurie Cameron, 66, is an engineer, as is every other male member of his family. For years he worked in the field of residential energy conservation. In the late 1990s, however, Laurie spent countless hours -- as do so many other area residents -- jogging, hiking, biking and skiing the trails of the Wissahickon.

(The six-mile-long, 1,000-acre forested gorge that Wissahickon Creek runs through has been used for these recreational purposes for hundreds of years, as well as for hunting, fishing and horseback riding, by the Lenni Lenape Indians and later by mill workers and area residents.)

Cameron (whose name almost requires that he be an expert with a "camera") was so captivated by the beauty of the area, as are most others who use it, that he began bringing along a small point-and-shoot camera every time he would enter the Wissahickon Valley. He'd shoot pictures throughout the seasons, capturing the timeless and mysterious qualities of the majestic trees and rocks, water and light streams throughout every season of the year. Laurie even took a course in digital imaging at Philadelphia Community College to improve his photos.

In 2001 Cameron entered some of his photos of the Wissahickon in a biennial photo contest sponsored by the Friends of the Wissahickon, and he wound up winning first place in the landscape category. Several months later, officials at Allens Lane Art Center were also so impressed by his photos that they gave Cameron a one-man show in their art gallery.

(In the interest of journalistic accuracy, it should be noted that this was not the first foray into photography for Cameron. After graduation from Penn State University with a major in math and political science, Laurie attended a workshop course taught by the acclaimed photographer Harold Feinstein. Cameron continued shooting 35 mm black and white photos in Philadelphia and West Virginia, where he moved in 1971. During his years in West Virginia, one of Laurie's landscape photos won a Governor's Purchase Award at a biennial state-sponsored juried art show. From 1985 until the late 1990s, however, Cameron suspended his hobby until his journeys through the Wissahickon motivated him to resume his photographic exploits.)

By the time of the Allens Lane Art Center one-man show in 2001, the Germantown resident (who lived in Chestnut Hill in 1960 and 1961) had so many great photos of the Wissahickon Valley that he thought seriously about publishing a hard-cover book of them. However, he quickly discovered that no major book publisher was interested in such a strictly local project and that he would therefore have to finance such a book himself. However, "there was no way I had enough money to do such a thing myself," he said.

Then fate stepped in and provided a miracle of sorts. "A friend of mine died," Laurie explained, "and in his will he left me a fairly substantial sum of money. This was a complete shock. He had never mentioned this inheritance to me, and I certainly never expected it. However, I figured the universe was trying to tell me something, so I used every penny of the money to help me put together a hard-cover book of my photos."

The project, almost four years in the making, started with 500 photos Cameron had taken of the Wissahickon. He then winnowed the number down to 200, all of which he showed to 20 friends. Laurie asked them to select their favorite photos among the 200. (The "selection committee" consisted of Tony Aiello, Cristina Alvarez, John Carpenter, Rick Fine, Bob Gallagher, Mark Garvin, Julie Heberle, Paul Hogan, Katie Kupstas, Beverly Levitsky, Caitlin McKinley, Debbie McKinley, Jon McKinley, Jim O'Neill, Emily Richardson, Liz Robinson, Don Silver, Peggy Stretch, Steve Tilles and Ann Wainer.)

Laurie set up a data base of their selections and proceeded to pick 71 prints for the book. He took his friends' suggestions into account but also used his own judgment. "I figured 'it's my book, dammit,' so I picked the ones I liked the best, no matter what. Also, some prints that scored highly did not make it into the book because they did not match up well with a print on the facing page, and vice-versa."

After almost four years, 1,000 autographed copies of the hard-cover book were finally printed last month by Helictite Press. "Helictite is the name for a cave formation that symbolizes my life," Cameron explained. (As for his personal life, Cameron is separated and has one daughter, Jennifer, 33, a linguistics graduate of Bryn Mawr College and a lawyer who lives in Seattle.)

The award-winning shutterbug wants the public to know that the Wissahickon Valley has fallen under heavy stress from development, pollution, invasive species and water erosion, as well as the wear and tear of human usage. He credits Friends of the Wissahickon and others who have worked for years to slow the deterioration of the park's woods, trails and other assets.

"But for all its problems," he quickly adds, "the Wissahickon still engenders a sense of numinous solitude. Each time I venture in, I can choose a different place to go -- to the rocky bluffs above Lincoln Drive, the tangled old nurseries and beeches of Andorra or the flowering Roxborough meadows or hilly trails along the stream, for example. And each time I go, the weather and light and seasons refashion the scene into a Constable landscape, a Maxwell Parrish fantasy or a Monet painting."

So far the "coffee table" book, which sells for $22.50, is available at Robertson's and Wissahickon Cyclery and through Friends of the Wissahickon. Cameron is also attempting to get it into Borders and other area locations. Needless to say, he hopes that local nature lovers will regard it as an ideal Christmas gift. Individual 12" by 18" prints from the book can also be purchased at www.helictite.com. For more information, e-mail lcameron@netaxs.com