Easton Courier
John F. Hill
Capturing Easton’s bountiful natural beauty
Feb 29, 2008

by Karen Dydzuhn
Correspondent

Driving daily through Easton’s back roads, traversing alongside the breathtaking watershed area or green meadows where cows nonchalantly graze, one could easily take the magnificent scenery for granted.

John Hill, a local business executive and professional photographer, however, often takes the time to notice — and digitally capture — the town’s bountiful natural beauty. More than 30 award-winning images spotlighting Easton’s inherent splendor are now on display at the Easton Public Library.

“His photographs are absolutely striking and intriguing,” said Dolly Curtis, curator of The Gallery Space, a showcase located in the library’s conference room. “Once you see them, you don’t forget them. People just look and look at them. You can’t believe that it’s a photograph.”

Last week Mr. Hill received the Fuji Masterpiece Award from the Connecticut chapter of the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) for his photograph “Modern Monk.”  In addition, he was given the People’s Choice Award at a recognition ceremony held in Cromwell. For the third year in a row, Mr. Hill also received the Creative Photographer of the Year Award for overall photographic excellence.

“Private Heaven,” another of his nationally recognized photographs, will be on display in the Easton exhibit. With a nod to popular painter Georgia O’Keeffe, Mr. Hill’s close-up look at a green bug perched in the center of an iris earned him PPA’s Kodak Gallery Award. It was also selected for the organization’s loan collection, which means it is one of about 100 photographs chosen from 5,000 entries to be exhibited at conventions and conferences throughout the United States.

 An avid gardener, Mr. Hill shot many of the floral images now hanging on the library’s walls in his own back yard.  

“I try to capture the beauty that exists all around us but are things you might have missed,” Mr. Hill said.

In the past couple of years, Mr. Hill’s compelling photographs have also been recognized locally by the Easton Arts Council. Last year “Calm at Dawn,” his look at two perfectly poised iris flowers nestled among the greenery surrounding the Aspetuck Reservoir, was awarded second place in its annual juried photography contest. This year “Little House on the Water” garnered him first-place honors.

“He is just a wonderful photographer,” said Joanne Kant, president of the Easton Arts Council. “John is a very talented man.”

Both images were conceived as Mr. Hill was randomly driving within the town’s borders.

While traveling through the torrential rains that poured down upon Fairfield County last spring, Mr. Hill came upon the scene revealed in “Little House on the Water” at the intersection of Old Redding Road and Route 136. Although he usually travels with one of his cameras in tow, Mr. Hill continued on to his Easton home, where he retrieved his preferred camera. He immediately returned, though, to capture on film nature presenting itself in this rare, dramatic way.

Easton’s rural quality, which is treasured by most of its residents, is also depicted in many of Mr. Hill’s photographs.  

In “Spring Waterfall,” Mr. Hill said, he tried to capture “the peace, harmony and balance” inherent in much of the scenery found throughout this region.  

Another breathtaking, and better known, location in Easton set the stage for his photograph “Silverman’s Pride.”

One Saturday morning, in the middle of New England’s autumn season, Mr. Hill wandered among the apple trees on Silverman’s Farm on Sport Hill Road. With camera in hand, Mr. Hill hoped to film “the different expressions of nature” found there.

Although it was nearly dawn, Mr. Hill vividly describes looking up and noticing that the full moon was still visible and shining brightly as he prepared to take his shot. He seized the moment and began snapping images that would later result in “Silverman’s Pride.”

Mr. Hill also poignantly encapsulates the essence of one of Easton’s most renowned landmarks, “Greiser’s Store,” in another photograph on display.

Drawing upon his technical expertise as chief technology officer for Siemens Business Services, Mr. Hill uses state-of-the-art techniques to process his photographs. His style, he said, is to subtly optimize image contrast and color to bring out the beauty in the subject so the final product, the photograph, best resembles what the viewer would likely see at the original scene.

Working out of a spacious digital lab, Mr. Hill is responsible for all aspects of the developing, printing and framing processes.  

Mr. Hill lives in Easton with his wife, Lynne, and two children, Kristi, 14, and Grant, 10. Like many fathers in town, Mr. Hill enjoys taking his camera along on family outings.

A photograph of his son’s Little League team, called “Batting Order,” was recognized by the Professional Photographers of America’s Court of Honor two years ago. It was also selected to be part of the national organization’s loan collection.

“I was just quick enough to capture this image that I think shows a slice of Easton life,” he noted.

A native of Fairfield, Mr. Hill has always been drawn to Easton’s rustic environment. As a teenager, Mr. Hill recalls training for bike races by riding through Easton and Redding’s side roads.

“I’ve always loved the pastoral quality found here,” he said. “It’s like a little bit of Vermont in Fairfield County.”

© Copyright 2008 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers