Artist Profile

The Last Resume and Testament of Dana A. Lyon, Photographer

... One career, two career, three...
this one's just for fun, this one's just for me.

The 1980's: A photo hobby shows real signs of spinning out of control. No amount of effort (none made), other responsibilities, or financial constraints slow this compulsive dive into the depths of focus and aperture.

The early 1990's: Having fun and learning, I shoot a mountain of film. Not recognizing my addiction, some say I take nice photos; enablers all. A dozen or so photos get published. I've developed a sense of urgency in photographing this valley as it undergoes fundamental change and irreversible development.

The mid 1990's: A co-conspirator surfaces and a partnership is forming. Zephyr hill Publishing is born and Napa Valley Notes begins printing. More fun. Now, while Zephyr hill provides purpose and direction, it's still in it's infancy with start up costs exceeding sales (now there's a surprise).

Lights - we've put together a studio. Now I can shoot all day and shoot all night. To augment this self taught, self directed enterprise, photography classes seem like a good idea.

The early 2000's: We are moving the studio and constructing a gallery. I may never get home. I now have a certificate from college that says it's OK for me to operate a camera.

The mid 2000's to now: Somehow we have gone from upstart start up to established and respected. Imagine that.

I am sorry if this is not like the resume you expected. So, if you want this to be different, I extend to you creative license.

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Dana Lyon along with his sister, Sandra Ogle, is co-owner of Studio II Gallery in the Napa Valley. They have repeatedly shown their desire to support the local college art programs, the local artists and the arts community at large by providing a venue for education, support and exhibitions.

Dana has a technical degree in Photography but is quick to point out his conviction that the art and the science of Photography are commingled.

The Art of PHOTOGRAPHY by Dana Lyon

When you attempt to create that intangible element that makes a particular landscape extraordinary, or portrait of a girl's face, heart stealing, is when the science of photography must rely on the heart of the artist.

The elements of composition and presentation, caution with light and shadow, often omitting elements of a subject, are all an effort to spark a viewer's imagination into completing the photographer's vision.

An intriguing aspect of photography is that there is not necessarily a right or wrong way to make a photograph. The result is its own critic. Taking a photo may be a private, even intimate affair. Viewing a photo is often a shared moment, if not a full public affair. Photo art may expose as much about the photographer as about the subject.