Meet Photographer Gregory Tapley
Gregory Tapley
Spokane, Washington
United States
Gregory lives in Spokane, Washington. He grew up in Spokane but moved to Texas after graduating from college and met his wife, a native of Fort Worth. They lived there for 20 years before moving to Spokane in 2001. Shortly after coming to Spokane, she asked him, "Why would you ever leave such a beautiful place?" and he replied, "Because I had to go and find you! She said "Good answer!"
Gregory says, "My biggest inspiration is my late wife Kathy, who bought me the camera I use today as a birthday gift many years ago. I feel her connection, guidance and inspiration everyday and in the photos I compose. My personal favorite and example of this is the photograph of the sun in the clouds over the lake. It was taken while out on my friend's boat on Lake Coeur d’ Alene where Kathy and I loved to spend time. It was over what would have been her birthday weekend a couple of years ago. I liked how the boat looked on the water and was waiting for it to get into position to capture the photo. Only until I got home and brought it up on my computer did I notice there was a profile of a woman’s face looking up and to the left in the brightest part of the clouds in the middle! It’s such an amazing reminder that she is always with me, reminding me to pay attention to things around me that may go unnoticed.

Photography is much more than just taking photographs to me. It is a way of connecting with nature, with things seen and unseen at the time, a chance to capture a moment in time and appreciate these gifts of awareness. It gives me a greater sense of all things connected. So I’ve become a composition seeker. Sometimes I see them right away and sometimes I don’t. I will compose them, expose them, share them and enjoy them. I love the feeling of saying, Wow! look at that!"