Bio

Bill Birkemeier

I grew up in a family of photographers with a darkroom in the basement and a grandfather and uncle who were photographic artists in black and white. There were always cameras around and my dad taught me how to take photographs and to make my own prints when I was in middle school. I started using a Yashica 35 mm SLR, eventually moved up to a Miranda 35 mm, and then to an Olympus OM‑2. Houses without basements aren’t conducive to darkrooms, so photo printing was put on hold and I moved from black and white prints into color slides, lots of slides. Fortunately the digital age has changed things - and 6 computers, at least 5 color printers, and 4 digital cameras later, it’s now easy to “develop” fine art prints without having to mix chemicals or turn off the lights! For me, the move to digital combines my knowledge of computers with the technical demands of printmaking and the creative challenge of photography.

We’re fortunate that my work as a research coastal engineer has allowed us to live on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, as there’s no shortage of photography subjects. My favorites, which you’ll find throughout this web site are birds, beaches, shells, stormy skies and beautiful sunsets.

While most of my photographs are of the Outer Banks, we enjoy travel and have included some of our favorite photos from our photographic adventures.

My current equipment includes a Nikon D200, Nikon 18-200 AFS VR lens, Sigma lenses 70-300, 10-20 and 50-500. Pigmented inkjet fine art prints are produced using a Epson R2400 printer and archival materials. These prints will maintain their colors for 70-100 years!

Many of these photos adorn our walls. We hope you’ll find something nice here for your own.