The photographs of Greg Griffin vividly show his value of color, light, contrast, shadows, composition, emotion, movement, and perspective. Without limiting his work to any specific category, he says, “I photograph whatever moves me. If you’re moved by your subject matter, your creativity flows.” The beautiful scenery, changing seasons, weather, birds, and wildlife of the Sedona area, and the entire state of Arizona, are the main inspiration for his work. Griffin will be the Featured Artist for the month of November 2022, at the Village Gallery of Local Artists where he is a veteran member.
Photography has been a part of Griffin’s life starting with classes he took in high school, as a creative
counterbalance throughout his active service-oriented career and a major part of his life in retirement.
Griffin served nine years in the United States Air Force. While stationed in Europe in the 1970’s, he got
into a two-year photography program and earned a certificate in photography. After the Air Force,
Griffin spent two years in the Air National Guard, and nearly 30 years with the San Bernardino County
Fire Department in California, retiring as a captain in 2012.
Griffin has photographed sports, landscapes, and nature, and at one time had photo assignments for a
newspaper. One of the most challenging photography projects he undertook was documenting the
homeless in various communities. He created a slide show with those photographs and gave
presentations to several clubs and organizations on both the homeless and street photography.
However, the most stressful photography experience he ever had was doing weddings, many years ago.
After retiring, Griffin and his wife Becky moved to Sedona, and he has been able to devote more time
and energy to his artistic bent. Reflecting on his relationship with photography, he explains; “I believe
that my life experiences, especially my many years in the fire service, have contributed to my view of the
world. I learned that life is precious and fragile and that we should all try to enjoy every day. I feel that
photography allows me to capture life’s special moments so that they can be kept alive in people’s
memories. Many visitors to Arizona want to take a tangible memory home with them, and a special
photograph allows them to do that.”
A reception will be held in Greg Griffin’s honor on Friday, November 4 th from 5-8 pm. Refreshments will
be served and the event is free to the public. The Village Gallery has applications available for new
memberships. Open 7 days a week from 10 am until 6 pm, the gallery is located at 6512 State Route 179
in the Village of Oak Creek. For more information, stop by the gallery, call (928) 284-1416, or visit the
website at https://sedonalocalartists.com.