T. Van Nunnery Photography
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Intrigued by his father's darkroom which was built in a spare closet, Tracy Van Nunnery had a childhood interest in photography. In the early '80s, his very first job was as a staff photographer for a local newspaper. Mostly by trial and error, he began to learn and improve his skills while shooting assignments and developing film and prints for the daily paper. Later, he was able to formalize his experience at the University of South Carolina's School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

TVN at soundcheck He continues to build upon his knowledge, experience and training by participating in photography workshops, classes and trips led by world-renowned photographers from the BBC, The National Audubon Society, Discovery and The National Geographic Society. Tracy makes it a priority to choose a wide variety of photography assignments including live music, nature, macro, portraiture, travel, sports, motorsports and product photography. Of these, music and nature photography have captured his interest and continue to be his passion.

As a musician, and formerly a member of an alternative/electronic band in college, a radio disc jockey, a house DJ for clubs, a house sound engineer for clubs and a sound engineer for arena and coliseum shows, music has always had a profound influence on Tracy. Live music photography combines these two art forms perfectly and continues to be a welcome challenge.

TVN and Hooker's Sea Lion, Phocarctos hookeri Sometimes described as "low-light, action portraiture," concert photography presents its own set of unique challenges and pitfalls. Limited and unpredictable lighting, the frenzied pace of performances, limited available time to shoot and line-of-sight obstructions can all be problematic for photographers. There are also other constraints to contend with such as management and venue guidelines, energetic fans, artist personalities and the ever-present notion that a missed photographic moment will rarely present itself a second time. Understanding the photographic requirements, "human engineering" considerations and technical aspects of live music performances from both sides of the microphone, Tracy continues to thrive in this environment.

TVN in a wildlife hide on the New Zealand coast Having a deep appreciation for the outdoors, he has been in close contact with nature from a very early age. He has extensively hiked, camped, canoed, backpacked and explored the Eastern and Western United States, learning how to observe all the abundance of detail that the natural world provides — taking in the "concert for the eye." Focusing on plants and wildlife of forests and intertidal zones, nature photography provides a completely different pace and set of challenges than does his music photography. This balance between art and science allows for a more complete appreciation of both styles of photography and their extremes of color and light.

TVN and Hooker's Sea Lion, Phocarctos hookeri In addition to his personal projects, Tracy regularly shoots live concerts of local, regional, national and internationally touring musicians for publication and promotional purposes. He has traveled and photographed extensively in the Eastern and Western United States as well as in Hawaii, Europe, Africa and New Zealand. He supplies photography to wire services, academic taxonomic databases and major stock libraries. His work has been published nationally and abroad in magazines, books, newspapers, television, online publications and promotional materials. Most recently, photos have been featured on VH1, InDemand and in SPIN, Rolling Stone, Relix, Las Vegas Weekly, The Source and Advertising Age. Tracy is also Editor at Large for Ground Control Magazine and a photographer and writer for Prefix Magazine, JamBase and Popwreckoning.

TVN the Human League Tracy lives in San Francisco and he is the Technical Director of Medical Informatics at the University of California, San Francisco. T. Van Nunnery Photography is represented by ZUMA Press.

Member, American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP), National Press Photographer's Association (NPPA), North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA), National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP), Canon Professional Services.

ZUMA Press ASMP NPPA NANPA NAPP NAPP

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