By DIANA MORSE
Of Lehigh Valley Source
Two autumns ago, at the invitation of Bucks County publisher friend Noelle Vander Brink, veteran Lehigh Valley photographer Wilson Black took a swing at shooting his first polo match, which was held at bucolic Tinicum Park. “I tried routine, Sports Illustrated-style action shots, but that approach didn't speak to me,” the tall and distinguished photographer recalls.
So, Black regrouped and started looking at the match from a different perspective, with an eye toward helping the viewer understand the dynamics of polo. When his colleague saw the results, she was so impressed she sent him a message that included the line, “Wow, your images are so insightful.”
When Wilson read that response, something clicked. He used the phrase to coin what has become his logo, “Insightful Imaging,” which on June 2 was officially registered by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Proud of this achievement, he commemorated it by hanging a plaque on a wall in his Bethlehem studio.
Wilson has found many applications for his “insightful imaging” technique, including portrait sessions, weddings, and special events. Last year he used it while chronicling the opening of the Samuel Adams Brewery (formerly the F&M Schaefer Brewery) in Upper Macungie Township. “I was here when that place was built [in 1972] and brewed beer,” he recalls of the facility that was sold to Stroh in 1981 and to Pabst in 2001. “You could smell the hops sometimes. It was the most wonderful sweet smell of work in progress.
