History…. Short and Sweet.

2005. Steve Hartson celebrated 20 years in the biz !

20 years continuous work in any industry is a big milestone.
Since the early 1980's Steve has enjoyed independent photo work. He also worked for the Boeing Company for 17 years with their industrial / scientific photography group. Working 'inside' a large industrial business and practicing scientific photography was a kool thing, but Seattle hardly heard of Steve outside of Boeing.

Steve just continued with photo projects in a shared 'uptown' studio for 10 years. He produced ads, brochures, publicity headshots. Steve also enjoyed creating 8x10 Polaroid transfers and many were displayed and sold in local galleries. By the fall of 2003, when Boeing further reduced services, Steve 'went independent' bringing to Seattle his solid commercial, industrial, and construction photography experience.

206 . 525 . 8514

Steve -at-
HartsonPhoto.com

Today.

Since 2003... Steve re-organized and has been working as an independent contractor on commercial, portrait, industrial, and construction photography. Hartson Photography has become a multi-disciplined photographic service provider with a realistic approach to both product and cost. Traditional film or digital capture, Hartson Photography stands ready to help your project!

Biography. (The long version.. for all you inquiring types)
Steve W. Hartson became a professional photographer in the late 70's by working small assignments for Pringle-Marchand Studios around Everett Washington... right out of high school. He then began 5 years with decorated PPofA Master of Photography and Fellow of Photography Robt (Bob) Benson, also in Everett WA., and formed his own ‘classic look and style’ in portraiture, commercial, and industrial photography.

Client list includes: Scott Paper Company, Fluke Electronics, Western Gear, The Port of Everett, Everett Steel Companies, Snohomish County Public Utility District, Everett School District, Lake Stevens School District, Olson's Foods, and many other regional businesses and industries.

Eight years later (in 1985) and now a new graduate from Bellevue Community College with an AA degree in Bio-Medical Photography (extended study in scientific imaging techniques), Steve soon began work as a commercial photographer with The Boeing Company. Hartson Photography was also formed in 1986 to promote contracting opportunity as Steve settled into Seattle, and soon shared studio space with Preston Wadley in Seattle's Capitol Hill district. For the next 10 years, Steve enjoyed both a creative studio life and being an active photographer with Boeing. By mid 1990's, Steve's studio work with 8x10 Polaroid Transfers proliferated and many prints were hung in regional galleries. The Polaroid Corporation organized a national travelling exibit (showcasing Polaroid Transfers) and Steve's 8x10-inch 'Bucket of Fish' was selected from over 400 entries to represent Seattle in 1997... nice. Between the day work at Boeing, extra work with galleries and the studio - Steve was busy!

His photo work at Boeing stepped to digital capture in 1993 with the first '35mm style' Nikon / Kodak digital cameras. Everything in digital photo made perfect sense to Steve and he became highly practiced at it while supporting Boeing structural and materials test labs. The new digital media also spawned the advent of a digital archive / filing system -a group effort- for Boeing Structures Lab. Steve worked with the lab's computing and engineering staff in the development of a marvelous online recordkeeping system (compatable with both PC and MAC computer systems).

1994-5 -A Boeing special assignment. A 9-month stint as the focal photographer for the huge 777 Full Scale Static Test- The largest airplane test ever done by Boeing engineering (to date). This multi-million dollar 'do only once' test successfully completed when the final test destroyed the 777 airframe (a planned event). Full of special efforts like building custom camera mounts , lighting fixtures, and routing over 30+ miles of cabling. All photography went very well and the test was a career highpoint for Steve. For the next 8 years, Steve returned to the Developmental Center Structural Test Labs (also in Seattle) where he co-managed a satellite photo office with veteran photographer Les Engle.

All seemed ok up to 2003. And then Boeing downsized... again. Today, Steve has collected many well-rounded and time-tested photo skills with 30 years of uninterrupted professional photo experience... and no gray hair. Yet. Steve's trademark easy-going 'can-do' style still shines and with a few new services.... What could be better?

Let's work our success together!

A technical photographer with a creative eye... A great combination !

Thank you for visiting the site !

Whoa, and you actually read this far? - Thanks !