My name Is Winthrope Hiers of Best Light Photography. I was born in Chillicothe, Ohio, on January 11, 1956. My mother was a mathematician for the Atomic Energy Commission and my dad was a construction worker. Before I was a year old, we moved to Savannah, Georgia, where my dad began working for Seaboard Railroad. My mom opened a monogramming business. I attended elementary school at Hancock Day and middle/high school at Savannah Country Day. I received both a bachelor's and master's degree in education from Armstrong Atlantic State University. Over the past three decades I have taught middle school in Tennessee (Mountain City) and Georgia (Hoboken, Richmond Hill, and Savannah where I currently teach sixth grade science at Oglethorpe Charter Middle School).
Photography became more than a method of recording family memories for me in the early 1980's. I discovered a special feeling of excitement when I photographed the natural world. Within a few years I began photographing weddings. Then I moved on to adventure travel photojournalism with credits in such magazines as Peterson's Photographic, Chevrolet Friends, Blue Ridge Country, Mountain Bike Action, and Camping Life. My photographs have been selected for the cover of Smokies Guide; the publication provided to visitors of Great Smoky Mountains National Park as well as displays in each of the park's interpretive centers.
Over the years I have placed in a number of photography competitions including the 50th anniversary contests for both Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Smithsonian's annual photography contest, and every year Savannah Magazine has had the "Savannah Through Your Lens" contest.
My interest has now expanded to production of fine art giclee prints. In 2008, I began showing photographs at art festivals throughout the Southeast. During that year I was presented with an "Award of Merit" in photography at the Crystal River Manatee Festival in Florida; "Best of Fine Art" at the Mulberry Street Festival during Macon, Georgia's Cherry Blossom Festival; "Best of Show" at Alpharetta, Georgia's Arts Streetfest; "Best of Photography" at Darien, Georgia's Art in the Park; "Best of Digital Photography" at Atlanta's Virginia-Highlands Summerfest; and "Best in Photography" at Roswell, Georgia's Art on the Square.
I now live in Savannah, Georgia, with my wife Victoria and my daughters Ellen (18) and Katy (6).
