Seeing and Being Seen Through a Cape Girardeau Photographer's Eyes: Dwight Prater on life behind the lens

My interest in photography began in the late 1950s. During that period, there were cameras we called box cameras. My family had one, and my interest turned toward this camera. Years later, I became interested in the printing of photos. I was fortunate to receive a contact negative printer box. During the early and mid-1960s, I became more involved in the various aspects of photography. I guess you could say my focus was what I saw in God’s design in the object of the photo.

In 1964, I joined the Air Force. In 1966, I was stationed in Japan. There, I purchased my first Yashica 35mm camera. Years later, I purchased a Nikon 35mm reflect camera and began a deeper photography quest. As I aged, my interest deepened, and I purchased a more advanced Canon 35mm camera.

I always seek to capture the spirit in time, those things that God designed. Over 65 years, I discovered there is a spirit within each design, which may be expressed in the beauty of structure, color and shape.

From the tops of mountains to the hills and valleys below, to creatures that walk the land, to the rivers that flow, to the flowers that grow, there exists a spirit and beauty by God’s design.

These pictures capture what I verbalized.