Allyn photographer seeks to capture 'slivers of serenity'

Kirk Boxleitner | Feb 23, 20230

Brent McCalister count

The sun sets over the mountains next to a creek.

There's a good chance you can soon see Allyn photographer Brent McCallister's work displayed on Belfair Self-Storage's art wall.

McCallister and Barbara Treick, manager of the self-storage business, were put in touch with each other by a friend of McCallister's who, like many who know him, has more confidence in McCallister's photographic skills than he does. McCallister told the Shelton-Mason County Journal that his self-confidence and his photographic skills are areas he needs to work on.

McCallister isn't trained as a photographer. While in the U.S. Navy, whose specializations include photography, McCallister instead worked in damage control, developing the firefighting skills he would employ after leaving the fleet, even while spending much of his time as a federal firefighter working in shipyards.

But McCallister has "dabbled" long enough in photography for his pursuit of the practice to qualify as far more than a pastime.

McCallister began photographing nature at age 19 for his own interest and continued well into the 1990s during his time in the Navy - until marriage and other commitments crowded out the time he had available. By 2013, McCallister had picked up the practice again, returning to familiar favorite subjects such as the wilderness and the sea.

An outdoorsman, McCallister hikes, hunts and fishes, and has started gardening, converting his front and backyards from lawns into showcases for varieties of flowers.

Even without formal training, McCallister learns from peers, whose social media accounts attest to their photographic skills, and from YouTube tutorials.

McCallister said he's the harshest judge of his own work, insisting he's had "more failures than successes," but those who know him insist he's succeeded in his stated goal of "capturing brief, calm, relaxing moments of beauty in time," whether through the blooming of flowers or the swirling skies surrounding mountaintops, as "slivers of serenity."

Of course, capturing such ephemeral moments requires McCallister to slow down and live within those temporary, tranquil moments, which can occasionally clash with the instincts he developed while working as a firefighter. Aside from remembering to bring along a camera or phone for such moments, McCallister said he strives to recognize those moments when he needs to take in what's around him.

"That's how you capture the sunrise through the dew in the trees," McCallister said. "I would like to get better at nighttime photography because I've seen some absolutely beautiful shots online that I simply don't have the skill to recreate."

McCallister doesn't have a website as a photographer, but he is exploring the possibility of selling prints or even postcards of his work. He welcomes those who are interested in his work to contact him at [email protected].