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Photographer captures state beauty

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JEFF SCHORFHEIDE/Herald photo

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Since Wednesday, the walls of Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton have showcased the Ansel Adam-inspired nature photographs of local photographer Ray Zirkle. At yesterday's opening reception, the Racine resident described the 19 scenes now on display in the Office of the Lieutenant Governor — waterfalls, autumn leaves and foggy mornings taken in Wisconsin as his effort to "capture the beauty of our environment."

For Zirkle, "scenery is everything," and the scenery featured in his work is both haunting, a feeling captured in his black-and-white photographs of forest settings, and stunningly radiant, as are his pictures of waterfronts in autumn. After a part-time job in a photo lab piqued his interest in photography 20 years ago, Zirkle has taken shot after shot of scenic Wisconsin areas like the Crivitz waterfall region and Petrified Springs to experiment and perfect his skills. Having himself fully embraced digital photography, Zirkle encourages aspiring photographers to take advantage of digital's convenience and relative low cost and to "shoot and shoot and shoot" to hone their craft.

Lt. Gov. Lawton has featured artwork from various artists and photographers from around the state since her inauguration. In six-to-eight weeks, the work of another Wisconsin artist will don the walls of Lawton's office. Until then, the public may view Zirkle's work at Room 19 East in the Capitol or visit www.rayzirklephotography.com.