Looking through the lens with Leon Kauffman

SWAN VALLEY - On March 1, Leon Kauffman took members of the Swan Valley community on a journey through his camera lens. At the Swan Valley Community Hall, Kauffman presented a wide variety of his photography. He talked about the origins of his hobby, as well as where he would like to take it.

Kauffman's photography started early in his life. At a young age, he realized he didn't particularly enjoy being the focus of attention in a picture. Instead, he liked being the one capturing the moment. He began with a film camera, and as technology progressed, he worked his way up to digital photography.

When he first moved to Montana with his family in 2010, Kauffman quickly took note of the breathtaking scenery the Swan Valley had to offer. He took this opportunity to jumpstart his photography. He took pictures from all perspectives, from the smallest mushroom on the ground to the rushing waterfalls in the mountains. He said he loved capturing what he saw and being able to share the moments with those who couldn't be there to experience them.

Kauffman takes pictures of landscapes primarily, though from time to time he will venture outside of that theme and switch to action shots for a change in pace. When looking for the perfect landscape photo, Kauffman likes to focus on alpine glows and water reflections. Bright colors stand out to him, such as larch needles lying against a white snowy ground.

At the end of his presentation, Kauffman offered three tips of advice for growing photographers, "Always have your camera with you. Learn your camera's manual settings. And though this might be a little more advanced, take your pictures in raw instead of JPEG. You're smarter than your camera, so you just have to learn how to use it."