Rod Flauhaus Featured at Library's November Art Gallery

Rod Flauhaus is a nature and concert photographer living in the Akron, Ohio area. Rod began experimenting with cameras in high school and has continued with photography throughout his life. He began his professional career in photography photographing celebrities in the music business such as Jim Brickman, Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Lee Roy Parnell, Richie McDonald and many others.

Rod's love for nature photography got a rebirth one summer when riding his bike through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Riding every morning gave him a perspective and allowed him to see the beauty of the park in ways few have experienced. He began taking his camera on his rides and soon was taking pictures every morning. One summer, Rod put in over 1,500 miles on the towpath trail photographing the park .In the last three summers he has travelled more than 4,800 miles on the towpath photographing landscapes and wildlife in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park

"Capturing the essence of a moment in time is my goal with photography. I want to take the viewer of my photographs on a journey into what I am seeing and feeling at that precise moment when I click the shutter. Each person sees things differently. As a photographer, my goal is to present something they have never seen before, or to see something that may be familiar to them, but in a new and different way. "

Concert nature photography, while on very different ends of the subject spectrum share many similar qualities. Both forms of the artwork allow the photographer to take viewers on exciting journeys into unknown worlds -" be it backstage or deep in a national park.

As a musician, capturing the excitement and passion of the artists on film is a natural progression. Often some of the best photographers in the music business are musicians themselves. Throughout his career, Rod works at building trusts and solid relationships with the artists to ensure that the end product is reflective of the performing artist.

This past summer Rod happened to be traveling through Twinsburg right at sunset and noticed a beautiful scene at the old Corbett’s Farm. He stopped and took a few pictures. He posted one particular image on his Facebook page and the reaction was overwhelming. “People wrote to me sharing their memories of the Farm. I had no idea how much the farm, and that picture, meant to people,” Rod explains.

Two months later, Rod went back to Corbett’s farm and saw it being torn down. He spent an hour taking pictures of the barn as it was in ruins. The next day, the farm was completely gone. Little did he realize he had taken the last pictures of a famous Twinsburg icon.

In late October, 2012 Rod was in Cleveland when hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast. The effects could be felt on Lake Erie. Rod managed to capture some exciting pictures of that storm pounding the North Coast. Visit the Twinsburg Public Library and peruse these stunning photographs during the month of November. For purchasing information, visit the library’s Reference Desk or contact the artist at (216) 272-7776 or rod@viawerk.com.