Photographer Stephen Lippay

words by Tom Eccleston

The morning sun slices its way through the forest of trees, reflecting off the motionless pond below. Mist rises from the water, creating an effect of flowing lava when joined by the fiery orb. The greenery surrounding the blue pool beacons toward the sky, a ceaseless expanse of thinning white clouds....
Such are the scenes of countless lush summerscapes throughout the Pocono region. One only needs to use imagination to bring this bucolic tranquility to life. But when imagination is lacking, turn to a Stephen Lippay photograph to awaken the senses. “I love nature,” says Lippay, 31, a freelance photographer based in Cresco. “Outdoors is where I belong. I love to capture abandoned places, like old buildings and farms. I’m attracted to remote locations, sunrises, and water, especially water.”
Although his interest in taking pictures blossomed during childhood, it wasn’t until 1994 that Lippay began to consider photography as a genuine hobby. The intervening years have seen an enhanced learning curve in Lippay’s self-taught skills, allowing him to amass a prodigious body of work. “I’ve been taking thousands of photographs, incorporating ideas, and contributing to professional projects, all while meeting great new people,” he says. And those thousands of photographs are now being shared with the rest of the world. In addition to freelancing for Local Flair, Lippay has done promotional work for Mt. Airy Casino, Fernwood Resort, and the Stroudsburg Chapter of the March of Dimes.
Wanting to make a permanent transition to the point, click, and shoot realm, Lippay recently ended his long-standing career as a chef to focus his efforts on picture-taking. “Photography is what’s in my blood,” declares Lippay. “It’s my very soul. I no longer want a ‘what if’ attitude in my life. Regardless of the outcome, at least I tried.” That being the case, he is ready to branch out in every direction possible. Weddings, events, ads, models, portraits: It’s all fair game to an energetic Lippay, who is continually trying to learn new techniques and aspects of his craft. The goal is to not only make prospective clients happy, but also achieve a measure of personal satisfaction. “Photographers are hired because the end result is left up to the perspective of their creative interests. They often achieve these results due to their own intuitive eye for composition,” he says.
An ongoing source of inspiration for Lippay is his family and spirituality, both of which are inexorably linked. Last summer, as his father prepared for a heart transplant, Lippay captured the delicate process on film. In retrospect, the Lippay clan believes Stephen’s photography talents were meant to serve a higher purpose. “I can look at something, anything, and immediately see a picture-taking subject,” he says. “It’s my gift, and I’m lucky to have it.”
To view a sampling of Stephen Lippay’s photography, log onto: www.flickr.com/photos/slippay/sets.