Local

Unique photographs earn paralyzed photographer a Blue Ribbon

Greg Wickenberg's double exposure photographs uniquely mesh human and natural elements. You can purchase his photographs on his website.

CHANDLER, Ariz. — Greg Wickenberg has a unique view of the world that is evident in the double exposure photographs that have just earned him a Blue Ribbon in a photography contest.

That might not seem like a big deal, but take into consideration the fact that Wickenberg is a C/5 paraplegic with only slight movement in his biceps and no ability to move his fingers or wrists.

In 1982, when he was 17, a serious car crash caused his injuries. The Seattle native, who attended Roosevelt High School, eventually had to leave his beloved hometown for warmer climes because paraplegics have difficulty controlling their body temperature.

"When you're paralyzed, your body's thermos no longer work. I'm freezing cold all the time," Wickenberg told AZFamily.com.

In his adopted hometown of Chandler, Ariz., a suburb of Phoenix, Wickenberg picked up photography, a hobby he had abandoned decades before.

“In the ‘90s I tried to get involved in photography, but with the old film cameras I couldn’t change the settings myself and film was so expensive I would take 100 pictures and only one would turn out. So I got frustrated and quit,” he said.

These days, with developments in digital photography Wickenberg picked up the hobby again.

“Last year in December I saw a photo I really loved and I got back into it,” he said.

Wickenberg’s photos provide a unique perspective – he uses double exposure to create images that blend together elements of the natural and human world.

To achieve this he said he basically takes one photograph and then another with the second photograph only developing on the darkest areas of the first. All of his photographs are done “in camera,” meaning that he does not use Photoshop or any image editing software programs to create his images.

The approach has earned him accolades and a gallery in Scottsdale, Art One, is now selling his photographs.

Wickenberg also takes traditional wildlife photographs, one of which prompted his sister to have him submit it to a photography contest where he place first twice, third place and won the People’s Choice Award.

He and his Papillion service dog Roo frequent area parks where he tries to capture as much wildlife imagery as he can. He would like to get a micro lens so that he could get close-ups of “bug’s eyes and the inside of flowers” since getting close to nature is a challenge being in a wheelchair.

He's also trying to raise funds for a new van after his van that is more than 20 years old, left him stranded in the desert. There's a Go Fund Me page that has been created to help him raise funds and you can also order his photographs from his website.

Wickenberg dreams of getting a van with a joystick that operates like his wheelchair so that he can be more independent and get out more to practice his photography.

"That would be really cool," he said, but adds he will be happy with another used van that can help him get to his appointments and around town.