Chattanooga's Ray Soldano is master of the photographic eye
Photography is an extremely diverse and expansive realm of the visual arts. Since its invention in 1685, the camera has had a serious impact on humanity, allowing us to document the world with a new efficiency. A scene that might have taken a painter days to make can now be instantly captured with the activation of a piece of technology.
Cameras are used to create images of the visible and the invisible—the natural world, the world of humans, outer space, the microscopic world, and everything in between. They can be used to describe emotions, social behaviors, and abstract ideas.
In our modern times, cameras have become so thoroughly ingrained into our civilization that we could not function normally without them. Everybody who has a smartphone has a camera, and most use them regularly. By a conservative estimate, roughly four billion people have cameras built into their phones. If each of them takes just ten pictures per day, then the human race will take over 14 trillion photos this year.
This inundation of cameras and photographs has challenged the world of photography. In the past, all a person needed was a camera to be a professional. Now, it takes a special talent, an eye, and a “sixth sense” of timing to create photos that people are willing to pay for.
One of Chattanooga’s best examples of this is action photographer Ray Soldano. If you go to local concerts, Chattanooga Football Club games, or Sports Car Club of America events, the odds are that you have seen Ray with his camera—though, like many good photographers, he is nearly invisible when he’s working.
Ray is an expert at capturing action shots, a field of photography that requires the “sixth sense” of timing. Coupled with a firm understanding of his camera’s shutter speed, it is this sense that makes his photos truly remarkable.
Ray got his first camera so he could take photos of cars at car meets and SCCA races. He quickly became well known for his autocross photos, but he didn’t find his passion for photography until he was invited by a friend to shoot a concert at the Honest Pint. After that, his photography hobby became an addiction, and eventually a career. Most of his work falls into three categories: sports, automotive, and concert.
Speaking about what interests him, he tells us, “I don’t think I have a favorite subject, but I’m always looking at event postings for live music. While I may take breaks from shooting bands, it is something I’m always keeping an eye on. I would love to shoot more sporting events, and I’m missing shooting SCCA Autocross events, since the local club is currently looking for a new lot to hold events. Mostly, I like being behind the camera.”
Ray shoots all of his photos digitally, and uses Adobe Photoshop for post-production. His first DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) was a Nikon D50. Describing why he chose a Nikon, he tells us “I held a few models at the store, and the Nikon just fit my hand, so that’s what I ended up with. I’ve gone with Nikon ever since.”
He thinks of all of his subjects differently, depending on what or who he is shooting. He elaborates, “When I’m shooting music, I’m thinking about how it is making me feel, how the crowd is reacting, and the energy the band is putting out—how can I transfer all of these emotions and feelings into a photo? When I’m shooting motorsports, it is more about what I’m hearing—is that engine revving up, are the tires starting to squeal, will the next corner result in the tail end of the car sliding out with a big trail of smoke behind it? As for sports, it is more about learning the game and how the players play. This helps with timing and focusing on the right spot to catch the action.”
Ray is constantly working, but despite his busy schedule, he still makes time for his personal work. “I usually just go out and shoot whatever I have time for. That could be a Go Kickball game on a Thursday night, a packed house for some live music downtown, a sporting event—or maybe one day I’ll just get in the car, and go looking for a lighthouse to photograph.”
You can see Ray’s work (or hire him for your event) at raysoldano.com and on Facebook at facebook.com/raysoldanophotography