|
Robert Stolpe was born and raised an only child in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the city of Brotherly Love until Philadelphia Eagles fans viciously booed and attacked Santa Claus with snowballs in 1968. Early visual influences include Mighty Mouse cartoons, a daily afterschool television program of the Three Stooges, and Comic Books. More visual exercising continued as an editor for his Frankford High School yearbook. He attended the Community College of Philadelphia and West Chester University in South East Pennsylvania developing more interest as an amateur photographer. Robert earned a BS degree in Chemistry (go figure?) as an alternative to becoming an explosives expert. Along the way he studied Business and Marketing at the University of Pennsylvania and Photography at the Philadelphia College of Art. Later he became a licensed Science Teacher for the State of Florida from undergraduate educational classes at Nova University in South East Florida.
Robert’s passion for Photography was a direct result of his passion for music. “My teen age years were the 60’s and I fell victim to the British Invasion of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, James Bond Movies, the whole flower power hippy thing, student rights, marches on Washington to end the Vietnam war and Rock and Roll Concerts. It did not help that I could walk out the back door of Community College directly into a Sam Goody Music store. It was also the beginning of Rolling Stone Magazine with amazing music photojournalists and underground music on FM Radio when Radio announcers were like great writers reporting on music history. ”
Robert worked in chemical related positions around the Philadelphia vicinity until he moved to South Florida in the early 80s as a General Manager for a cosmetic Manufacturer. He acknowledges his former position as a Manager at ACR Electronics for allowing him the opportunity to pursue his professional photographic career.
He continued to pursue amateur photography in the 70s and 80s taking workshops that included a 1987 Photographic Workshop in Yosemite National Park with Annie Leibovitz and David Hockney. In the mid 90s he attended the first Fotofusion Event presented at Palm Beach Photographic in Delray Beach, Florida. He began assisting some full time professional photographers from friendships from the first Fotofusion. He became a second shooter at events mixing Professional Sports with Weddings and Bar Mitzvahs. His relationship continues today at Palm Beach Photographic. He has been Audio Visual Coordinator for Fotofusion for over the past 12 years.
“I am like the Queen of England, merely a figurehead. My Fotofusion AV team is the backbone of the event and they allow me to continue as the lead. They make Fotofusion work and I handle the logistics. The AV team’s caring support for each other is the glue that keeps us together.”
“I owe my transition from amateur photographer to professional photographer ultimately to Fatima and Art Nejame of the Palm Beach Photographic Centre for creating a special Photographic Organization dedicated to the Art of Photography.”
Along the way Robert was married, divorced, is the step father to two wonderful adult daughters with their own families and has a sister. “My sister is a gift from my late mother. This is an interesting story for later.”
Robert has been a wire service photographer for UPI, and a feature photographer for City Link Magazine. Robert has published pictures in The Who’s Official Biography, THE WHO: Maximum R&B by Richard Barnes. He has a number of CD covers to his credit including The Nucklebusters, Albert Castiglia, Jason Ricci and the International Blues performer Ana Popovic. He is a “house” photographer at Mizner Park in Boca Raton for popular concerts and The Festival of The Arts BOCA.
He is has been on the Board of Directors with the Professional Photographers Guild of Florida for a number of years. He is a recent Board Member of the Nan Knox Boys and Girls Club in Fort Lauderdale. He is a member of ASMP and an INFOCUS Member at Palm Beach Photographic.
“Our photographic lives require that we continually have a responsibility to learn and grow, promote a photographic community of excellence and share with others that have interest on becoming a better photographer either amateur or professional to enrich the world around us.”
|
