SPS Member: 1988 to 2023
Elected to Hall of Fame in 2021
Jim Theres is one of the veterans in our midst whose service we all appreciate. A Massachusetts native since 1930, Jim began his photography journey in the Marines. He was a lab technician who developed images of the ground that were taken from airplanes. The film produced 10×10 negatives and 10×10 prints that – when assembled – made large maps that could be used by pilots flying at the same altitude.
Jim attended Springfield schools and married his high school sweetheart Shirley Ann in 1952, after leaving the Marines. From then on, he worked as a tile setter, owning his own business he called the House of Tile. In 1959, Jim and a friend founded the Wilbraham Camera Club, where he was president and a member until 1988. The club disbanded at that time and Jim came over to the SPS with some of his members from Wilbraham. They donated their equipment to the SPS and Jim started another long run in the Springfield Photographic Society, now adding up to over 60 years!
We all know Jim’s work when we see it. He has a distinctive style and is a master at setup and still life photography. Those of us who have seen his work through the original slides have been able to enjoy the amazing clarity of his images.
Throughout the years, we have benefited from Jim’s work behind the scenes as well. Jim is the architect of our print racks, as well as the light box for the prints, both of which serve us year after year. Jim has come early to the exhibitions to do setup work on countless occasions.
For all that Jim Theres has done for our club and his particular talent for artistic photography, the year end award once called Best Artistic Digital Image is now known as the Jim Theres Award for Artistic Digital Image. We thank him for all of his involvement and masterful achievements!
Click the image below to see Jim Theres’ gallery.
