East Tawas nature photographer featured

 
By DEBORAH REESER, THE PAPER STAFF WRITER

Brian Faulstich found his future buried in dusty boxes that contained his parents' past.

He was a sixth-grader rummaging through things in the basement when he found a box full of darkroom equipment. The rest, as they say, is history.

After many false starts on his way to building a career, Faulstich turned his childhood hobby into a passion, then a profession. Now, visitors to the 2004 Kirtland's Warbler Festival can help celebrate his career. Faulstich, originally of Ann Arbor and now living in East Tawas, will display his work as the festival's featured photographer.

"I've always found myself drawn to still life photography and that is what I work in," said Faulstich, who views. the Kirtland's Warbler Festival as a great .. opportunity to present another view of nature;

His photography will be on display in Kirtland's Student Center through the day on Saturday. He plans to share a variety of his work.

"I'll bring landscapes and flowers, abstract nature and nature still lifes. It's all based in nature," said Faulstich. "I do a lot of color, with a mixture of black and white."

He does his own prints on a high-end inkjet printer using 100 percent cotton paper.

The son of a tool-and-die maker, Faulstich holds a degree in business administration, which he pursued to help run the family business. He did that for about 15 years, until turning seriously to photography about five years ago.

Faulstich displays his work at Classic North, a home decor store in East Tawas, where he also offers framing and matting. He hopes to open his own gallery.