Bob Demers

What about Bob?

My journey as a visual storyteller began with a one-dollar Instamatic camera purchased at a flea market with a childhood friend. We processed our film in a members darkroom at the Portland Camera Club, where one of our first photographs earned recognition in a club competition. That experience sparked a lifelong fascination with photography that continues today.

Professionally, I entered broadcasting in Maine, working in television news, commercial production, and promotional photography before moving into freelance cinematography and broadcast production in Boston. Along the way I photographed and filmed stories ranging from local community events to nationally significant news coverage. Throughout these transitions, I witnessed and embraced the transformation of visual storytelling from film and tape to today’s digital workflows.

A particularly formative chapter came during my time as a videographer for The Monitor Channel. For two years, I spent most days with my eye to the viewfinder of a video camera, covering news, features, and documentary stories. The pace was relentless, often exceeding fifty hours a week in the field, but the sheer volume of time spent looking, waiting, anticipating, and framing became a daily practice in seeing. Those years taught me how to find order in chaos, recognize the significance of fleeting moments, and work intuitively with light; lessons that remain at the heart of my photography.

Later, I worked in production, post-production, education, and media management roles at Boston University, the University of Arizona, and Curriculum Associates.

While my professional work has been devoted to helping others tell their stories, photography has remained the constant thread throughout my life. It is where curiosity, observation, and personal expression come together. My professional work has been for others; my photography has been for me, for my soul.