Ashland, Ky., native Scott Yates was 16-years-old when he got his first camera. He learned the trade from his father James, who was a freelance photographer — manually adjusting each nuance of the camera and developing film in a dark room.

Yates said it was the art of photography that kept his interest in the medium, that one photo could bring out the beauty in a scene or person.

Twenty years later, Yates has taken the leap and started his own photography business, Scott Yates Photography of Ironton.

In a style that may seem unconventional at first, Yates said his goal is to create a natural environment and setting where his subjects can feel most at home.

“People get posed and it’s uncomfortable,” Yates said of traditional photography studios. “The lights are in their eyes.”

With what Yates calls “fun photography” there is no studio with hot lights. Subjects are encouraged to “cut loose and be themselves” and “have fun with it.” Yates uses only natural lighting and shadows to enhance his photos.

By taking away unfamiliar and uncomfortable surroundings, Yates said he hopes to capture “the true essence” of his subjects.

The technique is something Yates said he learned partly from his father.

“He wanted everything to be natural and in its own environment,” Yates said.

Available for events, portraits or still photography, Yates can be reached at (740) 646-4517 or via web site at www.halospartan915.wix.com/scott-yates-photo