Butch Oglesby

Medium: Photography

Location: Outside Booth 9

My parents named me Arthur Leon Oglesby, but never called me that. All my life I’ve been called Butch, a name popular in the early 1950s when I was born.

I’ve always been fascinated with photography, and was trusted with our family’s Brownie Hawkeye to explore my world. As a young teen I got my first Polaroid camera which only fueled my love for the craft. On our first wedding anniversary my wife bought me a 35mm camera and it opened a whole new world for me. It was the early 1970s and 35mm photography was probably the most popular hobby in the world. Those were my army days.

Then, life took over and I pursued a few careers. After graduate school you could find me working as a Baptist minister in Florida and Alabama then as a missionary in Europe. While in Europe I had the title of Communications Consultant for the Western Europe Region of the International Mission Board. My dream job. It allowed me, among other things, to travel extensively and use my camera.

Still not being completely fulfilled I had the dream of being a full-time photographer. My wife and I returned to the States and opened our photo studio, Blue Moon Studios. I was in my element. As retirement age approached I decided to give up studio work and become solely a photo artist. Since my adopted hometown is Birmingham, this was the place I began to document. But not as a photojournalist, rather as a photo artist. I spend most of my days now hanging out with other photographer and artist friends and enjoying life.