Scoutmaster’s photo gets national attention

By Sean Barron

Photography was something the pathologist learned one step at a time.

BOARDMAN — As much as he enjoys being a troop committee member of a local Boy Scout troop, Dr. Gregory Roush has found time to develop another illuminating hobby: photography.

The combination of Roush’s work as a scoutmaster with Boy Scout Troop 60 and his interest in photographing people landed one of his photos in a national magazine — and a third-place finish in a national photo contest.

“I got into Scouting when my son was in first grade. He bugged me about going camping; that’s how we got started,” the Boardman pathologist recalled.

Eventually, his hobby started snapping into place, and a picture Roush took of a Boardman Boy Scout was published in the March-April edition of Scouting magazine after the publication recently announced the winners of its “Wonderful World of Scouting” contest. Nearly 900 entries from adult Scout leaders nationwide were submitted under the theme “What images do you think best reflect the essence of Scouting?”

His third-place photograph was of 12-year-old Christopher Leymarie of Boardman and was taken July 17, 2007, at Seven Ranges Scout Reservation in Hanoverton. Christopher, who’s with Troop 60, was studying to earn his Astronomy Merit Badge.

The picture shows Christopher bathed in blue light at dusk gazing through a telescope at the moon and Venus, both in crescent stages and close together in the evening sky. The photo can be seen by going to the magazine’s Web site, www.scoutingmagazine.org.

For his part, Christopher said he loves using his telescope to view the night sky, as well as unusual celestial events such as the total lunar eclipse last Feb. 20.

After his father, Lou Jr., gave him a copy of the issue, the Boardman Center Middle School sixth-grader didn’t notice the photo of himself. It wasn’t long, though, before a closer inspection revealed a very familiar sight.

“My friends saw me and they were amazed,” said Christopher, adding that fishing and swimming are two of his favorite scouting activities.

In addition to positive feedback, Roush received a $100 gift card that he donated to Troop 60, which is part of the Greater Western Reserve Boy Scout Council.

Roush said he learned photography step by step, first buying and learning to use a 35 mm camera, then getting a more sophisticated one. It wasn’t long afterward that Roush found himself delving into slide film, something he says he uses regularly.

“I kept practicing and practicing and practicing,” he mused. “It eventually led to a hobby I wanted to improve at.”

One way Roush said he practiced his craft was to take his equipment into his yard and experiment on himself. He tried various configurations while working with color contrasts and exposures, mainly during or after sunset.

Roush’s entry in Scouting magazine wasn’t his first brush with recognition, however. Several of his works — including photographs of the Velma and D.D. Davis Recreational Center in Mill Creek Park and his 9-year-old daughter feeding a calf at the Mahoning County Experimental Farm — have won ribbons at the Canfield Fair.

The pathologist listed as long-term goals having photos published in National Geographic magazine, becoming more adept at telling a story with his pictures and continuing to polish his creativity.

“I want to be a better portrait photographer and capture decisive moments to look back on,” he said.