When we first profiled photographer Lou DeSerio back in 2007, he was still photographing with transparency film. His gallery was located in the middle of Uptown and his son, then 13, had a small corner in the space dedicated to his photography. Skip ahead eight years, and Lou has transitioned to digital photography. His gallery, The DeSerio Gallery, is now located at The Shops at Hyatt Piñon Pointe and features dramatic red rock views that complement Lou’s equally dramatic landscape images. But perhaps the biggest change involves his son. Adam DeSerio is now 21 and a senior majoring in international business and marketing at Northern Arizona University. Adam studied abroad in Italy for six months and fell hard for Europe. His photos featuring Italy, France and Greece hang alongside his dad’s images of the Grand Canyon, Cathedral Rock and The Wave. “Adam is the future of the gallery,” says Lou. “We don’t compete with each other – he’s doing a totally different thing.”
In fact, he’s doing many different things. Adam, who graduated second in his class at Sedona Red Rock High School in 2012, plans to start offering photo tours of Italy next summer. He also manages the gallery’s website, has created his own LLC and even invented a device that protects backpacks from theft (patent pending). It’s not surprising considering Lou is also a man of many talents. It’s his piano music that plays in the background at the gallery. Lou and his wife Susan manage the gallery as well as print and frame all of the photography. Photo sizes range from 5 inches by 7 inches all the way up to 40 inches by 50 inches. Lou also leads one-on-one photography workshops year-round. (The gallery represents one other artist, metal sculptor Greg Gowen from Albuquerque.)
And while their work might not compete – Adam’s favorite location is Tuscany while Lou is still enamored with Arizona’s Canyon de Chelly – Adam says he and his dad share the same philosophy and ideals. “We are trying to capture the world and show it in its best moments,” he says. “We both spend the time capturing a location at its ideal time of day and ideal time of year.” – Erika Ayn Finch.
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