By day, 48-year-old JoPaul Cates has a steady job as the Frozen Food Clerk at Publix. He has been at the Alabaster location for six years. During his off hours though, JoPaul’s passion is his love of photography. His skill at fixing things, especially electronics, got him into taking pictures as a teenager when he found and fixed a Canon point-and-shoot camera, but it wasn’t until almost a decade ago that he really got into photography in a serious way. “My mom passed away, and I needed something to take my mind off of everything. So I started walking around my neighborhood and taking more pictures.” JoPaul lives in Sterling Gate, and though he enjoys taking all kinds of pictures, his focus is on nature. Why? “Because with nature you never know what you’ll get and because God made these creatures,” he says. His favorite shots have been taken at Buck Creek Park where the owls and other birds hang out. If he could take more images he says, “I’d like to shoot weddings and sports more often.”
To see more of JoPaul’s images: Eyes of Alabama Photography
Camera: Nikon D3200 SLR
Favorite Lens: Tameron 150 to 600 Zoom
Interesting tidbits: JoPaul is a sky watcher for James Spann and has had his picture taken with Coach Nick Saban.
Wants to do more of: Meet other people interested in photography and help teach anyone who wants to learn.
Loves about Alabaster: The people are so friendly.