When he was in college, Paul Grecian studied animal behavior, and for 15 years he worked in the biology field.

Now, he looks at animals from a different angle — and through a lens.

"Nature had always been my primary interest," Grecian says. "That's why I went to school for animal behavior. Photography is just a way to express a different interest."

The Quakertown cameraman, who abandoned biology eight years ago to focus on photography as a full-time career, is a featured artist this week at the Holiday Fine Craft Fair, an annual event of the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen.

The craft fair moves this year to larger quarters at the Lancaster County Convention Center in Penn Square.

Featuring work by 140 artisans, the show runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $8.

"My work really revolves around nature," Grecian, who shoots primarily in southeastern and central Pennsylvania, says.

"What I'm looking for is the more intimate landscape and wildlife moments. Not very iconic, not the grand vista, but the simpler, everyday experience that I try to make extraordinary."

Grecian sticks mostly to locations he knows well, he says, so he's not distracted by the scenery.

"That gives me a relaxed approach, so I can respond to what I'm seeing without any concern with where I'm at," he explains. "That allows for a more nuanced look at an environment that people often overlook."

For instance, Grecian shoots a lot of birds — photographically speaking — but often focuses less on the bird itself than on the foliage surrounding it, the leaves framing the scene, the snow that might be crusting the branch it's perched on.

"I like to have a graphic element around the bird, such as reflections in the water if the bird is swimming," he says. "There's always more happening than just me showing you what a bird looks like."

He particularly likes shooting in early mornings, "watching the light develop, watching wildlife become active again," Grecian says. "Lighting is very important to my landscapes. ... I'm going after close-up, graphic, colorful imagery, but imagery that has a mood."

A good photo, he says, evokes the same response in a frame as it did when he first saw the scene in the field.

"That's the reason I started photographing in the first place — the excitement of being out in nature and experiencing these great events, even if it's a simple thing, like the changing of leaves in the fall," he says. "I want to keep experiencing that feeling."

Grecian notes he switched to digital photography seven years ago, giving up on the color slides that were his previous medium.

"Digital gives me a greater level of control, so I can really create the feeling I had in the field," he says. "Film often fell short. Film does a lot of decision-making for you — the color palette, the contrast. You had to learn the way film saw things and work with that.

"With digital photography, you're able to share your vision, rather than the film's vision."

The Pennsylvania Guild show includes demonstrations and workshops by 20 craftsmen, as well as an opportunity to vote for the People's Choice award and displays by five E.M.E.R.G.E. artists in their first professional exhibition.

tknapp@lnpnews.com

Pa. Guild Holiday Fine Craft Fair 
Sat. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. 
Sun. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 
$8 adults, free kids 12 and under 
Lancaster Co. Convention Center 
25 S. Queen St. 431-8706 
http://www.pacrafts.org/