Thomas Minutolo is a New Carlisle man of many talents. Not only has he been an X-Ray technician with Good Samaritan Premier Healthcare for almost 50 years but on Friday, November 27, Minutolo’s photography was prominently displayed and made available for sale at David Fair on the square in downtown Troy, Ohio.
With an affinity for landscapes and bold contrast, Minutolo captures ordinary New Carlisle life with extraordinary flair. Many of his scenery pieces are incredible still shots of wildlife movement. His floral photographs are vibrant bursts of striking color. “By day I look at the inside of the body and at night, I take pictures of other things,” Minutolo said.
As a young man growing up in New York City, Minutolo was fascinated by the history of local architecture and scenery. His father was a builder. He acquired his first Instamatic in high school and learned to look at the world through the frame of a camera lens. “That was really the beginning for me,” Minutolo said. Landscapes became his passion as he developed an eye for composition.
Following high school, Minutolo enlisted in the United State Air Force and was stationed at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. He received a teaching degree from Wright State and had the opportunity to pick up photography again more seriously, with access to a 35mm camera and the university’s dark room.
Marriage and children brought about the need for more lucrative employment and photography was “on the backburner for many years,” according to Minutolo. When he lost his wife to cancer a couple of years ago, he found a renewed sense of purpose in photography. “I needed something to do as a hobby to occupy my time,” Minutolo said. He had always vowed he would get a nice camera. He is now a passionate naturalist armed with a Canon DSL and an exceptional perspective of unexpected beauty. He particularly gravitates toward scenes of every day life that he claims may seem boring to the casual observer but will likely be viewed differently in the future.
Much of Minutolo’s photography is already finding an audience, not only in Miami County but around the world. His Facebook fan base extends to countries of Europe. “A couple days ago, a guy who grew up in New Carlisle but now lives in Europe posted a message to me on Facebook,” Minutolo said. “He told me it meant so much to him to see pictures of home.” Minutolo could not recall the name of the gentleman due to the volume of responses he receives over social media.
“I set forth to document the landscape in a historical sense, trying to capture living, breathing history as things change over time,” Minutolo said. “Sometimes the simplest things become important years later.” He frequently takes long drives in the country with his daughter’s dog, Jesse, looking for balanced landscape compositions to capture.
The other unique aspect to Minutolo’s work is his capacity for carpentry, specifically that of carving his own hardwood frames. He and his friend Janice Boehner Wise were asked to redecorate Dayview Health Care Center on N Dayton-Lakeview Road in the coming year. According to Minutolo, “This would not happen without her believing in me and helping to promote and organize my work.” Wise has been the driving force behind Minutolo’s involvement at places like David Fair during the November 27 Christmas Tree Lighting event in Troy, Ohio. His heartwarming images greeted guests of the city as they walked the square enjoy the nostalgia of the incoming Christmas season. During this time of the year, Minutolo’s desire is that his craft would encourage people and inspire a more magical outlook on ordinary life. “I’m all about giving back,” Minutolo said. “It makes me feel so good when people enjoy my pictures and find a sense of serenity in the scenes I’ve captured. That makes it all worth it for me.”
