Faces of the APA:

Member Combines Hobbies

Donald Cherry, APA member in Warren, OH, has been an avid amateur photographer for nearly 30 years. “I take a lot of historical pictures, mostly of historical buildings and places. Currently, I’m in the middle of a 7-day series on President William McKinley,” said Cherry, “but I also photograph portraits and landscapes.” Cherry has an online gallery where he sells his work.

Cherry has been a member of the APA for four years. “I learned about the League through some friends. We play on Sundays—that’s my time to socialize with friends and play pool.” Cherry has combined his talent for photography and pool and allowed The American Poolplayer® magazine to publish some of his portraits.

“All of the pool-related pictures I have provided are self-portraits,” said Cherry. “There was a lot of trial and error. I’d set up a shot without myself in it, adjusting the lighting and shutter speed, then I’d put myself in it and synchronize the timer on the camera to get just the right shot.” Cherry reports that the cue ball in motion shot was his most difficult. “The shutter speed needed to match the speed of the cue ball. I had a mini tripod set up on the table and I had to calculate how hard I needed to hit the cue ball to synchronize with the timer on the camera,” said Cherry. “I got the effect I was looking for and it turned out great!”

Cherry said he enjoys photography in addition to a full-time job. Eventually he might make it a full-time venture, but it’s a hobby for now. A dream of his is to photograph the women of the WPBA in action during an event, saying, “That would be neat—the ultimate combination of my hobbies!”

This article orginally appeared in the Summer 2005 issue of The American Poolplayer Magazine produced by the American Poolplayers Association.