Our
house in Yosemite Valley, after a heavy winter snowstorm. It had
3 bedrooms, 2 baths and cost only $200 a month in rent--and it
had views of Yosemite Falls, Glacier
Point and Half Dome. It was tough to leave...
Oakhurst,
California, at sunset after a winter snowstorm. Oakhurst is located
15 miles south of Yosemite National Park and an hour north of
Fresno. It has a population of about 15,000 people.
49774
Road 426, Suite B. West Coast Imaging's home for 8 years.
Effective
January 5, 2007: We
have moved to a bigger location at 40094 Highway 49, Suite A in Oakhurst.
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The
history of West Coast Imaging
by Susan Seiling, Owner
The first inklings of West Coast Imaging began while Rich and I
prepared dinner after a day's work at The Ansel Adams Gallery in
Yosemite Valley. There is nothing like a full belly and a beer to
fuel your dreams, and after a bit of talking, we quickly realized
we could replace Rich's wages as assistant curator fairly easy by
making prints for photographers we knew in Yosemite Valley. Our
initial intent was to grow the business just enough to give us some
extra cash to invest in more film and lenses for Rich's photography,
while also providing him with more free time to explore his vision.
Rich's
digital imaging skills and his aesthetic knowledge of photography
resulted
in prints
that
surpassed
our
client's expectations. Word spread, and he quickly became very
busy.
One
evening in May of 1998, we went for a walk around Yosemite Valley.
We stopped in the middle of Sentinel Bridge to watch the river pass
beneath us. Rich had just met Galen Rowell at the gallery and Galen
was interested in having him make a full exhibition of prints for
his gallery in Emeryville. As we stared at the rapids and talked
about our future, it became clear that I needed to quit my job as
an assistant manager at The Ansel Adams Gallery to help him pursue
the business.
God
is good.
The
business has grown rapidly, and we now boast a staff of 14 amazingly
gifted people who are dedicated to delivering the best possible
scans and prints. We have developed a very large client base that
stretches around the world--98% of our business comes from outside
the Oakhurst/Yosemite area and 60% of our business is from outside
California.
Through
all of the growth and changes, we've remained committed to delivering
the very best prints and scans possible. When we feel the need to
grow our staff, we hire more people and invest our time in training
them in the West Coast Imaging Way. When we see an exciting new
printer on the market, we research it--and if we deem it worthy--we
buy it. We are committed to researching and implementing the best
new processes and print making techniques as they are invented.
We're
continually amazed at how our business has grown; the wonderful
people we work with every day; and the projects that we've had the
opportunity to be involved with. Without a doubt, the most exciting
part of my job is talking to our clients, and learning about their
passions, plans and dreams. Perhaps it's my entrepreneurial spirit
that likes to be fed by like-minded dreamers.
Since
we started our business before the birth of our children, I've joked
with clients that West Coast Imaging is Rich's and my first baby.
And like a child, it has grown to become about so much more than
Rich and I. It's compelled us to keep ourselves worthy of our reputation
as a world-class digital imaging studio; to share our lives in a
meaningful way with our clients and staff members; to provide jobs
in an economically depressed area of California; and to create a
community where photography is celebrated every single day. Thank
you for making the dream of West Coast Imaging a reality.
Meet
our Staff
What
our Clients Say
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