Paul Scharff has been captivated by light and nature his entire life. Over the years, his friends and family have learned to simply politely listen and nod as he repeatedly asks them to notice how the light is hitting this dirt road, that building, those waves, this flower, or that sand dune.

In addition, Paul has always looked at the world in a very non-traditional way, noting and zeroing in on a particular nuance or individual component of a much broader setting, or discerning an overarching design or geometric shape to an otherwise ordinary scene.

As a result, Paul has developed an uncommon penchant for seeing things that others might miss, composing them in unusual ways, and then capturing those scenes as photographs.  Paul's unique talent is in identifying and capturing beauty and energy at the exact moment it is at its most powerful--before its elusive nature changes, which can happen in as short as a few seconds.  People have long stories about Paul's obsessive chase of perfect light or a special mood when he know it is just right or is moving towards that place.

Paul's work has appeared in Lifetimes magazine, The Monmouth Journal, The Atlantic Highlands Herald, and The Hub. Interestingly, Paul's background is not in photography, but in advertising, where he has over 20 years of experience at a major New York City advertising agency.

Paul's life has taken him to many places that continue to provide raw material for his photographs. He attended Darrow School in the Berkshire Mountains, and returns to the expansive and idyllic Darrow School campus frequently to take photographs that appear in the Berkshire Bliss gallery. Paul has also made almost 50 trips to Cape Cod to take photographs since first vacationing there in 1982, and some years ago discovered the Virgin Islands to be a perfect respite from the harsh winters of the Northeast.  Paul also lived in Bucks County, Pennsylvania for many years and visits often for its history, beauty and architecture. In addition, Paul spent almost ten years living in New York City, and he continues to photograph in and around Manhattan. And most recently, Paul has lived in The Highlands in Monmouth County on the New Jersey shore, where he enjoys the breathtaking scenery, outstanding light and year-round summer spirit, all just 35 minutes by boat from New York City.