Winter Haven Photographer Mike Potthast Helps Out In Front of and Behind Lens

Jeremy Maready, The Ledger
April 14, 2013, 10:56 p.m. ET

WINTER HAVEN | It didn't take long for young Mike Potthast to kick his locally well-known photographer father out of the darkroom.

He was 5 years old.

His father, Bill Potthast, had showed his young son the basics of photo developing -- the chemicals, the enlarger and the way images magically appeared on paper in a liquid bath.

The darkroom was the cheaper option back then, as opposed to putting a camera and rolls of film into the hands off the younger Potthast, who hadn't yet developed his photographic eye.

"He got me into the darkroom at an early age," Potthast said. "I didn't really do a lot of shooting in my early days. You don't want a 5-year-old running around with a camera and lots of film. That gets expensive. Most of my time was spent learning darkroom processes."

Potthast, 40, eventually became a full-fledged shutterbug when he picked up a camera at about 8 or 9 years old.

And he's been shooting ever since.

Now, the self-proclaimed "nerd," runs his father's former business, Potthast Studios in downtown Winter Haven, and continues the traditions of his family's studio work, along with commercial jobs and the occasional film project.

GROWING UP

Christopher Michael Potthast was born May 14, 1972, at Winter Haven Hospital to William and Barbara Potthast.

He was the sixth of eight children and is a fourth-generation photographer.

Potthast's great-grandfather, William, was a German immigrant who settled in Baltimore. In 1904, he photographed the Great Baltimore Fire on glass negatives.

His grandfather, George Potthast, worked with Gen. John J. Pershing in World War I as a photographer and mapmaker.

And following in that line was Potthast's late father, Bill, who moved to Florida from Baltimore in 1964 to open his first studio in downtown Winter Haven.

The studio moved to its current location at 234 W. Central Ave. in 1975 and shared its space with a dress shop, Potthast said.

During his early years, Potthast often found himself working there for his father and learning the family trade.

"After school, I spent a lot of time at the studio," Potthast said. "I always had a job whether I was paid or not."

Potthast worked alongside his brothers at the studio, pitching in when needed, especially during the holidays. But the love of photography only stuck with him; his siblings chose other professions.

Boy Scout Troop 525 also was a big part of his younger years and a month before his 18th birthday, Potthast finished his project and became an Eagle Scout.

He was active in sports, finding talent in both golf and tennis. He played on the golf team at Winter Haven High School, which he graduated from in 1990.

During his senior year, his parents divorced.

It was somewhat shocking at first, but because he was so busy with school and getting ready to leave for college, it didn't really affect him at the time, he said. "It was just kind of their deal."

But that change didn't make him waver on his career of choice.

Potthast knew photography was the business he wanted to pursue and he didn't want to just ride his father's coattails.

"I wanted to do my own thing," Potthast said. "I always thought about doing more commercial photography. As I got into it more and more, I loved it."

Potthast enrolled at the Southeast Center for Photographic Studies in Daytona Beach right out of high school and was soon learning how to hone his craft.

A lot has changed in the business since he started nearly 20 years ago, said Potthast. Digital now reigns supreme, as opposed to film. And the studio's darkroom, which once took up the third floor, is now a storage area for his father's negatives.

Potthast's modern darkroom resides on any number of computers throughout the office, or at home, and allows more time with his family.

A SHOOTER'S LIFE

Potthast has worked a myriad of jobs for different clients.

Besides the studio, his mainstay, he also has worked at Time Warner, where he managed budgets for shooting video and film, and as the media manager for Winter Haven Hospital.

At the hospital, he did photography and produced training videos. It's also where he met his wife, Amy, who worked as a dietitian.

The two were next-door neighbors before Potthast finally mustered the courage to ask her out one Christmas Eve.

There was only one restaurant open that night, a Japanese steak house at Spring Lake Square. The couple dated for three years before getting married in 2000.

They now have two daughters, Olivia, 11, and Isabelle, 8.

Potthast continued his shooting career, working part time at the studio and doing commercial jobs, too. He got his bachelor's degree in business from Warner University in 2004 to learn the business side of shooting.

But the increased work at the studio was wearing on his father and the two eventually had a serious talk about the business.

"He wanted to keep shooting and to keep the business, but he wanted to get rid of the hassles," Potthast said. "We sat down and talked about it one day. He asked me if I wanted to do things on more of a full-time basis. He liked shooting digital, but hated the computer. That was right up my alley. I loved what you can do on the computer. That was about the time we said we needed to combine our forces full time."

Potthast took over the family business in 2004 and continued to expand the studio's offerings to include commercial photography and limited video production, which he continues.

Jennifer Myers, of Winter Haven, has worked with Potthast both personally, for her family's annual Christmas cards, and professionally in helping to arrange for the Junior League of Greater Winter Haven's cookbook, A Splash of Citrus.

In both instances, she gives Potthast rave reviews.

"With Mike, it doesn't get any easier," she said.

Myers said Potthast always has creative ideas and is incredibly patient in creating her family portraits. And he's willing to go anywhere to shoot them.

And with the cookbook, Potthast donated his time to shooting the eight food scenes, saving the organization about $5,000 in photographer fees.

"He was so generous," Myers said. "That was a huge fundraiser for us."

Potthast's service to community organizations is something he finds important and regularly provides for silent charity auctions. He serves on several community boards.

INSPIRATION

During his time as a photographer, Potthast's father has had a significant impact on his work.

Books of art are scattered throughout the downtown studio -- in the waiting area, Potthast's office and in side rooms. It's the books and the paintings portrayed in them that he studies the light and composition of master painters.

Potthast's father would often cite a book from the National Gallery of Art as a teaching tool. It's one of the books that Potthast keeps on a coffee table in his studio for easy reference.

The book's aged cover image, the 15th century "Portrait of a Lady" by Rogier van der Weyden, is what ultimately inspired the younger Potthast's "Her Majesty," an image that has gained him national accolades and the cover of Professional Photographer magazine.

The preparation for the image, which was done as a project for his master's in photography, took months of planning and design. It also enlisted the help of his wife and his long-time studio manager, Robin Ireland.

Potthast's work is regularly featured on the cover of Inside Polk Magazine, produced by the Ledger Media Group. And for fun, the studio rotates its window display four times a year.

One of those displays is of movie posters that portray real Polk County residents inserted into movies.

Carrie Eleazer, a friend of Potthast's, was recently cast as Mary Poppins. The image of Eleazer is one of several posters now adorning the front windows of the downtown business.

"Mike's brain never stops," she said. "When we are out and about, if he's thinking about his next window theme, he's constantly looking for ideas."

Eleazer, who has a penchant for pairing real people with their celebrity lookalike, typically helped Potthast and his staff do the same for the posters. But one day when she stopped by the studio in a new dress, it gave him an idea.

"Mike took one look at me and said, 'Mary Poppins,' then started snapping photos of me on his iPhone to share with the staff," she said. "I didn't really have a choice, but I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the experience."

The day of the shoot, Potthast wasn't feeling well, said Eleazer, who offered to come back another time. But he continued to work through it.

"Mike is one of those people that you hear about who will give you the shirt off his back and ask for nothing in return," Eleazer said. "He is generous, and kind, and dedicated to his friends and family."