By MATT CHANDLER
mchandler@bizjournals.com | 716-541-1654

Bill Moore traces his love for photography back to an elective he took during his days at Canisius College.

Though he knew he wanted to be an attorney, Moore, a litigator with Lipsitz Green Scime Cambria, quickly became hooked on life behind the lens.

"The class really piqued my interest in photography," Moore says. "That was back in 2000 and it is something that just grew."

Today, 11 years after that first class, Moore is enjoying the first public showing of his work. Though as he says, "I do this as a hobby, not to make money," he also calls it a thrill to have his work on display at Allen Street Hardware, a downtown cafe that Moore and his wife were dining at one night when he noticed that they display the work of local artists. He made an inquiry, sent a few samples to the person who oversees the work, and before he knew it, 12 pieces of his photography were on display, where they will remain for the month of December.

Moore says he has enjoyed the evolution to digital photography, noting that when he began, he shot on film and developed his own prints.

"It was quite a learning process, to develop your own film, learning about the different exposures and everything," he says. "It isn't that easy." So while some traditionalists prefer film over digital, Moore doesn't count himself among them.

After graduating from Canisius, Moore headed to law school and, as he says, "the photography kind of fell by the wayside."  Like most college students, even if there was time, there was no money to invest in a good camera, so Moore says when he did get the chance to shoot, it was with a basic, point-and-shoot camera.

"Although you can do so much more with the advanced cameras," he says, "you would be surprised the quality shots you can get with a basic camera."

Moore says he doesn't have a particular type of photography he focuses on. Instead, he sees what he does as an opportunity to capture moments in time, wherever they may be.

"For me, it's all about being mindful of what's around you and taking it all in," he says. "And the camera allows you to do that."

That said, like any good dad, Moore enjoys photographing his two children, and counts some of those among his favorite shots in his collection. He has also worked to capture some of the local landmarks of Buffalo, including the grain elevators.

"I got some really great shots of the malting elevators and they are part of what I am showing," he says.

With all of his photos, his goal he says is to tell a story without words. In the case of the grain elevators, he says he worked to capture the entire process, taking the viewer on a trip through a piece of Buffalo's history.

"I tried to capture the inner workings, the utility of the grain elevators," he says. "How things came in, how they were processed, the kilns, the boilers and how things got out."

Moore says he also enjoys capturing the finer points of architecture with his camera, a passion he credits to his wife Jessica, who is an architect with Cannon Design.

"Through her work there, it piqued my interest in the architectural side of things," he says. "I love looking at the use of structures, why they were designed a particular way and where they are now."

Though he may not see himself as a professional photographer - he has crafted a nice career as an attorney, something he says he loves - Moore admits it was a heady moment when he walked into Allentown Hardware and saw his work adorning the walls.

"It was the moment it became real for me," he says. "I had some nerves about putting my stuff up, because it is putting yourself out there, but in the end, that's the whole idea of it, so I am glad I did."

The response to his first public showing of his work, he says, has been very positive.

"They (the photos at Allen Street) aren't just shots of things, some of them are interpretations of the items being shot," he says. "Some of them you don't even know what it is, and it is for the viewer to figure out."