A quick online search with of “O’Healy Photography” will bring forth a large number of photographers from the O’Healy lineage. We have often joked that the O’Healy family carries a “photography gene”. In my direct family lineage, this is a large part of the O’Healy family legacy, now going on four generations of Photographers.

The photography “gene” started with my Grandfather, George F. Healy, or as we knew him, “the Old Cowboy”. George really was a cowboy, owning a small ranch in Chatsworth, California. In addition to spending time on horseback, George also loved taking photos on his two 4x5 press cameras. Not surprisingly, his main subjects were horses. When I was growing up, we often visited him at the house he built in Big Bear, California. There he had his workshop, complete with a full darkroom, where he would spend hours at a time working on his art while listening to old dixieland music. He was also known for his beautiful stained glass pieces, often depicting the old west. All of his pieces of artwork were signed with a stylized cowboy hat, with his initials inside the brim.

The next generation of photographers was my Uncle, Patrick O’Healy. Patrick picked up photography later in life, but made the most of his time with a camera, and approached it with the same dedication and passion that he always approached life with. Patrick loved to photograph wildlife and nature. Through his passion, he was able to inspire several others to pick up photography, including his wife Dianne, and he guided them as they learned to see photographically. Ever opinionated (another O’Healy tradition), he always encouraged his friends towards Nikon cameras.

As I have moved back into the fine art realm of photography, I wanted to give tribute to my family heritage. So all of my fine art prints contain a variation of my Grandfather’s stylized cowboy hat in the lower left of the border. Instead of initials, you will find the print number and numbers of prints of that specific edition.

I mentioned a fourth generation, which is my daughter, Lori Áine O’Healy. From a young age, Lori Áine has presented herself as a gifted artist, and more recently started using a camera to show her artistic vision. With her photographic eye, she has already created several gallery worthy photos, and will have a selection of prints available on this website as well. Working on a double major, Anthropology and French, she is going to have many opportunities for photographing around the world.

The “Old Cowboy”, George Healy

My Uncle, Patrick O’Healy.

My daughter, Lori Áine O’Healy.