Dumminger carries on Fremont's photo tradition

FREMONT – Ken Dumminger's mother never seemed to get the hang of using her 1950s Kodak camera.

Those were the days before automatic lenses and shutters, and she felt using it to take photos at family events was complicated and difficult.

So Dumminger, who was in the sixth grade at the time, decided to learn how to use the camera.

Since then, he has never stopped taking pictures and has turned his love of photography into a lifelong business.

"There were no schools back then," he said. "There was no training. You went by the seat of your pants."

Dumminger, a Fremont native, studied photography books at the Birchard Public Library and went to Grob Camera, a family-owned studio in town, for help.

In 1982, Dumminger opened his own photo studio, Dumminger Photo, on East State Street, where he takes school photos, senior pictures and more. His shop also sells photo products and works with antique photos.

He credits the Grob family with helping make his business happen. Ray Grob Sr. and his son, Ray Jr., who also is a photographer and still lives in Fremont, helped Dumminger develop his art.

"If it weren't for Ray Sr. and Ray Jr., there probably would be no photography business in Fremont today," he said. "They were probably the mainstays in Fremont for years. They were good people."

The Grob family started the store on State Street in the 1870s and moved the building by horse and buggy to Justice Street in the early 1900s, Dumminger said. Dave Spiers later bought the business and changed it to the Fremont Camera Center.

Dumminger worked for Spiers and went out on his own to open Dumminger Photo.

Through the years, Dumminger has met and photographed thousands of people.

"I've had many seniors come in and their parents say, 'You did my senior photo,' " he said. "I'm in the memory business. The camera is the only thing man has made to stop time."

Recently, he converted some historical photos on glass negatives into positives that could be printed for a local person who found them in his home.

"We're one of the few places that print negatives now," he said. "I see so much of that stuff coming in from people my age. They find this box of old photos."

His shop also uses a type of process for printing photos, called wet processing, that differs from the processes used at grocery stores and big-box stores. His process gives higher-quality prints that last longer, he said.

He also does corporate photos and recently was asked to get aerial photos for the new Costco store being built in Perrysburg.

Through the years, he has seen the photo business change drastically. Color photos didn't become popular until the 1970s, and their quality has greatly improved since then, he said.

For decades, photographers used film and developed it in darkrooms. Today, they use digital cameras and computers.

The photos he took also varied through the years.

Dumminger served 23 years in the Army and also served in the Ohio National Guard. He took equipment photos and portraits of officers and their families during his career with the Army.

He also shot and developed crime scene photos for the Sandusky County Sheriff's Office and Fremont Police Department when film photography was still used.

He photographed three presidents — George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush — who spoke at different times in the region.

He also has taken photos of sports greats, including Ohio State University football coach Woody Hayes; the only two-time Heisman trophy winner Archie Griffin, who played at OSU; and Fremont native Charles Woodson, who won the Heisman trophy while playing for the University of Michigan.

Hayes was one of the most impressive people he has photographed, he said.

"Just to meet with the man and talk to him, he was phenomenal," Dumminger said. "He had a winning attitude."

In 2002, Dumminger was in desperate need of a liver transplant and was near death. He had said goodbye to his wife and daughter at the Cleveland Clinic.

The following morning, he received a liver. Since then, Dumminger has advocated for organ donation.

He also has won a variety of awards for community service in Fremont. Last month, he won the Sandusky County Bar Association's Liberty Bell Award for his community service.

For the past 28 years, he also has set off fireworks at area Fourth of July celebrations, including many years in Fremont.

Dumminger has no plans to hang up his camera or give up his civic involvement.

"I'm going to go as long as I can," he said.

mksmith@gannett.com

419-334-1044

Twitter: @kristinasmithNM