Business Details
18 Years
experience
Cleveland Photographer & Art Gallery
I am a Cleveland-based artist, photographer, educator, curator, and musician with over two decades of experience in visual storytelling and creative collaboration. My work bridges traditional photography, camera-less processes, and printmaking, offering clients a unique blend of technical expertise and artistic vision. As the former owner of Silver Scuro Studio and Gallery, I curated exhibitions for regional artists while maintaining a commercial practice in portraits, events, and editorial photography.My art has been featured in over 40 solo and group exhibitions, including installations at the Cleveland Clinic and Progressive Insurance. I bring a multidisciplinary approach to every project, combining my roles as an educator at Cuyahoga Community College and a juror for regional art competitions. My commitment to analog processes and darkroom craftsmanship ensures timeless, archival-quality results for clients seeking both creative and technical excellence.
Services
Photography
Portraits
Art Gallery
Wedding Photography
Film Portraits
Details
- Year established: 2008
Highlights and features
- We offer 20+ years of experience in photography and art curation.
- Our unique process combines analog darkroom techniques with modern aesthetics.
- We provide personalized on-location portrait sessions tailored to client needs.
- Our work is featured in private and corporate collections across Northeast Ohio.
- We maintain a strong commitment to educational outreach and community engagement.
Services
Photography
Professional photography services spanning portraits, weddings, and editorial projects. Our approach emphasizes collaborative creativity and technical precision, using both digital and analog methods. Clients receive high-quality, downloadable images processed to archival standards.
Film Portraits
Custom large-format film portraits created through traditional darkroom processes. Each session produces unique silver gelatin prints with rich tonal qualities. The meticulous hand-processing ensures longevity and artistic authenticity for collectors.
Art Gallery
Curated exhibitions featuring regional artists and multimedia installations. The gallery program focuses on emerging talent and experimental works, with a history of hosting over 50 shows since 2008 across Cleveland locations.
Wedding Photography
Documenting weddings and special events with a documentary-style approach. Services include on-location shooting, candid moments, and formal portraits. All packages provide edited digital files for client use.
Educational Workshops
Photography instruction and darkroom technique workshops at Cuyahoga Community College. Curriculum covers traditional processes, digital imaging, and exhibition preparation for emerging artists.
People
Silver Scuro Studio & Gallery
Owner/Photographer
Cleveland-based photographer and educator with 30+ years of experience. BFA from Cleveland Institute of Art. Former gallery owner and current adjunct professor. Specializes in analog processes and curatorial projects.
Questions
Do you still photograph weddings?
No, we stopped accepting wedding bookings after 2023. Our current focus is on portraits and fine art projects.
What areas do you serve?
We primarily work in Cleveland and Akron, Ohio, with on-location portrait sessions available throughout Northeast Ohio.
What film portrait options exist?
Our film sessions use large/medium format cameras to create silver gelatin prints. Sizes range from 8x10 to 20x24 inches with hand-toned archival processing.
Can I visit the gallery?
Silver Scuro Gallery closed in 2018. Past exhibitions and artworks can be viewed through our online blog archive.
How are digital portraits delivered?
All digital sessions include processed images available for immediate download through our secure online portal.
Videos
Reviews (6)
John Bruening
Mar 03, 2019
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I'm usually uncomfortable in front of a camera, but I needed a portrait shot for a website I'm building. I knew Steve briefly in high school, and I've been aware of his excellent work for many years, so I gave him a call. We spent about 30 or 40 minutes in his studio. He was relaxed and easygoing, which brought me down from the ledge pretty quickly. We tried a few of different poses, backgrounds, etc., and the results were great. I expected to come away from the session with maybe a couple usable options, but I actually have dozens of good shots to choose from. I highly recommend Steve.
Jason Katsaros
Feb 27, 2019
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Steven was everything we wanted in a wedding photographer and more. You could hardly tell that he was there during the most important parts of the day, but he got the most beautiful pictures of everything we would want. He didn't interrupt anything so that he could get a staged shot; he just captured the little moments of the day, which we appreciate one thousand times over. He gave great instruction, which is important for the staged group shots.
He was very friendly and relatable. The photo book package is very sensible, where you get one big photo book for yourself and two separate, smaller photo books for your parents (which our parents immensely enjoy). The prints you can order from his store afterwards are top quality. We also ordered a canvas, which was delivered safely and looks incredible. I would highly recommend for any sort of photo shoot!
He was very friendly and relatable. The photo book package is very sensible, where you get one big photo book for yourself and two separate, smaller photo books for your parents (which our parents immensely enjoy). The prints you can order from his store afterwards are top quality. We also ordered a canvas, which was delivered safely and looks incredible. I would highly recommend for any sort of photo shoot!
Ithaca Court
Jun 25, 2018
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Steve's vision makes him outstanding. He is able to find more out of a person that they might even expect to find in themselves. We have several friends who are photographers, we use Steve for our family photos.
Susan Vincent
Apr 12, 2018
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We hired Steven to document our very small wedding ceremony and to take some portrait shots of the two of us. He was wonderful: easy to reach, responsive to questions, professional on site, and swift with final proofs. We cannot recommend Steven highly enough.
Emily Schumacher
Mar 14, 2018
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Wedding Photography Working with Steven was great. He is very prompt at responding to emails and was willing to work with us to make sure our package was what we wanted for our budget. We received our wedding pictures back very quickly (I think he had our entire album ready in 3 weeks). Steven's pictures were wonderful. He did such a wonderful job of capturing candid moments. Going through our album, there were a lot of moments captured where I didn't even realize he was there to capture them. He took wonderful sunset pictures an he did a great job of documenting our special day.
Adam Black
May 19, 2014
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Steve did an AMAZING job at our wedding! It was very elaborate with alot of different things going on all at once and he did a great job to capture it all. Not only did I (Groom) skydive in with my wedding party as we are are all experienced jumpers. My Wife was brought down on a fire truck as I am a fireman as well. Steve did an excellent job catching all of our favorite moments. Once the wedding was over Steve was outstanding at capturing the reception.
Not too many formal pictures were taken which is what we wanted he was very transparent and we didn't see him much at the reception however he caught tons of amazing pictures of us with our friends and family! I would highly recommend him for your wedding!
Not too many formal pictures were taken which is what we wanted he was very transparent and we didn't see him much at the reception however he caught tons of amazing pictures of us with our friends and family! I would highly recommend him for your wedding!