Some people choose to live life on their own terms.
Tim Boyles is one of those people. The Altoona native who once worked for the Altoona Hospital and Ward Trucking Corp., Altoona, is now self employed as a professional photographer in Seminole, Fla. He sets his own hours and pay scale, and plans his own vacation time.
In addition to running his own company, Tim Boyles Photogra-phy, he photographs celebrities for the multinational still image distributor Getty Images Inc.
Boyles, 48, graduated from Altoona Area High School in 1977. He didn’t realize his photojournalism ambition until he joined the U.S. Navy in 1984.
‘‘When you join the Navy, they give you a career book with all sorts of job descriptions,’’ he said. ‘‘I was looking through the book when I noticed an item that said, ‘You work primarily independently, you take pictures, and you get to write.’ It was just something that made me say, ‘I’d love to do that.’’’
In 1991, he finished his tenure with the Navy and graduated from Western Washington University, Bellingham, Wash., with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
‘‘As a reporter, I learned that I had power,’’ he said. ‘‘When those admirals see you come in with a pen and a notepad, they start opening doors. The power of the press has been an eye-opening experience all my life.’’
Returning to Altoona, he honed his journalistic skills with WTAJ-TV, where he became well-known in the area for his coverage of the Mark Spotz murder trials in the mid-’90s. Spotz was from Clearfield County.
‘‘He really did a great job of providing solid coverage of the Spotz case,’’ said Tony Degol, news director at WTAJ News. ‘‘He traveled to a lot of different cities for us, covering many court hearings. That case really became a part of him.’’
Degol also recalled Boyle’s ability to strike a rapport with people.
“He always established good relationships with his contacts and sources,” he said. “He was always pleasant, and always willing to work with new employees.”
It came as no surprise to Degol that Boyles chose still photography as a career.
‘‘That kind of job enables you to meet some pretty interesting people,” he said. “I can see Tim really enjoying that.”
Boyles cited wedding photography as his “bread and butter” job.
“You can always count on wedding bookings,” he said.
Marvin Boyles was disappointed when he found out about his son’s abrupt decision to leave WTAJ.
‘‘Well, he had this good job with benefits, and then he just all of a sudden decided to change careers. I was a little upset with him,’’ the 73-year-old from Altoona said. ‘‘But he’s done very well, and we’re proud of him. He’s really kind of amazed us.’’
Marvin, a retired truck driver at Ward Trucking Corp., Altoona, isn’t sure what to make of all the celebrities his son has photographed for the Seattle-based Getty Images.
‘‘We’re impressed that he’s able to meet with these kinds of people and talk to them face to face,’’ he said. ‘‘He says most of them are pretty down to earth — though some act a little above us.’’
Boyle’s work for Getty has been published in Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, USA Today, Sports Illustrated, Los Angeles Times and ESPN Magazine, according to his official Web site, www.timboylesphotography.com. His clientele includes such stars as John Travolta, Gene Simmons, Ashley Judd, Kevin Costner, Kevin Bacon, Hulk Hogan and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Boyles’ mother, Patty, is partial to his shot of Katie Couric.
‘‘I like them all, but that one just really impressed me,’’ she said.
Patty, a retired supervisor at Consolidated Freightways, Altoona, described her son as ‘‘the happiest kid’’ who ‘‘always had a smile on his face.’’
It makes her happy to see her son happy, she said.
‘‘Being his own boss, he can change his schedule to accommodate his own interests. That’s something a lot of people can’t do,’’ she said. ‘‘He loves what he does, and it shows.’’
Boyles cited his session with John Travolta as his favorite Getty shoot, describing him as “down to earth” and “accommodating.”
His least favorite: Ashley Judd
“When I shot her chatting, she stormed over to to me and yelled, ‘Why don’t you just ask!’” he said. “She was really snotty.”
But make no mistake, Boyles is no paparazzi, he said.
“I don’t chase celebrities down the street. I’m hired by Getty to do these shots,” he said.
But whatever he’s photographing, he takes his work to heart.
“Photography is an art and a learnable talent,” he said. “For me, it’s a career with privileges, but also great responsibility.”
Mirror Staff Writer Jimmy Mincin is at 946-7460.
