Don McLaughlin was born in Scranton, PA and moved to St. Louis, MO in 1963 as a young boy. His father worked for the coal mines in Scranton and decided to better the life for his family by relocating to St.Louis after the mines started to close down. Growing up in South St. Louis and after graduating from Southwest High School, he started his career in the printing trade and became a lithographer for 45 years running Heidelberg presses at various St. Louis based printing shops. He retired at the age of 63 to focus on his love of photography.
Don’s work in photography began as a hobby taking pictures of landscapes and nature in Missouri and especially areas in and around St. Louis. Shaw’s Nature Reserve, Forest 44 Conservation Area, Mills Stream Gardens Conservation Area and Castor River Shut-Ins are a few of his favorites.
Don’s work has been published in “St. Louis Home on the River” by Elaine Viets and Quinta Scott and “Photographer’s Forum – Best of Photography Annual 2007”published by Serbin Communications Inc. . Additionally, Don has also published work for St. Louis Family Church.
Don’s hobbies include trout fishing, hiking and a member of the St.Louis Chess Club in Central West End. Don restored and renovated a home built in 1888 in the eighties and has since sold that property and lives happily in the Princeton Heights area.