Remembering photographer Alex Seeley

Northeast Pennsylvania lost some of its vision Thursday.

The death of Alex Seeley, 32, a local award-winning photographer and former Times-Tribune colleague, leaves a void in the community and regional art world.

Seeley, who lived in Scranton and died after a long fight with cancer, was a photography intern with The Times-Tribune in 2012, shooting portraits, news events and live concerts, all of which he excelled at. He also was the subject of a profile in 2015 after his second battle with cancer. Seeley was first diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a type of tumor that forms in bone or soft tissue, at age 12 and then again at 27.

Incredibly talented and a staple of the local art and music scenes, it’s difficult to find someone who wasn’t touched by Seeley’s creativity and kind spirit. He showed his fine art photography in galleries in Scranton and beyond but was best known for his impeccable eye when it came to shooting pictures of live musical performances. He also covered concerts for various online and print publications.

“I think there’s not one single thing that makes a good concert photo,” Seeley said in his 2015 interview. “It’s a hunt for me. A lot of it is about emotion or defining a character. Skill and experience is 50%, the rest is luck. Being in the right place at the right time.”

Seeley graduated from Western Wayne High School in 2007, earned a bachelor’s degree in visual arts with a concentration in photography from Keystone College and worked as a photographer for Saks Fifth Avenue at its Pottsville studio, according to his obituary. It also noted that “art was Alex’s passion from a young age.”

“He was a well-respected event photographer in the Scranton area, and his favorite thing to photograph was concerts,” the obituary said. “He loved listening to records, horror films and Halloween. He lived his life to the fullest and always had something clever to say.”

He is survived by his parents, Richard Jr. and Susan Carney Seeley; sister, Melissa Seeley; paternal grandfather, Richard Seeley Sr.; extended family members and friends, according to his obituary. The family will hold a private funeral service, and Seeley will be laid to rest in East Canaan Cemetery.

James Wilson Funeral Home, Lake Ariel, is handling arrangements. The public can share memories of Seeley and condolences on its website, jameswilsonfuneralhome.com. Memorials can be made in Seeley’s name to Make A Wish Foundation Gift Processing, 1702 E. Highland Ave., Suite 400, Phoenix, AZ 85016.

To honor Seeley and his work, we put together a gallery of some of the amazing photos he took during his time with us, as well as a few of the artist himself. He will be sorely missed.