You’ve seen his photography work and may not even realize it. From homes to racing boats, George Denny has covered it all. The owner of George Denny Photography, Denny began planting roots at the Lake back in the 1950’s
In 1947, Denny’s grandfather purchased property in the Jackson Branch Cove at the three mile marker of the north shore. Denny and his family were living in O’Fallon, Missouri when he first began visiting the Lake area as a tourist. In 1968, his father got hired as the maintenance engineer at the Lodge of Four Seasons, and the family made the Lake their full-time residence. Denny went on to graduate from School of Osage.
“My first job was as a greens cutter at the nine-hole course at the Lodge of Four Seasons,” Denny said. “I was 16 years old at the time and did this for one year. The course is extinct now.”
The next three years, Denny went on to work as a bell staff member at the Lodge. “That’s where I got my education,” he said. “I became Bell Captain and earned a five cents an hour raise.”
A man of many trades, Denny attended Florissant Community College in Missouri. He then went on to teach water skiing and scuba diving at Camp Robin Hood in New Hampshire for one year. Denny then made his way back to the Lake.
“I worked as a carpenter for Jack Casey, who built homes,” he said. “I did a lot of carrying things they needed. When we finished a house I realized I had carried that entire house down the hill.”
In 1975, Denny put ads in the newspaper and yellow pages promoting himself as a recovery diver. As his ad read, he recovered glasses, rings, false teeth, and much more. He went on to work for Galva Foam and traveled ten states diving and performing underwater cable and brace work. It’s photography, however, that has always peaked his interest the most.
“When I was in 8th grade my dad gave me a Kodak 35mm camera,” he recalled. “I’ve been interested in photography since high school, and worked on the yearbook staff there.” In 1979, he became devoted to photography and purchased his first industrial camera. Since photography was seasonal at the Lake, he supplemented it by doing home remodeling work.
Denny has been a key photographer for Lake Media publications Vacation News, Lake Sun Newspaper, Lake Lifestyles Magazine, and others for years. In 1979, Denny began shooting photos for Vacation News, and added the Lake Sun newspaper a little time later. At one time or another, Denny shot photos for every publication at the Lake. He also began shooting weddings. The last seven years of the Lake’s water ski show, Denny was the official photographer. The show ended in 1986.
“One of the privileges I got was to practice with the team or ski in the show on occasion,” he said. Denny began skiing when he was 10 years old. Although he preferred to be behind the camera, his skiing was quite accomplished. He holds the title of being the tumble turn champion, completing 25 full rolls with the assistance of a boom. He also skied barefoot, although he said he never mastered doing it backwards.
When Denny began professional photography, there were only four professionals in the entire Lake area. Today, he said, there’s easily over 100. His accomplishments are impressive, and continue to be so.
“I was the official photographer for the first 30 years of the Shootout boat race,” he said. “I now share that opportunity with other photographers since the event has expanded so much. My title is now Assistant Official Photographer.” He is currently the official photographer for the American Ethanol Boat Racing Team, Dirty Duck Boat Racing, Playcraft Boats, Marty’s Marine, and lately for Tyler Crockett Racing.
Denny has been doing aerial photography at the Lake of the Ozarks since 1979. “It all started when I snagged a ride with Tommy Pierce at Casino Pier during one of his seaplane tours,” he explained. “Tommy said “let’s take off the door” and I was hooked from that moment on.” Over the years, Denny has photographed countless developments, poker runs, and the construction of the Community Bridge, not to mention the iconic Party Cove. Some of his posters from those days are still available today.
For 12 years, Denny went on the road with singer Dale Blue. Blue was sponsored by Bud Light and Bud Select boat races to perform, and Denny drove the bus they traveled in. The two remain good friends today.
For the first two years after it was established, he was the photographer for Lake Ozark Speedway. From 1987 until COVID struck, he had attended 35 Indy 500 races to shoot for Lake Sun Newspaper.
In 1997, Denny began photographing the construction of the toll bridge at the Lake. This led to a book about it. He added a second book of photos when the bridge was closed and that illustrates both old and recent photos. In total, there are close to 300 commemorative photos depicting the history of the bridge.
“Ron Calvin was the owner of Vacation News in 1979, and he gave me my start in photography,” Denny recalled. “I was working as a carpenter at the time and he would let me use his darkroom to develop film.”
Denny recalled his fondest memories of the Lake, which includes seeing only three docks in the Jackson Branch cove. “I skied every day I could in the 1980’s and 1990’s,” he said. “I’ve skied behind everything from a small boat with a 45 hp motor to jet boats to ski boats. In 1978, I purchased a Ski Nautique to ski behind.”
Denny has witnessed the rise and fall of bars and establishments along the shoreline, growth in the area, and the addition of highways. The best part of living at the Lake, he said, is meeting both tourists and locals, and being a part of the Lake community.
Today, Denny shoots for Lake Media Publications. You can see his work in this issue of Lake Lifestyles Magazine. He also photographs homes, businesses, events, and does outdoor portraits. It’s not unusual for Denny to shoot 2000 photos in a three-day span.
“In my spare time I like to sit at my computer and look at old photos,” he said. “My plan for the future is to just keep on doing what I’m doing.”
