PLATTSBURG ARTIST COALITION
 

The camera is a powerful teaching tool.  The last six years of my career as a teacher were spent with a camera daily in my hand.  The photos I collected served to document the developmental and educational progress of 3, 4 and 5 year olds.  The students were motivated to try new, more creative ideas in their work because they were being validated by the pictures I took.  To celebrate that effort, our classroom was graced with a photo gallery including a framed (8x10) of each child.

 

        In 2010, I retired from teaching.  My husband Gary handed me a camera just like his and said, “Now it’s your turn!”  It is a privilege to stand shoulder to shoulder with him.  Observing Gary’s talent in action has taught me a great deal.  From weddings to scenic landscapes I appreciate the vital role photography plays in preserving the beauty, history and cherished moments of life.  It is important to me that I compliment Gary’s work, not duplicate it.  I am challenged by the intention to find a new and different perspective than his.  Most often we concentrate on different areas in a shoot location. The fun comes when I manage to capture an uncommon image in a presumably common place!  The ultimate joy comes when I see the admiration on an individual’s face, drawn to one of my pieces of work, and know I have made a connection!

 

        It has been said that just as a painter uses a brush and color to create, a photographer uses a camera and light to create.  Practicing photography offers me the opportunity to more carefully observe the world in which we live.  I notice the miracles that constantly surround us more intimately every time I pick up my camera and focus!