For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by cameras, taking pictures, animals and nature. After many years in the corporate world, I made a commitment: it was time to follow a dream. After many seminars, workshops, private classes and hours spent reading and taking pictures, I am ready to share my view of the world with you.
Animals and nature are my passions. My mother used to say, “If you keep running up to every dog you meet, you’re going to get bitten.”
I failed to listen… and I’ve not yet been bitten. Instead, I’ve been greeted by silly “grins” and sloppy kisses! I don’t count the time when my black lab clamped down on my hand inside a towel when I was drying him off after a bath! Now, two West Highland White terriers, a lab/poodle mix, and the cutest, smartest little street dog I’ve ever met allow me to share their space and to buy them dog food!
Cats, on the other hand, never interested me. I was “A Dog Person”. Cats were too haughty… too crazy… too catlike! Then I met Samantha at a local shelter. As I walked through the cat room, I felt a tentative touch on my hand. I looked down into beautiful golden eyes of the most gorgeous calico cat I had ever seen… and immediately fell in love. She has been one of my best friends and confidants for almost sixteen years. Samantha taught me that all cats aren’t crazy; they’re wonderful. That’s why I now have four Maine Coon males and two cats with limited knowledge of their ancestors. (One would never call them strays. They might find out and get even!)
Over the years my four-legged friends have taught me how to read their body language. That knowledge and the patience to wait for the moment… the “look”… make me unique among pet photographers. I specialize in candid portraiture, most often taken in ambient light.
My love of nature comes from time spent with my Dad in the woods and fields of West Virginia - rabbit hunting -. We seldom brought home anything but wonderful memories of time spent together, special times between a father and daughter.
I learned to watch for things “that didn’t belong”… like the flash of white from the tail of a deer, the red wattles of a wild turkey, or the silhouette of a squirrel’s head on the side of a tree.
This attention to detail helped train my eye to be attentive to the quality of light, interesting elements in different compositions, and unique aspects of a scene. When something unusual captures my attention, I use my camera to capture the special moment before it is forever lost.
My nature photographs and pet portraits have been exhibited extensively throughout western North Carolina with work selected for both gallery and private collections. One-woman exhibitions include shows at the Barnes & Noble, North Carolina Arboretum, Hospice of the Carolina Foothills, Lanier Library, and Essence Day Spa.
