Comments

When I was a newspaper reporter I traveled on assignments with a terrific staff of award- winning photographers. They talked to me about how they went about their photo shoot, and then back at the newspaper they showed me the photographs they shot and explained why the pictures they selected to run in the newspaper did the best job of illustrating my story.

I never touched a single-lens reflex camera until my first grandchild was born seven years ago. Then when I lifted the camera to my eye all the advice I gathered from traveling on assignment with newspaper photographers flooded into my head. It's like my mind held a mini course on photography. How to frame a shot. What makes a good photograph. How to blend into the background so that those you're photographing forget you're there and act more natural. The newspaper photographers I worked with during my 27 years in journalism had given me a wonderful gift: A tutorial into the land of photography.

Now seven years and seven grandchildren later photography is my passion. But it's like Pandora's Box. I see so many possibilities. I tend to shoot prolifically like a photojournalist and during my film years – very brief – it was nothing for me to take 10 to 12 rolls of film to a lab to be developed after an hour photo shoot.

Digital saved the day but now I'm using 4 GB cards in my Canon 40 D and quickly amass 800 shots on my media card.

I hope this group's critiques help me focus. My photography is all over the place. I'm lucky to live near the Jersey Shore and love shooting the ocean's many moods, boardwalk life and migrating birds and butterflies. I love photographing my grandchildren and use my 75-300 zoom lens as a way to capture their innocence, imagination and curiosity as they grow up and explore the world. My husband and I love going into New York City to shoot street scenes and the view of Manhattan when coming and going on the ferry.

I've developed my voice as a writer and now I'm trying to develop my eye as a photographer. I tend to like to shoot abstract and try to find the unusual for my photographs.

I'm just getting started with Photoshop and find it a marvelous tool but even though I'm retired I don't seem to have the time to really sit down at my computer and explore all it has to offer. I prefer to be outdoors riding my bicycle or gardening instead of sitting in front of my computer.

I joined the Monmouth Camera Club four years ago to get critiques of my photographs in club competition. Six months ago I volunteered to do the club's newsletter which gives me a chance to give other photographers a forum to talk about their art and show their photographs.

I joined PSA because I wanted another opportunity to have my photographs critiqued to help me grow as a photographer. I'm looking forward to working with everyone in this group.

June, 2008