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Bonnie
Hamilton - (bonnie@si-forest.com)
I live in one of the
most beautiful parts of the world… the great Pacific Northwest of the
United States.
Within a two hour drive I can have any kind of landscape I am in the mood
for…mountains, ocean, desert, rain forests, volcanoes, and the
Columbia River Gorge. As an artist and photographer I am very fortunate
that inspiration is right out my back door.
I fell in love with
photography from the first time I held a Kodak Brownie in my hands. I
opened a photography store in Kirkland,
Washington in 1977. I had a
full retail operation, black & white and color darkroom rentals and my
studio all in one location. After I sold the store, I joined Southwestern Colorado Community
College as the Director of their Fine Arts
department for the Steamboat Springs division and taught photography. I
also worked as a freelance photographer for the Steamboat Pilot, a local
newspaper.
Somewhere in between
then and now, I became a watercolorist and used my photographic skills to
shoot reference material for inspiration. Experiencing the fright of
framing costs every time I visited the local frame shops, I bought out the
assets of a frame shop going out of business which has now evolved into
three active commercial locations with computerized mat cutting services.
In addition to framing, we are in the process of setting up a photographic
printing facility for ourselves and fellow photographers. Our intention is
to become a full-service resource, including print production, framing,
training, networking, and marketing services. We also lead a local digital
critique group and present training seminars and field tours.
I have seriously gotten
back into photography with the evolution of the digital camera and
Photoshop…what marvelous tools! I have owned four digital cameras but
only one SLR. I have been a loyal fan of Canon since my store ownership
days. I am now shooting with a Canon D20 and lusting after the 1Ds Mark II.
My only regret is that I won’t be able to see where photographic
imaging will go during the next 100 years. I can only imagine!
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