Ellen Pardee
Not only are you capturing
a moment in your photos, you are living those moments.
I am an amateur photographer who doesn't have a firm grasp of all the technicalities of the craft but I do have great enthusiasm. I believe that the powers of observation and imagination along with patience are essential to images pleasing and memorable to yourself; and if others are also pleased, that's a wonderful bonus. I am a great lover of the outdoors and am fortunate enough to live in the Pacific Northwest, an amazing area containing many ecosystems and micro climates to explore and spend time in. So it is no wonder that when I got my very first camera, a Kodak Brownie, that I started to record the wonders and all the faces of beauty of the outdoors. I feel that not only are you capturing a moment in your photos, you are living those moments to the utmost and sharing them with your subject. The best byproduct for me is the ability to get back to those moments and to share them with others in hopes that knowledge will bring a little understanding and compassion to our world. This is why I'm never without my camera when I'm outdoors and, though some can't quite understand it, that it takes an hour and a half to walk 3/4 of a mile. There is always so much to observe and wonder about... To paraphrase the Water Rat in The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame: "There is nothing, absolutely nothing, half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats," and all the outdoors, with photos.
*View more images at Ellen's blog Some Photos and Fancies. Contents in this spread are copyright works of the featured photographer and were used with permission.