Perhaps it was from those early moments her love for darkrooms was also solidified .
“ I started out shooting film cameras and spending a lot of time developing film in the darkroom ,” she said . “ It was so calming with the water running all the time and working from development to stop to fixing , and then hanging them up to dry . Dodging , burning , using the enlarger ... I enjoyed it all .”
Cristen had returned to Illinois with the intent of attending the School of the Art Institute of Chicago , part of the Art Institute of Chicago , but finances precluded that , as classes were very costly . A friend at church mentioned a job as a secretary at a Christian school , so after burning out at the hourphoto place , she jumped . Working there allowed her to take photography classes at the local community college in the evenings , as well as some adult education classes , and it was then and there she really began to learn how to operate a camera in manual mode . Aperture , shutter speed , depth of field ... these all became second nature to Cristen .
“ Photography is really about controlling light ,” she said . “ You can have a bright , sunny day , but with a fast shutter speed and certain depth of field , you can create a really dark photograph .”
The art world , Cristen explained , doesn ’ t always look at photography as art because a machine is doing the work . But , she said , there is still someone behind that machine who is composing the image and creating it . Similarly , one doesn ’ t say that a brush painted Mona Lisa , she said , as it ’ s obvious someone is using that brush to create the painting .
When Cristen thinks about painting as an art profession the mere thought of having to pick something from the expanse of her mind to begin painting “ makes her sweaty as I find it overwhelming ” whereas photography is more akin to a sculptor chiseling away at a chunk of marble until it takes shape and becomes what the artist had envisioned .
“ I ’ m just chiseling away at landscapes and highlighting detail among chaos ,” she said .
In the heart of the Black Hills lies Deerfield Lake . Dramatic skies reflect across the smooth peaceful waters . The cry of a Loon can be heard in the quiet .. Photo by Cristen Roghair
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