In this monthly feature some of our best local photographers share their passion for capturing beautiful and fascinating images. You will find more of their work on various photo sites, like Flickr, and in our own Great Shots section. This month Ronnie Goyette has been invited to talk about her interest in photography and to share some of her work with you.
My Little Man
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My husband Lee likes to tell folks that his wife spends every day shopping – pausing for the reaction, then revealing that I'm not breaking the bank. I'm Photoshopping. And I find it much more enjoyable than the spending kind.
My Love
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My photographic journey began in the late 1970s, when Lee and I worked in Madrid, Spain. During our weekend and vacation travels throughout Spain and Europe, we always had two cameras around our necks — one for color, and for one black and white. We found that most people were very agreeable to being photographed – a smile went a long way in opening up cultural doors. We set up a darkroom in our flat, where I learned black and white printing.
Our first child was born in Spain, and within four years she was joined by a sister and two brothers. We found ourselves too busy for creative photography outside of the family kind. And with a full house there was no room for a darkroom, so the equipment was sold.
Fast-forward 30 years. I was working part time at CMC as an RN, the kids had graduated college, and a serious illness caused me to reassess life. We began travelling again, taking photos with a point and shoot camera. Reveling in my reborn creativity, Lee presented me with a get-out-of-prison card: a DSLR and the Photoshop software.
Suddenly, I am seeing life in SLO with new eyes.
Photography makes one slow down and look at the small things. The beauty in our surroundings jumps out at me – the wildlife and scenery that I ignored before, I now seek out and want to learn more about. Rather than spending my day with inmates, I'm outside enjoying nature and making images of all that beauty. I find that photographing people, both young and old, is especially rewarding.
It has been about a year and a half now that I've been using the DSLR. It's much more complex than a film camera and I still feel like a beginner. But the ability to shoot hundreds of photos and just dump the ones I don't like is a real luxury. Plus, the image manipulation is just plain fun!
I've received great encouragement from my fellow docents and the staff at the Museum of Natural History in Morro Bay and the Pismo Beach Monarch Grove. I was thrilled when they asked to use my photographs for postcards, and now my nature cards are available there as well as at the Seven Sisters Gallery in Morro Bay. And although my cards can be found as far away as New Jersey, where my sister donates profits from sale of the cards to the MS Association, I continue to tell Lee he cannot quit his day job. Maybe after my first exhibition, which is the next goal I have set.
My oldest daughter designed my business cards and web site and Lee continues to teach me and even woke up before dawn on our vacation to see the birds . . . just don't believe him when he says he carries all of my camera gear! I am indebted to this community's many talented photographers for their inspiration, support, and teaching. I recommend the welcoming people of the SLO Camera Club to anyone interested in photography at any level. More of us should get to spend the day 'shopping.
Kitty, Kitty . . .
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Dance
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Footnote: Ronnie Goyette is of no relation to local professional photographer Barry Goyette.
