Shutterbugs
by Mimi Ditchie
Death Valley
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Cloud
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I consider myself to be a local native even though my family didn't move to the Central Coast until I was two years old. I have very faint memories of living in Shell Beach, on one of those sunny streets that head down to the ocean cliffs. Most fascinating was a partly built and headless cement dinosaur near where we lived which was never completed, much to my disappointment. Soon my family moved to San Luis Obispo where I went to school.
Dogwood
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Candlelight
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I was always interested in art and took classes while in high school. At Cuesta College I received an Associate in Arts degree. Art was fun, but not a career, so I set out on a much more practical vocation — nursing. I worked as a nurse's aide while attending Cuesta again and became an LVN (Licensed Vocational Nurse) in 1977. Then it was back to Cuesta in 1989 for my degree in registered nursing.
In the 80's I got my first really great 35mm camera. It was a Canon AE-1 Program and I just loved it. I took a correspondence course by mail through the infamous "New York Institute of Photography." It helped me to learn the basics of photography and every weekend I was off to photograph something new.
In the 90's I took "Introduction to Black and White Photography" and "Intermediate Black and White Photography" at Cuesta which gave me some great darkroom experience. The instructor, Patrick Walsh, was a wonderful teacher. I'll never forget that he once said, "Dare NOT to take the picture." He also critiqued the redundancy of some subjects such as old barns and seagulls. That impressed me, and to this day I stop and think, "Do I really want to take this photo? Does this image inspire me?" Even in this digital age, I try not to take tons and tons of photos, though I have been known to shoot an old barn or two! Mr. Walsh has unfortunately passed away since then, but he certainly left an impression on me.
I dove into the digital age in 2004 and bought my first digital camera. Currently I have several digital SLR's, my favorite being the Canon 5D Mark lll. I have taken many classes online and at Cuesta to learn about digital photography and, in particular, Photoshop and Lightroom. At this time I consider myself fairly proficient in Photoshop and really enjoy the program.
Blue
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Another interest of mine is volunteering with animals. Once a week I go out to Woods Humane Society and "hang out" with the cats. I take photos of them, and also occasionally volunteer for their benefit events. I love animals and photography, so it's an excellent combination. Plus, with my Photoshop skills I can try to make them look their best to a potential adopter. Even if the person doesn't click with that particular animal, at least we've drawn them in and maybe another animal will be their perfect match! |
Mystery Cat
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Currently I'm retired and live in See Canyon with my husband of 35 years, Mark. If I take a trip, it's about photography. If there's an event I want to attend, it's probably about photography. I usually have a camera with me wherever I go — just in case. What if I miss something? I'm contracted with an online stock photography agency and sell an occasional photo, enough to fill up my gas tank once in a while. And then that tank of gas takes me on to my next photographic adventure.
Morro Bay Sunset
The Two of Us
See more of Mimi's work at her website, Mimi Ditchie
Here on the Shutterbugs page, some of our best local photographers share their passion for capturing beautiful and fascinating images. Some images are cropped to fit our format. You will find more of their work on various photo sites, including Flickr, and in our own Great Shots section.
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