About Me
BIO
I am an amateur photographer with a passion for travel photography.
My love of travel and photography began at a very early age. I was born in The Netherlands, brought up in the beautiful state of Tasmania, Australia, and studied for a teaching degree in Victoria, Australia. I began using a small Brownie camera, but my interest in photography really began with a Pentax Spotmatic that I received for my 21st birthday. After several years teaching I spent 2 years travelling in Europe with trips to Greece, Turkey and Israel. I remember at this time there were no digital cameras, so I had to take care when taking photos as it was for me quite expensive to have my photos printed and then sent back home to Australia.
I then moved to Canada and raised a family while studying to upgrade my degree in teaching. As the children grew and became more independent, I set up a volunteer project teaching teachers in several countries in South America. This is when my passion for photography really began, as I had many opportunities to travel around the countries involved in my project and in other countries on the continent. Every year I returned to Canada with SD cards loaded with photos and spent the rest of the year putting together photo journals of the months in South America for my volunteers. Since then, I have continued travelling…in South America and to China, Mongolia and India and will continue to travel when it is safer to travel.
I prefer to use a small Sony RX iii and RX vi. I like to be ready at any time to whip out my camera and take photos unobserved by my subjects.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Being primarily a travel photographer gives me the opportunity to take many different types of photos, from candid shots of people, streets, architecture (old and new) and landscapes.
I like to take photographs that tell stories about the people and culture. Through these photographs, I encourage others to become involved in the process of finding meaning from them. In addition, they have the opportunity to learn something about the customs of other cultures and other countries that they are not able to visit.
I tend to be a reactive photographer. I am always on the lookout for anything that is interesting….how light falls on buildings or streets and creates shadows, people living their lives, architecture, and anything else that others miss. Due to the unpredictable nature of this type of photography, I typically use a small point and shoot camera so that I can make the most of the opportunities I see before me. When using a larger camera, I find it very challenging not to interrupt what is occurring when I want to take candid shots. For this reason, I prefer to use my small camera and to be very responsive in all situations and be ready to take a photo at any moment. It’s ideal if the subject remains completely unaware of my presence.
There are times that I could be called a proactive photographer. I like to include people in my photographs. While most travellers wait to take photos without people, at times I wait until a person naturally appears.
Recently, I began manipulating photos to create surreal and abstract art using many of my best photographs. I am experimenting with several programmes. I am excited about the many possibilities they provide to create Photo Art. Check out the galleries in my portfolio!
Email: cathie_aa_t@hotmail.com