Artist's Statement
I am on a journey. And twisting through the maze of life, one thing is clear - I want to help people, to change the course of lives. So, camera in hand, something is building. I photograph People. Life. Journeys. Places. I want to translate on paper that core that is each person, each city, that makes them who and what they are. And in the process help others to see life as I see it - differently. There was a time in my life when I wanted to change the world. And maybe I still will. But today let me show you the world through my eyes. Know that not everything is as it seems. Discover again what you thought you already knew.

Brief Bio
I am on a journey. I am following a passion. The way is littered with challenges, often unknown. But every challenge leads to another fork in the road and an opportunity for growth. Above all I am trying to understand, and to help others understand, that what makes each of us unique  - what makes life, people, the world, the journey unique - is worth capturing. What is unique is beautiful - even that which we consider to be an imperfection. Maybe the imperfections are the point? For me, it's about seeing life - and helping others see themselves - differently. Embracing the imperfection. Memorizing the way. Establishing a connection between the usual and the unusual, an off-color version of the world, bright in some spots and dark in others. But in so doing, finding a balance between what is aesthetic and what is unique, fascinating and complex.

So, camera in hand, something is always building - a new idea, a new path, a new attempt. I photograph People. Life. Journeys. Places. I believe I translate on paper that core that is each person, each place, that makes them who and what they are. I am drawn to the vibrant, bold and colorful, the unusual moments and the atypical subjects. The way I take a photograph, indeed, the way I see the world, is an expression of who I am - perhaps vibrant, certainly bold and maybe a bit colorful as well. I desire to permanently record the details of the journey with the hope that future generations might learn from what I saw and how I saw it.

My background is a bit...unusual. I have a master’s degree in public health and worked for five years as an evaluator on a grant funded project. All the while, I was pursuing photography for fun. At some point, something changed and photography became the overwhelming creative force in my life. And I had to pay attention. So I mentored with another photographer. Pursued clubs and conferences to help me learn what I didn't know. And I have learned to embrace the formal education I've earned, applying it to the passion I now pursue. I know that my background is part of what makes me different - allowing me to excel at what I do and bring a different look and style to my work. I seek always to find a way to blend my worlds - my love for photography, my interest in helping people, and my background in public health. In 2008 an idea I’d been turning over in my head for some time finally became a reality with the help of one woman who bravely came forward and asked if I could photograph her. That’s how the Real Women project came to be. For more info on that go to Real Women.

I am always learning and growing. And always trying new things.  I own a home-based portrait and wedding photography studio, newly  located in Valdosta GA. I spend much of my time on location and on the road. I speak about my work to various groups and volunteer my time with local high schools, mentoring to students interested in photography. I am involved in several galleries, displaying my fine art photography - The Town and Country Fine Art Center in Kettering, OH and Visceral Gallery in Centerville, OH and now Kaleidoscope Gallery in Valdosta GA. I aspire to someday be a national speaker and educator about photography.

Tools: I use a Nikon D700 and, when inspired, a Holga Camera and the trusty Nikon N80 (with Fuji Velvia slide film). I utilize good, fast lenses and unless I am doing fine art photography, I hand hold almost everything. I do work with images in Photoshop CS4, adding overlays and textures, but generally I am a stickler about keeping the integrity of my travel and landscape images intact, or disclosing the truth if I stray from that. If the sunset is orange, it drew me because it was orange and post-production I will not make it pink. If I think a flower should have been in a field where there were no flowers, I plant a seed, I don't cut and paste. And if the sky needs some clouds, I just sit back and wait for the storm.

Location
Here's where it gets interesting. Born and raised in Easton, Pennsylvania, I am actually located everywhere now! As a result of my husband's job, we move around every three or four years. I have connections in NC, SC, PA, VA, DC, DE, CA and OH and now GA. But the good news is that no matter where we live, I always go back to where we've been. So don't let distance keep you from contacting me. I've done portraits up and down the east coast, across the nation and even in Europe. I travel and am available for destination portraits and weddings upon request.

Current Gallery Representation
The Town and Country Fine Art Center in Kettering, OH and
Visceral Gallery in Centerville, OH and now
Kaleidoscope Gallery in Valdosta GA

I also have some of my portrait work on display at the
Home of 10,000 Picture Frames
3338 Country Club Road Suite G
Valdosta, GA 31605
Phone: (229) 244-9651

Photo Credits/ Publications

• Oregon Arts District Website, Images
• Camera Arts Magazine Jan/Feb 2007
• Author Photo: Sara Holmes as published on jacket of her book “Letters from Rapunzel”
• Coffee Table Book Design chosen for display at MPIX Trade Show, April 2008

Past Exhibits

• Synesthesia Gallery Dayton OH Solo Exhibition, July/August 2009
  Dayton Visual Arts Center Short Show : Solo Showing of “Real Women” Exhibit. Also presented two sessions of my “Real Women Photo Collage Program” Dayton, Ohio (August / September 2008) http://www.daytonvisualarts.org/exhibitions/shortshows.html
• Bears Mill in Greenville, Ohio (shared exhibit (one of two people) August 2008) www.bearsmill.com
• Visceral Gallery, Oregon Arts District Dayton, Ohio (March 2008)
• Color of Energy Gallery, Oregon Arts District Dayton, Ohio (February - March 2008)
• Centerville Police Department Gallery, Centerville, Ohio (April & November 2008)
• Image auctioned at the AIDS Resource Center Dayton, Ohio Masquerage Art of Life Silent Auction (October 2007)
• The Little Gallery: Christ United Methodist Church in Kettering, Ohio (January 2007)

Contests

• Dayton Women Photography Contest: (three images juried and hung July/August 2009)
  Rosewood Art Centre "The View" Landscape Competition (juried and hung, June/July 2009)
  Rosewood Art Centre 19th Annual Works on Paper Contest (juried and hung, March 2009)
• Rosewood Art Centre 18th Annual Works on Paper Contest (juried & hung, February 2008)
• The Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins Colorado (juried & hung, published in Camera Arts Magazine January 2008, on display at the Denver International Airport for 3 months)
• DVAC Member Art Show August 2007 & 2008 (juried & hung, achieved judges choice cash award 2007)
• Capitol Arts Network/Washington Gallery of Photography, Bethesda, Maryland (juried & hung)
• Greene County Museum, Snow Hill, North Carolina (juried and hung, awarded 2nd place)
• The Arts Council of  Wayne County, Goldsboro, North Carolina (juried and hung, achieved Best of Wayne County Award June 2006)
• First Place for Billie's photo shoot in downtown Goldsboro, North Carolina (Winter 2006)
   

Photo Credits / Pubs
"All That Remains"	"All that Remains" was published in the January/February 2007 issue of CameraArts Fine Art Photography Magazine in the Artists' ShowCaseTM Feature Section It was also on display through the Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins Colorado as part of the DIA International Invitational Exhibition at the Denver International Airport. Click here to see info on the gallery: View Main DIA Gallery
	Author photo for book jacket, inside back cover. Letters From Rapunzel, by Sara Holmes, published by HarperCollins. Release date was January 2007.  Check out her website (with some of my other photos!) at www.saralewisholmes.com/index.htm
Contests
"Looking for Work"	Juried into the 19th Annual Works on Paper at Rosewood Art Centre in Kettering, OH in February 2009. March 1, 2009 through March 27th.
"All That Remains"	This image also won a judge's choice award at the Dayton Visual Art center member show in August 2007 and was juried into the 18th Annual Works on Paper at Rosewood Art Centre in Kettering, OH in February 2008
"Shadowdancer"	June 2006 National Juried Fine Arts Exhibit Works displayed at the Arts Council of Wayne County.  - two works shown, one juried and awarded Best of Wayne County for "Shadowdancer" click here for the newspaper article on this award! News Argus June 2006.pdf
"Eye of the Staircase"	October 24 - October 28th, 2006 Greene County Museum in Snow Hill, NC Second Place  - January 2006 National Juried Fine Arts Exhibit Work displayed at the Arts Council of Wayne County two works shown, "Eye of the Staircase" juried and won second place!
"Sparkle"	January 2006 Billie's Photoshoot & Contest in Downtown Goldsboro. Two works displayed at the Arts Council of Wayne County, "Sparkle" juried by peers and awarded first prize.
"Still Waters"	April 2006. National Juried Camera Club Show. "Still Waters" juried and awarded honorable mention.
"All That Remains" "Winter Canyon"	June 9 2006 - July 3 2006. Capitol Arts Network. American Landscapes Competition. Two works juried and hung.
"Windowledge Remembrance"	July 14th. 2006. Capitol Arts Network. Travel, Afar Competition. Windowledge Remembrance was taken while I was in Brugges, Belgium in the Summer of 2005