About

Me in Greece…this was then

It’s all about Me!

As with many photographers I was given a camera at a young age. Not a Brownie for my 8th birthday as was usual, but a beautiful Kodak Retina III c when I was in my teens. The lustrous leather case and the gleaming chrome appointments of the camera seemed all the more wonderful because my parents had no money to spend on such luxuries.

My father owned a gas station in a small southern town and one day a soldier passing through needed tires for his car. He was low on funds and offered to trade his camera for the tires. My dad agreed though he knew nothing and cared nothing about cameras. But he did have a special place in his heart for military men, as he was a retired submariner himself. None of my brothers was interested in the camera, so it became mine by default.

Like my dad, I knew nothing about cameras or photography. I don’t think I had ever looked closely at a photograph except my disappointing school pictures which always seemed to highlight my long nose or my teen-age skin. I just enjoyed taking the camera out and pushing the buttons. I used my meager baby-sitting funds to buy film at Walgreen’s and when I was in the store, I would study the photography magazines. I particularly remember a prize-winning still life of a knife and an orange which had been cut in half. (I assume by that same knife, but I don’t recall seeing any tell tale droplets of orange juice on the blade.) I remember puzzling over just why it was that this photograph had been chosen as the winner of the contest. I stored that picture in my mind and though I didn’t have the initiative to try to imitate it, I have never forgotten that image.

Even then it was travel photography that interested me. I would wander about our farm with my camera, slogging through the swamps always with an eye out for snakes and tramp through the woods, still keeping an eye out for snakes, cross the creeks, could be some snakes there, too, and maybe into the loft of the barn where I had to keep an eye out for rats and bats and still those snakes could be lingering at the foot of the ladder to the loft. I photographed the flooded creek and new born calves and my brothers playing or working.

My pictures made me happy. I knew they lacked everything a photo could lack and yet the magic of seeing a brief moment of time captured forever in black and white fascinated me. I continued to photograph off and on over the years, my children, family vacations, the usual. Sometimes I was lucky and these pictures inspired me to learn more. Ten years ago I enrolled in photography class at the local community college and now I have a darkroom where I do my black and white as well as Photoshop  on my computer where I work on my colored slides.

The magic of seeing a brief moment in time captured forever is still with me.  I hope you, too, will experience some of this magic as you view my photographs.

Rosemary Sheel

Rosemary and a Moroccan man in traditional dress Rosemary in Morocco…this is now

5 Responses to About

  1. Jimm Hayes says:

    Just Beautiful!!!!
    I have lost probably close to 1000 images due to flooding or robbery during my 30 years of travel and work abroad. But the mental images remain vivid and profound in terms of what I can imagine and understand about life, living, and people,which are the three most important aspects of existence….I would add mother nature and her environment.

    You are sooo fortunate to be able to do something you love, which begins with the freedom of heart and mind to follow what makes that thump in your chest…perhaps such a tendency is a prelude to love itself…with whomever you choose to express it.

    With deep admiration,

    Jimm Hayes

  2. Love your work.
    Do you sell your photographs? Can they be enlarged? I look forward to hearing from you.

    • Rosemary says:

      Dear Joan,

      Thank you for the kind words. I do sell my photographs. They can be enlarged. The largest I print myself (with my professional printer) is 22 inches x 17 inches.

      Every photograph on my blog can be enlarged to that size or larger. If you need a larger size, I’d have to look into the prices professional labs charge.

      I’m glad you enjoy my work. Nothing makes me happier than to hear those words.

      Regards,
      Rosemary

  3. Tamara Hewett says:

    Your photos are wonderful. I wish I had your discerning eye and was able to produce similar results with my camera! I am travelling to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan in May-June this year, so your photos of Uzbekistan are especially interesting.

    • Rosemary says:

      Thank you for your email, Tamara.I’m sure you will get plenty of wonderful photographs in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. One of the tricks to being a good photographer is not to show your bad photos. We all have plenty of those. Everyone needs luck when taking photographs and I wish you lots of luck, golden light and beautiful subjects. I’ve got lots of tips in my blogs that can help you bring home some wonderful photos.
      Best regards,
      Rosemary

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