Writing and photography are two of my passions. You know how passions are; when you are actively immersed in them, you are in the flow and time just passes. In both writing and photography, I observe, gather details and try to present them in a creative and compelling way.

My mother once asked me why I did not write fiction. I want to use my voice to make an impact. With my current interest in nonfiction writing, I use words and sentences to inspire, inform, encourage and entertain. Many of the 20 published columns and essays are about teaching. I want to encourage people to become teachers. It is an amazing profession which I learned during my 32 years as a public high school English teacher. I am also a champion of teenagers. Since I taught 8000 teens, I have many stories to tell. I must also confess that I love to make people laugh, so sometimes I write just to entertain.

I started taking photographs in high school. My interest increased when my father-in-law gave me a great 35 mm camera after I moved to the Pacific Northwest in my twenties. One developed photo caught my eye; it was a red mitten on a picnic table at Tolmie State Park. I started putting my photographs in Olympia Arts Walk, local businesses, the Thurston County Fair and the Washington State Fair. Then my friend Joan asked me if I had considered making cards from my photographs. I made some for her which she bought and that started my card business! I have made 55,000 cards by hand and am still going strong. I have my (blank) greeting cards for sale in several places in the area which you can see on my website. The actual photograph is on the front of each 5” x 7” card which makes it great for framing. You can also purchase 11 x 14 and 16 x 20 prints.

I like to present my photographs in series so you can see all the photographs that look at the same theme in a different way. There are 23 series posted, so start by finding one theme that interests you and proceed from there. Enjoy! Thanks for visiting Photofeathers.net!

Laurie Barnoski