About Christine
Reflecting
I was born and raised in rural Rhode Island. I've lived in New York City, New Jersey, and Florida and have come full circle home, to beautiful Rhode Island. I'm a fifth generation artist, but the first digital artist in our family.
2020 was a devastating time for everyone. Everyone's life changed, including mine. I made a decision that year. After spending a week with one of my best friends Jon Jon in Philadelphia taking pictures with a Canon Rebel T5 that my mother gave me for my birthday, I decided I was going to dive full in and learn as much as I possibly could about using a camera and editing. My photography journey began.
I didn't have a formal education. I learned on my own taking various types of online classes. With no teacher to ask questions or get a better understanding of their teachings, my photography education was met with much frustration. Some occasional calls to Jon Jon "Why isn't this working??, What am I doing wrong??" were part of it. While working a full time job by day, I took classes at night and on weekends, plus practicing, practicing, practicing. As I began to see my improvement, I decided it was time to step up my gear and purchased a Sony A7RIII and a few different types of lenses. During the past 2 years I've experimented, created, and explored so many creative techniques and discovered more about myself as an artist. I look forward to furthering my education and continuing my photography journey as there is so much more for me to discover.
I reside in the beautiful state of Rhode Island with my husband and my princess of a cat, Sadie. By day I work full-time for a manufacturing company and by night I work on my dreams of creating artistic photos.
UPDATE DECEMBER 2022: Sadly I had to leave my full-time job of 15 years. Though this is a devastating blow, I'm going to take advantage of this by taking some College Courses and go for my Graphic Design Certification. Find the positive in the negative! Unfortunately this means setting down the camera for a little bit and focusing on School. I'll see you in 2024!
Having limitations can open up your creative mind
My Wings May Be Clipped, But I Can Still Fly
My Wings May Be Clipped, But I Can Still Fly
My Wings May Be Clipped, But I Can Still Fly
Unlike most photographers, I can’t just get into a car and go somewhere to shoot photos. I have a driving phobia and can only drive on local non-busy streets. It has gotten worse over the last few years. Part of my problem is visual depth-perception. I could just use Uber, but on a constant basis, will be extremely costly.
My Battle With Vertigo
My Wings May Be Clipped, But I Can Still Fly
My Wings May Be Clipped, But I Can Still Fly
I also suffer from Vertigo, going on 28 years now. Thankfully it’s not every day of my life, however it’s about 6 to 8 times a year. Each bout can last anywhere from 3 days to 2 months. I never know when it’s going to hit and I never know how long it will last. It can be disturbing, debilitating, and of course, nauseating.
My Wings May Be Clipped, But I Can Still Fly
These 2 situations may make you wonder: Why even pick Photography?
Well, once I accepted my limitations, I started thinking of “what I DO have and how can I get creative with it?”. I have a craft room where I play with inks, paints, foils, clay, etc. I have lots of costumes, props, and lots of "stuff" in my house. I have my mom’s house and gardens to photograph. I can take my camera with me when I do get to go places. I can create a scene if I wanted to using compositing techniques. I can get out my Macro lens and take photos of flowers, bugs or one of my clay creations. I bought a small fish tank and played with photographing liquids. There’s so much you can do when you don’t have a lot or have a small budget. Having limitations can open up your creative mind.