Her work be stills my heart! A fellow Lensbaby lover, I just adore the way Sherri Davis captures that dreamy blur and creates such beauty and wonder! I have been a fan since the very first photo I saw of hers and continue to follow her with eager eyes. Thrilled to have as my March featured artist: Sherri Davis Photography How long have you been in business and how did you get your start? I got a completely manual slr in 1987 for a college class and learned b&w developing and processing which started my photography hobby, but it wasn't until 2007 when my son was born that my creativity took over. In Canada we have one year maternity leave. I decided to use that year to learn everything I could about photography hoping that if I got good enough I could work from home and make my own hours with a basement photography studio. I started charging people in 2008, but I didn't have a business number until 2010. In all honestly, at that point I was no where near ready to be in business, but I had my blinders on and had no idea the growth that I still needed. I stepped back from the business side in 2013 to focus on myself and my family. My youngest will be in school full time in the fall so I am starting to look towards that time when I will be able to devote more time to shooting for others (and have the time for all the business stuff and editing that goes along with that). Which photographers influenced you, and how did they influence your thinking, photographing, and career path? Deb Schwedhelm, Pink Sugar Photography, Ginger Unzueta. Not following what everyone else is doing. Listening to your own voice and not someone else's. Balance. That it is okay to photograph your children. You can create beautiful art of your own children. It doesn't always have to be paying clients. What is the one thing you wish you knew when you started taking photos? White balance! What does photography mean to you? I am a stay at home mom living in the middle of nowhere away from my family. My husband works a lot so most of the time I am on my own with two kids, one who has special needs. It is what keeps me sane. It gives me focus and something to strive for. Something to look forward to. It makes me slow down and be in the moment with my children and really see what is going on. Every night when I go through my images from the day I see the beauty in my life. And in the moments when I am feeling like the less-than-perfect parent I can look back and see the childhood I am giving my children and know that I really am doing the best that I can. What is the best part about being a photographer? Having so many photographs of my children. There are so many moments that fade in our memory over time. Looking through pictures brings us right back to that moment and refreshed our memories. My kids love to sit down and go through our albums. If you could shoot with any photographer in the world, who would it be and why? A local photographer named Larry Towell. He is part of Magnum Agency and has documented conflict zones around the world as well as documenting his own children and family in an incredibly honest and though provoking way. Even in the most horrific war zones he captures everyday moments which speak volumes about people and their ability to survive. His way of viewing the world and the moments within life have been a huge influence on me. I would love to be able to spend an afternoon at his house watching to see how he observes the moments around him. My favourite quote from him is "It can take that which is ugly and make it beautiful, not by misrepresentation, but by stopping to look more deeply at the subject itself, and by striving to paraphrase the non-event. In this way, the ordinary becomes distinct, the way poetry transforms words. This handling of the ordinary is the life of photography itself. In this ordinariness, photography lives and breathes." Larry Towell What is your favorite image you have taken to date? It would have to be one taken with my lensbaby in Janurary 2013 of my daughter twirling in a pocket of sunshine. This image symbolizes so much to me. I was going through a rough period creatively and had given up. It was that giving up which opened myself up to moments as they happened instead of pre-planning, over thinking and orchestrating. The out of focus was not intentional. I was learning how to use my lensbaby and my daughter was just too quick. I did get a few in focus, but I preferred this one that is blurred. How do you feel about breaking the perceived rules of photography? I will admit that I smile a bit to myself when I break a rule on an image and it turns out amazing. There are times when rules are important and I follow them, but other times I don't mind throwing them right out the window and thumbing my nose to those who say you can't do this or do that. One thing Sherri and I have bonded over is our love of freelensing. Recently, Sherri has begun freelensing in video format as well. Here is one of her gorgeous freelensed home movies of her little girl! I am dying to try this myself!! Like Star Dust Glistening On Wings
4 Comments
Kelly Akers
3/6/2014 12:47:43 pm
Wow, I am a new fan of Sherri's! You know how much I love freelensing, can't wait to check out more of her work.
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Jackie
9/24/2019 02:21:19 pm
Sad to recommend someone who just harassed a bunch of people on Facebook. Calling people dumb does, twats, threatening to go their house....disgusting. I would never EVER recommend this business. I have all the proof to back this up.
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Jackie
9/24/2019 02:23:28 pm
Wrong Sherri Davis! I apologize.
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