Photo taken on a nature shoot.....no, it's not my house and fence. :)
I was born on a farm in Saskatchewan, Canada. Calgary, Alberta, became my home around 1967. In 2000 I resettled to the small town of Okotoks, a little south of Calgary.
I am a former well known Alberta fashion designer. Even though I was successful and it was a great outlet for my creativity, I came upon the art of photography in an unusual way and knew this was what I truly wanted to be. I discovered it when I was a chairperson for the Royal Astronomical Society in Calgary. Our famous astrophotographer John Mirtle put on a slide show and when I saw his deep sky images, I just had to take up photography simply so I could photograph my favourite galaxies, M81 and M82. Within a week I had my first manual Nikon camera, within two I knew I wanted a career as a photographer......and I never did get my M81 and M82 shots.
I love, love, love photography. Ever since I took it up , it has been my greatest passion. It is not only my job, but my lifestyle. Taking pictures of babies and children is a wonderful experience. My clients say I am so very patient and I guess I am but it only takes a bit of patience on my part. It is the parents that do most of the work. I just boss them around, they handle their children, and I wait for the right moments to shoot the images. It is so much fun!
My boyfriend Russ Amy is a wildlife photographer so when I am not in the studio, we are out bopping around the countryside photographing the wonders of nature and wildlife. We monitor bird nests, animal dens, and rescue wildlife. We take our rescued animal to the closest wildlife rehabilitation centre. Robert Bateman uses many of our images in his new Get To Know Program which teaches children to care for and respect wildlife. I love all animals and care very much about their welfare.
I also love pets and have rescued seven Pomeranians from different situations throughout the years. My present pom is Peanut. He goes on most nature shoots with us and just loves all the new places he gets to discover every week. He has his yearly portrait taken each spring among the crocus in the Porcupine Hills of Alberta.
Other interests and skills I enjoy are infrared photography, 3-D photography and designing props along with exquisite Victorian styled clothing for children. I am also a Photoshop artist. These skills include hand painting, enhancing, restoring, and creating art images.
With sincerity,
Carolyn Sandstrom
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