How Do YOU Create?!?

Thank you to photographer Vickie Ransbottom ~ Guest Blogger No. 1 in my 2025 "Celebrating Creativity" series. JHR

"Photography insists that you see our world in a different way. The most simple thing can transform into a meaningful image." Vickie Ransbottom

My first camera was a Polaroid Swinger. It produced instant wallet sized photos. I can still smell the chemicals that you had to sponge onto the print. My two best friends (twins) and I, all three, got ones for Christmas. I have gone through many cameras since the 1970’s. I was first interested in photography when I realized that there were hardly any photographs of my family.

Once I graduated from school and started working, I bought my first Single Lens Reflex Camera (SLR). The ones with inter-changeable lenses that gave you the ability to control scenes. I took a local class and learned a few things. Then, HE came along and I married and had two children and my time and interests went in a different direction.

On the Beach ~ St. Augustine

Woman with Horse ~ St. Augustine

Woman with Horse in the Water ~ St. Augustine

Fast forward to becoming an empty nester and I needed something to fill my time. I joined the world of digital photography and started taking a few classes, joined photography clubs, went on local and travel workshops and found a new engaging and creative hobby. Some of my favorite workshops are photographing horses on the beach in St. Augustine (above) and wild horses in Utah (below and on cover). Both satisfy my love of horses and fill the void of never having one of my own! In my next life I am planning on being a barrel rider!

Wild Horses in Utah

A workshop in Wyoming gave me the opportunity to photograph the famous Grand Teton’s Grizzly Bear 399 and her four cubs. What a treat! Another Teton workshop found me snowed in at a Ranch during a historic storm with historic FAR below zero temperatures and some white knuckle driving. Yellowstone in the snow is beyond stunning!

Grizzly 399 (1996-2024) with one of the 22 cubs she is thought to have had during her ifetime.

Snowed in at Triangle X Ranch in Moose, Wyoming.

Eight of us flew into Las Vegas for a Route 66 photography trip through Arizona. We were strangers to begin with and great friends still today. Being with like-minded people is very gratifying.

Highway outside Seligman, Arizona, where we met with Angel Delgadillo, "the Guardian Angel of U.S. Route 66" and founder of the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona.

Another fun way to discover things to photograph is to do a Photo Walk. Walk your neighborhood, a park, a small town. You will be surprised what you find when you take the time to simply walk and look. Photography is something you can do alone, with friends or total strangers!

Staircase to the Old Candler Building in Savannah, Georgia, before they renovated it. It previously served as a Union Hospital and later a mental institute. Ghost stories? Oh, YES!

I’ve been fortunate to see all 50 of our beautiful states. There is something to love, appreciate and photograph in each one. Seeing all 50 was never a goal until I realized I was almost there and then I got serious about it! I’m pretty certain that pieces of my heart are scattered through our western states, particularly those with stunning red rocks.

Sunrise view of the Teton Mountains from Triangle X Ranch.

Yellowstone Wolf

I’m not even close to being a great Photographer, but I sure have a heck of a lot of fun. That works for me. I also craft…greeting cards, elaborate gift wrapping, etc. (I’ll save those for another day!)

My motto is: I like to know a little about a lot of things and not a lot about any one thing!

If you would like to view my photography, you can do so on the Flickr website using this link:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/38141080@N00/