When I was 19 I borrowed my sister’s camera, an old Petri rangefinder, and with  the help of the Time Life series on photography, set out to teach myself to take photographs.

I spent several years taking, developing, and printing black and white photographs.   I gained enough recognition to have a one-woman show in the town where I lived and participate in several nature festivals.   Unfortunately family circumstances required me to “temporarily” put my dreams on hold and get a job with a regular paycheck.  I continued to take photographs but it wasn’t until many years later that I was able to start again on the path to my dream.

Many things had changed when I again entered the world of photography.  Today I shoot digital, in color, for the flexibility it allows me.  I shoot mostly in high contrast color to bring out the detail and to make the image stand out.  I process and print my own work using the most archival materials available.  The majority of my work is printed without modification however I have begun to experiment with modifications that give a watercolor effect.  This body of work is printed on archival watercolor paper.

I do what I can to support the protection of wildlife and open spaces.   They bring a sense of serenity and peace which I try to reflect in my art.

My husband and I moved to Florida several years ago.   Piece by piece, the beautiful spot I grew up in was going to the bulldozers.  So we moved to where we could afford to be out in the country.  I’ve grown to love the home we have built here, especially the Everglades, the beautiful large birds, and even the alligators (with a long lens).  Of course, what happened in my home town is happening here.  I believe the estimate is 500 people a day moving into Florida.  And I really can’t say “now that I’m here no one else can come”.  So there must be a balance somewhere, a place for people, and a place for nature.  And I really don’t know the answer.  But I do know that if you must live where you cannot see the trees or the birds or the open land, you can at least put photographs on your walls and remember that they are out there.

“There was a handsome male mockingbird that sang his heart out every morning
during the nesting season from the top of a tall Norfolk Pine tree.  Last week the tree was cut down.  The mockingbird and his song are gone.  I can't put a dollar value on the tree nor on the mockingbird nor on his song.  But I know that I – and our whole neighborhood - have suffered a loss.  I wouldn't know how to count it in dollars” -  Jacquelyn Hiller

Alison Thomas     (407) 314-1516

Serenity Scenes Nature Photography 

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