Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dana Foreman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Dana thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

Honestly, I wished I would have attended the University and obtained my Bachelors in Photography when I was just out of high school. I enjoy the art of photography and bringing the likeness of nature around me to an image that can be shared through wall art, print, books and marketing materials. Also being younger and stronger physically would allow me to hike to places I am limited as a golden aged woman. Oh the places my legs would have carried me as a young 20 something. I encourage the high schoolers to consider Photography as a degree program in a higher education program. Go for it!

Dana, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

In the beginning of this journey, I pondered what goals I had for my photography endeavors. After purchasing my first DSLR camera and winning my first national photo competition the following year, I listed my goals and decided that I would be patient in achieving the goals that I set for my Dana Foreman Photography.” I committed to turn my photography into more than a hobby. My hope was to make enough income to pay for better photography equipment and to support my traveling to interesting locations in America. I really am driven to share the beauty of nature with others. So then I started off finding my photography niche and going at it on my weekends and days off from my regular nursing job.. Looking back on the years since 2017 when I began this journey, I am most proud of how many times my images have been featured and published in national magazines. I believe the last count was about 18. I also am proud that I won a national photo contest with one of the very first landscape images I took with my first DSLR crop sensor camera the Canon 80 D using the kit lens it came with. That accomplishment was the motivation to continue and realize that I had the “eye” for composition. I also had won enough money to purchase my first “pro” lens, which is the workhorse lens of my gear still today. The EOS Canon L series 24-105 mm lens.
I hope to publish a photography book in the future and am continually adding images to my portfolio. Photography brings me such joy.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

When my children grew up and moved out, I went through an adjustment living through the “empty nest “ syndrome. My friends warned me that I needed to find a hobby to immerse myself in. I would watch You Tube videos and read blogs to learn more about the camera I purchased and attended an adult enrichment class at the local Community College . I took notes and went out and photographed everything. The challenge that I had then and still struggle with is the technical side of photography. I work through feeling and the visual study of the subject I am photographing. I see a photo everywhere and my mind sees how I want the image to look like and I start playing with my camera settings until I am satisfied with the shot. I attempt to get the image exposed correctly right out of my camera. Teaching myself to navigate the post processing in Adobe Lightroom has been quite the learning curve as well. I try to not compare my work to others because everyone has their own style and technique and it’s all art in my opinion. It can be intimidating however, to enter the social media arena when posting on photography groups. You have to not get your feelings hurt and take criticism without getting discouraged. It is a great way to grow.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist and more specifically a nature photographer would be to capture moments in time in our natural world in a way that produce pieces of fine art photography . Images that pull the viewer into the image as if they were standing in the scene themselves. If people stop and take a lingering look at my image and it captures the attention of the viewers, I feel I am a successful artist. Music moves the soul but so can imagery. It can bring dreaming and future forward planning, motivation to travel and see the world, serenity and calmness, or be a conduit to deeper hidden emotions within. The greatest is when it leads to knowing our Creator through the creation they see in the images. Hopefully my photography brings gratitude for the gift of life on this earth in seeing the wonder.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://danaforemanphotography.zenfolio.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/danaforemanphotography
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danaforemanphotography
• Other: https://dana-foreman.pixels.com

Image Credits
Dana Foreman Photography