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Featured Photographer:
Jeannie E. Roberts

As a kid, I recall my dad with his Kodak camera happily snapping shots
of family and friends, trees and nature, flower gardens and prize fish (he
was an avid gardener and trout fisherman). "As I look back, the Instamatic
camera was an ever-present fixture in my childhood, as well as a truly delightful
part of it." That early introduction to photography
must have struck a chord with my creative side.

In college, I bought my first 35mm SLR camera, a Minolta SR-T 202 (now
considered vintage). As a broad-area art education major, photography was
part of my coursework. I enjoyed the process of taking photos, finding
diverse and interesting subject matter (a treasure hunt of sorts), then photo-
graphing it in an artistic way. From start to finish, the entire process,
including developing my own film in the university's darkroom, felt like a
soulful and enriching experience. To this day, I'm drawn to the depth, contrast,
and drama of black-and-white photographic imagery.

Throughout my life, I've used a variety of cameras, including Canon, Nikon,
and Pentax. Now, I shoot with a Sony a6000, an affordable, easy-to-use, digital
camera. I also like using my iPhone, nothing compares to its immediacy.

I've worked as a freelance photographer, coaching, styling, and photorgraphing
commercial talent, capturing looks and poses for their head shots, portfolios,
and composite cards. For my creative businesses, I've photographed my drawings
and paintings, crochet wear and jewelry designs. And not so long ago, I worked as
professional photographer, photographing babies, children, young adults, and families
for a portrait studio.

Today, my focus is mainly scenic photography, photographing nature through the
seasons as well as capturing the shapes, textures, and natural design elements found
outdoors. My photos appear in online journals, magazines, and print anthologies,
including An Ariel Anthology, Blue Heron Review, Midwestern Gothic, Off the Coast,
Portage Magazine, Presence, Quill and Parchment, Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets'
Bramble Literary Magazine and elsewhere. To learn more, please visit my website at
www.jrcreative.biz or my Instagram gallery at https://www.instagram.com/jeannie.roberts/
(@jeannie.roberts)


Jeannie E. Roberts has authored four poetry collections and one children's book.
Her most recent collection is The Wingspan of Things, a poetry chapbook
(Dancing Girl Press, 2017). She is also the author of Romp and Ceremony, a full-
length poetry collection (Finishing Line Press, 2017), Beyond Bulrush, a full-
length poetry collection (Lit Fest Press, 2015), and Nature of it All, a poetry chapbook
(Finishing Line Press, 2013). She is the author and illustrator of Let's Make Faces!, a
children's book dedicated to her son (author-published, 2009). Her work appears in
online magazines, print journals, and anthologies, including A Year of Being Here,
Bards Against Hunger, Festival of Language's Festival Writer, Literary Mama,
Misty Mountain Review, Red Cedar Review, Silver Birch Press, Sky Island Journal,
The Paddock Review, Verse-Virtual, Visual Verse, Volume One's Local Lit, Yellow
Chair Review and elsewhere. Born in Minneapolis, she lives in an inspiring setting
near Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, where she writes, draws and paints, and often
photographs her natural surroundings. She is a member of the Wisconsin Fellowship
of Poets and the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild, and is the West Central Region's
Co-Vice President for the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets.  

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