Fan Feature: Q & A with April Roberts of A Life Remembered Photography

Fan Feature today is with 

April Roberts of A Life Remembered Photography

April is one of the artists that has 

been with us since the beginning, 

and each week we look forward to seeing her posts.

She has an amazing way at capturing emotions in her b/w
conversions show this.

Here is what April had to say.

1. A little about me...Hmmm, a bit about me? This is always the hardest part for me. I am the mother to 3 lovely girls who are my heart, soul and every day inspiration to better everything about myself. I have been married to my soul mate for almost 14 years and he has been my support in each and every one of my crazy phases in those last 14 years. Photography has been a part of my heart for quite some time, but never was something that I felt confident about. I took a class in high school and I will NEVER forget the comment that my teacher made about my abilities and techniques. He single handedly crushed any confidence I had behind a lens by telling me " You should NEVER pick up another camera, You really aren't cut out to be a photographer." (Oh but if Mr. Owens could see me now, he would eat those words) It was one of the moderators of this group that gave me the confidence to try to make a go of sharing my passion for photography with the world ( You know who you are). I can not thank you enough. I am so blessed to be able to do what I love, so many never get to experience that. 

2. How did i get started? whats in my bag? I got started when I had kids I suppose. My husband and I both enjoy photography, he more of a landscape photographer than I am, and I bought him a Nikon D40 for Father's Day. It took us a bit to learn the basics of it, and to be honest, I still find that model to be a bit complicated. Long story short I became friends with a couple of professional photographers in my area and i told them how much I loved photography I mentioned how envious I was that they were able to do something that they loved and get paid for it, that would be a dream come true. They encouraged me to learn as much as I could about my camera and practice, practice, practice. They in turn taught me about the business side of things and when I felt ready, A Life Remembered Photography was born. In the area that I live in you can't throw a stone without hitting a photographer so it's really difficult to break into a field that is already so saturated with really talented people. 

 Ahhh , the secret of the contents of the bag....well to be quite honest I only work with 3 lenses and my beloved Nikon D7000. I named her Lindsey. A silly thing I know, but I do truly adore my D7000 and I always felt that things that are loved deserve a name. A far as lenses go, I have the good ol' kit lens that came with the D7000 the Nikkor DX 18-105mm, which coincidentally is my absolute favorite lens. I use that more often than not, even more than my Nikkor 35mm prime.  Finally I keep a Nikkor 70-300 for the days when I shoot wildlife or even soccer matches and cant get close. It came with our old D40 but isnt an AF lens so it rarely got used, but the D7000 fixes that with it's built-in AF. 

3.Fav style of photography? My absolute favorite style of photography is Black and White Lifestyle and portraits. I know it pigeonholes me but I would really like to only do black and white. I would only cater to a niche market but I would be so happy doing it. The drama that is portrayed with b&w is so intense if done right, there are no words. From the sweet kisses of a child to the sad eyes of a dog b&w says so much more than words can. 

4.A photographer that I look up to? My all time favorite photographic idol is Ansel Adams. His work speaks volumes about true talent and artistic eye for detail. Back in a time when there were no digital screens to prove that the shot was gotten or missed, or auto white balances. Photographers had to be true professionals in their field in order to get noticed. He was a genius in the days when photographers had to sit for hours and watch for the perfect moment to capture the clouds or whatever subject they desired. While I don't downplay the artistic ability or natural ability of modern photographers, I believe that photographers from those eras are examples of what we should strive to be.