Episode 28-Renee Giffroy, photographer
As a young child, I would go out ‘shooting’ with my father, who was an amateur photographer, and he helped me appreciate the elements of composition at an early age. I always loved photography but for a number of years it took a back seat to my full time job. After a successful career in a wide variety of sales and marketing positions across the US at IBM, I decided to settle on the NH Seacoast and devote my full time and energy to my long time passion of photography.
I've worked to hone my skills by studying photography at both the Maine Media Workshops and the Santa Fe Workshops. During that time I had the opportunity to study with highly regarded photographers such as travel photographers Bob Krist and Nevada Weir, nature photographers David Middleton, Eddie Soloway, and Ralph Lee Hopkins, and the legendary street photographer, Jay Maisel. I have produced images for the Vermont Land Trust, the Alaska Raptor Center, and the Sitka Conservation Society. In addition, I worked for 5 years with National Geographic Traveler Magazine as an onsite events manager for weekend photography seminars across the US.
If you ask what type of subjects I prefer to photograph, the answer would be ‘all of them!’, which is why you see a wide variety of subjects in my galleries. I also enjoy challenging myself with new projects so visit my website periodically to see my new work. Whether it be nature, travel, people, street scenes, photojournalism, or abstracts, it is the challenge and thrill of capturing a compelling image that excites me!
I am a juried exhibiting member of the New Hampshire Art Association (NHAA), member of the Seacoast Art Association, member of the Newburyport Art Association and member of the New Hampshire Society of Photographic Artists. I am an Advisor to the Seacoast Camera Club and President of the New Hampshire Art Association. My work has been exhibited in galleries in CT, where I lived prior to NH, and I now regularly exhibit my work in galleries in the Seacoast Area.
My Boatscapes series
Currently I am working on a body of work called Boatscapes` Although the pieces look like paintings, they are actually photographs of the details found on boat hulls when the boats are in dry dock. I can spend hours in marinas and boats yards searching for my subjects by walking around the boats to identify the places on the hulls where the markings from wear and tear produce interesting and colorful abstract images. The fun and challenge is to find the 'landscapes' hidden on the hulls. There are no special effect filters applied to these images. The best time to find my subjects is in the Fall when the boats are pulled out of the water or in the Spring right before the boat owners start to prepare their boats for relaunch. I've learned that when I see an interesting image I need to photograph it right away because the next day it may be gone, replaced by a fresh coat of paint.