Imagine what the photographs will depict.  See the quality of light.  Create images that capture emotion.

 

I first began making photographs when I received a Polaroid Swinger camera as a gift from my parents on my 11th birthday. Inside that shiny white plastic camera box with the thin black strap was magic. First you looked through the viewfinder, picked your subject and squeezed a knob until the letters YES were illuminated in red. Yes, meant the exposure was correct and you could shoot the picture. After releasing the shutter, you pulled out a small photographic image that continued to develop right before your eyes. Once the image was coated with some smelly preservative, the small black and white picture became your memory of some precious or obscure moment in time.

I traveled throughout my neighborhood on foot or bicycle searching out willing pets and their owners as subjects. Most of these first portraits included cats, dogs, quivering squirrels, quacking ducks, and childhood friends posing in their yards. This was the beginning of my quest to document my world.

After high school I finished college at the University of South Carolina with a BS in Psychology. Many moons and jobs later, I completed my Masters degree in Journalism, with an emphasis on Photojournalism. Between my undergraduate and graduate degrees I worked for the federal government, state government and finally for a private company managing photo finishing labs. After receiving my graduate degree I worked in public relations photography for a state agency as the head photographer doing publication and agency work. In late 1992 I took a leap of faith and started my own photography business.

Since then I have continued to hone my portrait, commercial and fine art photography skills. My portrait and fine art work has been purchased by customers both locally and nationally. As often as possible I take photography and design courses to continue to grow my knowledge base. I have taken course work at both the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops and the Maine Media Workshops. Travel to the Northeast and West coasts of America are favorite locations that help keep me visually excited.

Many photographers have been a source of inspiration over the years. They include Dorothea Lange, Margaret Bourke-White, Ernest Haas, Ansel Adams, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and David Muench. Those masters make it look easy. But you learn quickly how much work it takes to make successful images.

I have been an exhibiting member of the Charleston Artist Guild and regularly participated in the Piccolo Spoleto juried exhibtition in Charleston, SC.

In the last several years I have taught photography at the college level and in the community. The classes have ranged from basic photography to aesthetics of photography which encompasses the history of photography. This year I am offering photography workshops in the Charleston area and beyond. I really enjoy teaching as well as learning from others who enjoy photography whether on the amateur or professional level.

Today I continue to shoot black and white film and digital images with multiple cameras. Though trained in traditional dark room processing and printing, more of my time is spent editing images on the computer screen using photoshop and lightroom. But capturing emotions, variations of light, and meaning in my images still remains the goal - whatever the process.

Please enjoy the sampling of images on the website. This is my life's work.

Call me at 843-388-2800 or email me at info at pamelabrooksphoto.com to discuss any of your imaging needs.

Pam

 

"You’ve got to push yourself harder. You’ve got to start looking for pictures nobody else could take.

You’ve got to take the tools you have and probe deeper."

William Albert Allard