LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
CAMP Profile |
| by Stephani Deoul |
Carolyn Watson Photography A visit to the new Carolyn Watson Photography studio is not your usual harried quest to find "the" photographer. Once inside, this studio gently morphs its way into an aesthetic feast for your eyes until, almost subliminally, that harried quest is massaged, and your mind and spirit are stimulated into a joy that only art can provide. If Carolyn Watson Photography were music, it would be smooth jazzdefined by a strong but flexible rhythmic understructurehaving both solo and ensemble improvisations resulting in a highly sophisticated harmony.
It's harmony because "the" photographer is really two photographersCarolyn Watson and Ginny Stominski. As life partners for fourteen years, both enjoyed photography while pursuing their individual careers. Then came 2003, and with it, a New Year's resolutionto "re-wire but not retire" themselves. So when opportunity knocked, they didn't hesitate to answer the door. It was the summer of 2004 and it was raining at the beach. Rather than stay at their Rehoboth home, they opted to attend a show at the Rehoboth Art League where renowned National Geographic photographer Kevin Fleming was doing a book signing. Carolyn waited out the crowds, summoned up her nerve, and asked if she could accompany him on a photo shoot. Amazingly Fleming agreed, IF she could be at his house at 4:30 the next morning. She could. Carolyn arrived as promised and to make a long story short, Kevin Fleming became a mentor and friend to both Carolyn and Ginny. And as their natural talent blossomed, Kevin shared studio space, hired them for Delaware Beach Life assignments, and supported their growth even as it evolved from his studio to their own at 720 Rehoboth Avenue. And 720 Rehoboth Avenue is where this surprising retreat begins. The front room is sleek, showcasing their work in an elegant simple display. The twelve-piece metal mural displayed on the wall next to the counter gently reassures you their work is special. Greetings from two accessible, warm artists follow, with an invitation to join them in their viewing area. As you sit on a couch and are offered drinkswhich range from a glass of wine to a glass of waternotice the stunning photograph on the easel to your left. For fun, guess what the lens captured. By now, you find yourself beginning to relax. While you are doing this, Ginny and Carolyn have been gathering a few albums for you to see and discuss what you need. The array is where the tension leaves and the music of their art lifts you up. This is not your simple, old school "parents wedding album." From small leather "brag books" to albums seamlessly filled with overlays, suddenly your energy is palpable. Old ideas take on new ideas and waitmaybe we should have them do both our commitment ceremony and our backyard barbecue the night before or a shoot down at the beach. That way nobody has to be left out of the photos. Or look at this photo of a family with nothing but hands joined in a circle from an infant to a great-grandmother. We could do something really cool with this gang of ours that has been renting the same house for ten years together! Yet as you leave the couch and head behind the curtain to tour their studio, even more ideas flow. Three areas are defined inside. A state of the art backdrop system, a "set and props area" and a small "beach" area with five tons of sand lying in wait. Maybe it's a private shoot with your partner for an astounding, original, very personal piece of art for your new home. Have your own "Herb Ritts" style moment for your own walls. Relaxing back on the couch the conversation is now flowing. How about creating an album that bridges both of your lives with some old photographs that Ginny and Carolyn will restore? The project could culminate into a new shoot that brings the two of you together in the here and now. For a look at how that might differ from your traditional expectation, as redefined by these women and their art, check out one of the two photos above. There's a bride and groom dancing on the beach. In the foreground are photos of three of their parents who were deceased and yet this bride and groom wanted to somehow include them in the wedding. Traditional? Perhaps not. Magnificent? Definitely. For the record, the photo is a candid shot, a moment that was simply captured when it happened. And as Carolyn and Ginny laughingly say, it is the benefit to having two life partners working together. Ginny Stominski captured that moment as Carolyn swapped cameras. This year think out of the box and maybe think onto the walls, the coffee table or the nightstand. Take a poem you wrote and bring Carolyn and Ginny some photos and they will help make your home a reflection of your life. Their motto is "creatively capturing life's moments" and after visiting with them you realize it is exactly what they do. Visit them online at www.CarolynWatson.com |
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LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 18, No.11 August 08, 2008 |
