Today we’d like to introduce you to Lyndsi Caulder.
Hi Lyndsi, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have always been fascinated with photos. Starting at the book fair, always choosing posters that were photos, versus the drawings, and illustrations that were plastered on friends’ walls. It turned to the human form later in life with photos of people I admired on my walls, and in college, the true human form with nudes covering my walls.
I began taking photos for a class that was a requirement for what was my current major in college, Journalism. It wasn’t something I had done much of before then. I even asked my older brother where I could get a “Black and white Camera from?” in my naivety. Guess what? No such thing as a black and white camera. I went into the class as a requirement, and came out with a change in major, a change in direction, and a change of life. I loved every second of it, from learning to use a camera, to processing my own film, going into the darkroom to process prints. I was hooked and couldn’t get enough. What began as a requirement for school became a requirement in my life.
I’ve now been taking photos for over 25 years and worked in all forms of photography. I have done advertising, marketing, corporate, newborn, and family photography. I was a stay-at-home mom for years, yet, never stopped on our vacations and trips to take those photos. I was late to the game and held onto film for a long time, way past when I should have. I didn’t feel that digital gave the same feel as film and waited until I felt that digital matched the same as film. I think that was around 2013, yeah, late in the game.
I want to show the roots of where my passion first came, black and white photography. However, as I started to work in color, I couldn’t leave it. The colors that come to play when you are in the moment sometime tell more of the story than without. I just want people to love the landscape. I want you to feel the way I felt in the moment and see what I saw through my lens at that moment. I truly don’t edit my photos very much so that you can see and feel just what I saw. Trying to just stick to the old tried and true editing I did in the darkroom 25 years ago.
I feel a spiritual connection when I am in nature. I love a Sunrise because sometimes, it’s just you and the earth, sea, sky and plants. You feel this moment of peace, surrender, renewal, and warmth, and I hope you get this feeling when you see my photography.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I met my husband and had my first born right after college, so I put my dream of working for National Geographic aside and was a stay-at-home mom for a long time. I never truly gave up photography though, finding small ways to always stay using my camera however I could. I have worked in all facets of photography, and took odd jobs that always involved using my camera. I had a hard time finding my people, until I moved to Hilton Head area.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am currently the Gallery Manager at Art League of Hilton Head Gallery. I also display as an Exhibiting Artist there and display mostly landscape photography.
I am most proud that I still stick to using editing you would use in the dark room. All my images have slight editing, and are a single shot, meaning, that it is one photo, and not a composite of many. I try to keep it old school when it comes to editing my photos, so you truly are seeing and hopefully feeling what I was on that day, and bringing it to you to experience.
I think this is what sets me apart from others. I also rarely use birds as my subject, as there are a ton of great bird photographers in the area.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I have always been a risk taker. I would stop in traffic, lay down in the middle of the street, or hang off the side of a bridge to get the right angle/shot. I also took a big risk when I started to really sell art to try and have my own featured artist show and was accepted in 2014 at Art League of Hilton Head. I always say putting your art on the walls for display is really like putting yourself on the wall for display, which takes some guts!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/lyndsi-caulder/art/photographs
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lyndsicaulderphotography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lyndsiphoto24
