Today we’d like to introduce you to Tamala Leighfield
Hi Tamala, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve been a Visual Arts Instructor for over 20 years at Trident Technical College, but I’ve always loved to create. In high school, Art was always my favorite elective and I took classes in watercolor, photography, calligraphy and anything else I could. When I graduated from Porter Gaud, I knew I wanted to study art, but my father didn’t want me to go to Art school, and certainly didn’t want me to study Fine Art. He and my mother were always supportive so we agreed on Graphic Design at American University in Washington, DC, where I would be able to take other liberal arts classes. Photography was a requirement for the Design degree, and I fell in love! I could easily see where Design and Photography overlapped and influenced each other, so I took as many classes as I could while working on my BA. In my junior year, I noticed strange electrical tingles going down my back. I learned this was Lhermitte’s sign from the neurologist who diagnosed me with Multiple Sclerosis. Luckily, my symptoms subsided for awhile and I graduated, then got a job for a photographer in the Washington, DC area. I assisted him for a few years, and decided to pursue a Master’s degree in photography. This took me to Santa Barbara, CA where I studied at Brooks Institute. It was an intense and wonderful experience. I learned a huge amount and made wonderful friends. Photo jobs were pretty scarce in Santa Barbara, LA was not my cup of tea and I missed the South. After graduation, I moved back to Charleston where I worked commercially, and had photos in advertisements for the Magazine Antiques, Elle Decor, and local publications. I exhibited and sold my fine art work at a number of places including the Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Exhibition, the Upstairs Gallery in Tryon, NC, Santa Barbara Museum of Art and the Halsey Gallery. My wonderful husband, Tod, who I met through friends just after I moved back to SC, was incredibly supportive of my work and encouraged me to apply for a job as a photo Instructor at Trident Tech, which combined my love of art with helping people create. When a full time position opened up, I applied and got the job. Within a few years, Tod and I had two beautiful boys and the commercial and fine art got moved to the side while I focused on my FT job at TTC. The programs at TTC have expanded in Visual Arts. Since I was born in an analog film world, I’ve migrated into the digital world where I have continued to expand my knowledge and skill set. I currently teach a wide range of classes – Design, Multimedia, Darkroom Photography, Lighting, and many more- and still look forward to learning something new everyday. Now that my children are grown, and the dogs are happy to sleep on the couch, I am starting to move back into creating art just for me.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not always, but whose road is? Being diagnosed with a chronic neurological disease in college was tough. Since my original diagnosis, I’ve had bouts of Optic Neuritis which temporarily affected my eye sight. Over the last few years, MS has impacted my mobility and limited my activities. I can’t go on long hikes with the family, I can’t wander off to take photos, I can’t carry photo gear to locations. I spend a lot of time in doctor’s offices, waiting rooms and planning.
Having to use mobility aids is humbling and limiting, but it also allows me to get out, get around (although a little slower and clumsier) and be involved.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Since I come from a background of Commercial Photography and Graphic Design, as well as teaching, my work has always incorporated a blend of approaches, and a variety of capture methods and media. Although still based in digital photography, my work looks at the small, mundane moments and places all around us. MS has forced me to slow down, to be still and to find meaning in this. The mechanical nature of a camera captures reality, a slice of time out of a constantly moving world but as the photographer Duane Michals said, “Photography deals exquisitely with appearances, but nothing is what it appears to be.” I’m interested in capturing what I thought I saw, what I felt, the stories I imagine within scenes that the light awakens and illuminates. I explore alternative approaches such as long shutter speeds, supplemental light, multiples from diptychs to polyptychs and alternative print media such as gauze. Viewing these frozen moments allows the viewer to pore over the small details that may have been passed by: The shimmer of light on a metal tray in the doctor’s office, the blur of a person walking through a door, the fade of texture and shadow within a line of trees. I’m proud that no matter my limitations, I’m still creating and learning and exploring.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Growing up downtown and being able to explore our beautiful city! This was before the Pineapple Fountain and all the influx of renovations to the city but I could wander with my friends, explore and take photographs. I loved searching the city and its pathways where the past and present live together. My friends and I would cut through Gateway Walk, so I could pose my friends in front of buildings on King St. We’d drive out to Magnolia Cemetery as night was falling in the long, summer evenings. It was such a beautiful, eerie place – a silent city. My friends would pose for pictures or hold the lights, or participate in any of my silly ideas! Even then I was playing with color and pushing to see what the camera could capture. They were the best sports, especially my friend Mikell Ann, and we’re still friends today! So many wonderful photographs and memories.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tamalaseesthelight.wordpress.com/
- Instagram: @world.o.tam
