CAREFREE TRUTH
Carefree Truth #301
Carefree Truth
Issue #301, January 17, 2013
Arizona Republic reporter Sonja Haller covers Carefree. After the December Council meeting, she was asking me a few questions about the Carefree Desert Garden Photo Contest, which began in 2012, as the entry times for the 2014 contest are January 2nd-February 4th.
During the conversation, I mentioned that a very talented teenaged photographer had entries chosen by the judges as 1 of the 12 to go on display for public voting and for use in the calendars both previous years. The 2012 Garden contest was the first that Nicole, at age 14, had ever entered.
Herbert joined the conversation, telling Ms. Haller he had been so impressed by Nicole Neri's talent, enthusiasm, and creativity that he gave her his Canon Rebel camera and a 100mm macro lens after getting his Canon 1DX and an image stablized macro lens. She had been saving for a Rebel, which she called her "dream camera", and macro photography was her favorite type. It was a good decision. She is taking amazing photos.
Ms. Haller expressed interest in interviewing Nicole, so I put the two of them in touch. Herbert and I attended the interview, which was held in the Carefree Garden, and Herbert produced 2 YouTubes, a long version and a 1 minute 40 second version for use in the Arizona Republic. Both are included below, as is the link to Ms. Haller's article.
During the interview, Nicole said she had become interested in photography after seeing Jerry Sieve's photos. Her older sister had a digital Olympus point and shoot which she allowed Nicole to use. She loved it. She added a jeweler's loop to the end of the lens to achieve magnification, effectively creating a macro lens. She said it was just a hobby at first. Ms. Haller remarked that Nicole has moved beyond basic photography into artistry, noting that she is now thinking about the shots and how to set them up, and making something from nothing. Nicole responded that the Rebel took her to that next level, and moved it from hobby to passion.
Ms. Haller asked how she found out about the Carefree Garden Photo Contest. Nicole said her grandma, who is also a talented photographer and has been 1 of the 12 selected both years too, had entered it and encouraged her to do so as well. Sandy Neri, her grandma, had entered and won the Black Mountain photo contest many times in years past, and once had her photo chosen as the public favorite in that contest. Nicole was thrilled that her photo was chosen on her first try. When asked what she thought of the others chosen in the Gardens contest, she said they were all "awesome". (FYI, there are still some calendars available with these lovely photos, including Nicole's, at Carefree Town Hall.)
Nicole calls herself an "instinctive photographer" saying that is a euphemism for, "I don't take classes". When asked if she views the world a different way now, she responded that she sees details. "Even as I'm looking around here, I see things I want to take pictures of. And it's distracting." She would like to pursue a career in photography. Her entire family has been extremely supportive of her passion. Her parents stood proudly by during the interview.
I very much look forward to seeing Nicole's entries this year, now that she has the Rebel. She is not only a very talented girl, she is also a really nice kid. You can see some of Nicole's photos in the YouTubes. There are more in the long version. She also sends photos to Carefree Truth for Pictures of the Week occasionally.
Lyn Hitchon
Nicole Neri/Sonja Haller interview-long version
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TN8GJxanQQ
Nicole Neri/Sonja Haller interview-short version
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb71SR9linc
Hi Lyn,
Here’s the link to the story and the video.
Sonja Haller
Arizona Republic/azcentral.com
office: 602-444-6863
cell: 480-560-4305
sonja.haller@arizonarepublic.com
Follow me on Twitter: @SonjaHaller
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