Val & Her Photography

My goal as a photographer is to share scenes that evoke emotions that will speak to the viewer. My hope as a photographer is to offer feelings of joy, potentiality and peace through the photos. I believe we all need beauty around us.  

My journey in photography began at an early age. My grandmother said I would spend hours looking at the pictures in National Geographic before I was able to read the text. I was fascinated with visual imagery. Once I had a camera I loved receiving images. When I was in college I realized I could see more than what my little pocket Instamatic could record. A photo journalist friend helped me purchase a camera -- a Canon Ftb. We sat in McDonald's while she gave me a quick lesson in how to use the camera. After 30 minutes she said, "Now, go take photographs." The camera was film, all manual and soon became an old friend. Today, I also use a digital camera for the ease of uploading the files and printing them. However, the old Canon Ftb is still my friend as we record images together.

I loved the sense of quiet I experienced when I was out recording the images -- writing them on the canvas of the film. One day I finally connected with the spiritual experience of photography.  Thus began the journey that emerged as the book Meditation on Both Sides of the Camera -- the experiences where photography informs our spiritual lives and our spiritual lives inform our photography. My digital book, Meditation on Both Sides of the Camera was published in 2012 by Upper Room Books.  Currently, you can purchase a PDF copy of the book on my website

I began selling my photography in 2000. My family had been telling me for years that I needed to sell my work. I was between graduate school and a job when a couple of friends convinced me to try selling my images.  In 2003 I moved to New Mexico. The beauty and spirituality of this state and the surrounding southwestern region provide a perfect location to record images and sell them.  In 2026 I moved to the hill country of Texas.