| Photographer
went from being Linda to Casey, and things just developed
By Brittany Strickland
April 15, 2008 | When she was 37
years old, Linda Edwards changed her name to Casey.
[Rewind.]
Edwards grew up in California and
began an array of different careers as a soldier, a
missionary, a student, a termite inspector, a firefighter,
a barista, and finally, a paramedic working in Alamagordo,
N.M. Edwards progressed from a struggling, career-juggling
girl named Linda into a strong and settled woman named
Casey.
Edwards said, "When I went to Humboldt
State University in Arcata, Calif., I was this person:
straight, Republican, conservative, and pro-life --
I graduated gay, Democrat, liberal, and pro-choice."
[Fastforward.]
Working three 24-hour shifts a week
as a paramedic, Edwards spends her free time with the
things she loves: her two dogs, her friends, her family,
and her passion: photography. Edwards said, "My mind
doesn't view the world the way most people's do. I look
at everything as if I am a camera lens myself, and imagine
capturing it at just the right moment."
Edwards has a compelling career,
a positive emotional support and a spiritually enhanced
view of life. In spite of the previous turmoil of inconsistent
financial status and difficult personal clarification,
it seems that she has finally found peace within herself
and her surroundings. She is now, Casey Edwards, taking
pictures that express herself to others.
Her friend, Gregory Kuehl, says,
"Her photography captures her interests and yet has
the interesting quality of defining who she is. Most
of her photography shows a glimpse of her true spirit.
If you'll notice most of her photography contains a
solitary subject."
One stunning piece of Edwards' collection,
is a snapshot of a slender yellow rose: a 'solitary
subject'. It is encrusted with frozen bits of frost,
seemingly as if its edges had been dipped in water and
touched softly into a shallow bowl of sugar. The tips
of its petals are wrapped around each other and dusted
with the winter's taunting flakes. The vibrance of yellow
resonates like a tangy lemon.
[Freeze.]
With a simple Canon camera -- not
bulky, not sleek -- Edwards takes 35 mm of film and
turns what would be scenic drab into glorified pieces
of art. She uses her knowledge of favorite fellow photographers
like Galen Rowell, Ansel Adams, and David Muench, to
take a simple picture and make it a photograph, through
the use of a basic camera. "It does the job. Besides,
it is the eye of the photographer and his/her lens which
makes or breaks the photo," Edwards says.
Through the illumination of small
details, her photos drip with uniqueness and her adoration
of natural wildlife appears on film. She chooses to
take her photography out into the fresh air, instead
of limiting herself to four walls and ceilings. She
comfortably melds with the dirt, grass and winds, choosing
to keep her photography development as natural as the
process itself. "I don't now, nor have I ever, done
any darkroom stuff -- I really should, but I like the
purity of what I do versus messing with all of those
chemicals," she says.
[Unfreeze.]
When Edwards prepares to take a photo,
she first verifies that her Canon and her eye for hidden
beauty are in sync with one another. When going on a
planned photography venture, her initial thought is
to make sure she has given herself enough time to set
up all of the necessities as she awaits the "golden
hour of light." If the opportunity for a casual photograph
strikes her, her first reaction is "cool!"
The final thing that comes to Edwards'
mind, after successfully snapping a photo, is gratitude.
"My last thought for either situation is twofold: one,
I love being outdoors and feeling overwhelmed by the
creations surrounding me, the wind in my hair, the sun,
the clouds, the birds -- everything. Secondly, I count
myself blessed for being this kind of person who needs
to be in her ancestral roots. By this I mean having
a connection with the earth, like our predecessors.
That constant hunger to feel the earth underneath my
feet," Edwards says. "My theory is that on some level,
we still feel the earth vibrate, but because we are
so out of touch with nature, we equate our sub conscious
feelings with something external. I do feel blessed
because I don't want to lose that innate connection
with nature ... she can teach us everything we need
to know to survive, if only we pay attention."
[Zoom in.]
The majority of Edwards' pictures
have been of distant landscapes and natural growth.
From high atop a hiking path or from the front stoop
of her house, the shots compel the onlooker to look
again. With images of clouds burning along their edges
and seemingly lined with gold tinsel, Edwards portrays
the clearest of nights with shadows crawling behind
and around focal points. An image of daylight can seem
as raw and gloaming as any picture of the night.
The mountains in her art frequently
begin from both sides of the page and decline as they
converge in the middle of the image; the shape of a
"V" seemingly creating a crevasse inviting the eye to
a wet river or to a tree working with breezes.
Her black and white photographs resemble
scenes from a classic film noir It is easy to picture
characters resting near her cryptic trees or running
down her romantic hills. The images of roses, lying
on their sides like sad women, contrast with the fancy
cobalt of daisies filled with color and pep.
The skies always seem consistent,
in her photographs. Whether, hazy white at the base
and vibrantly sapphire along the top, or dusky and ashen
as the night appears, Edwards' skies take control of
each picture and clarify the motif.
Though Edwards says that her works
rarely have an agenda, she is inspired simply by the
idea that people need to slow down and breathe in all
that is around them, and work to preserve it. She hopes
that her pictures inspire that in others, saying, "I
am constantly showing anyone I feel is interested my
stuff ... and that suffices because I usually get a
sale or two out of things."
Her photographs have certainly influenced
those close to her. "Casey is very much a purist when
it comes to photography - as in, she doesn't use filters
or software trickery to achieve effects, and yet she
manages to bring out the unique characteristics and
amazing beauty in the objects she photographs. ", Silke
Kuehl, a friend of Edwards, says. "I think the fact
that her photography skills are for the most part self-taught
is a testament to her talent, her tenacity, and her
love for the natural wonders that surround us."
[1-2-3 -- Snapshot.]
Edwards asks, "Have you ever listened
to the 'nothingness' of being in an isolated area? Because
it's not really nothing, is it? There are bugs crawling
and flying, leaves drifting silently down, the hush
of snowflakes, birds singing and tapping the trees for
bugs. I hope that the feelings I experience when I am
out shooting the photographs are conveyed in the finished
image -- Nature is my church."
If anyone wishes to get in contact
with Edwards in order to purchase her photography or
to merely take a gander, contact Casey at smokincasey@yahoo.com.
or visit her artwork on her Web site, where you can
browse her snapshots and read her comments.
MS
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