Susan Reynolds has been a member of BetterPhoto since January 2007.

What kind of photography do you most enjoy?
I like to try to capture the true personality of people and children without the use of elaborate props or standard "run-of-the-mill backdrops like massproduction studios use. Also, I would say photographing people in the great outdoors with natural lighting is one of my favorites too. I do like nature and architecture - macro. I guess I like it all. I've done a few weddings but the stress just about did me, but I do enjoy the engagement sessions. I've never really done animals or sports yet; maybe someday I will try that. Who knows what the future holds…anything is possible as long as you have a dream and determination, right? After all, accomplishments are just dreams that have put on work clothes.

How long have you been a photographer?
I've dabbled in photography since my early teens when I had a 110 film camera. Right after my daughter was born, my husband found a Minolta 35mm film camera, and that got me more interested with experimenting. In 2003, I began learning how to compose good shots, not just snapshots, and my first "real attempt" was my son's senior portraits. But I still didn't have any training, just my broken 35mm camera held together with electrical tape (he broke it trying to take pictures of himself while I was at work!). However, I was determined to take senior portraits of my son (I had paid a professional to do my daughters the year before and was not impressed, especially for the outrageous price).

In January 2004, I bought a Nikon N65 film camera. I made the move to a digital Nikon D70 in July 2005 and moved to a D200 in 2007.

What got you started?
What got me to be really serious about photography was our teen-age son's tragic accident. It made me realize how important truly good pictures are - especially of one's family. That tragic accident made me want to really learn all I could about photography and also to learn about Photoshop so that I could make every picture of my son the best it could be...from clear back to his birth by scanning the old film photos.

What inspires you?
Beauty…There is so much beauty around us that sometimes we don't really "see" because we get too busy. People as God's creation are beautiful as is the world of nature He created.

The memory of my son inspires me tremendously. He lived by the rules of "Be Extreme", "No Fear Just Ride The Wave", "Nothing Can Bring Me Down", and the Nike motto "Just Do It". And even when he was little he would always tell his sister not to cry, to "Be G.I. Joe" (he always wanted to join the military). If I could live up to his beliefs, I would definitely be a better photographer, because I know that you have to be extreme sometimes to get that perfect shot… you have to not be afraid and just do it. I can't let past failures bring me down. I want to do this to honor my son's memory. I'm including a self-portrait I took really quick in my son's room in front of his army posters to remind myself not to be scared but to be a G.I. Joe like he always said… I called it G.I. Jane.

Determination inspires me. I would have loved to been able to meet Joe Rosenthal who photographed the soul-stirring shot of the soldiers raising the flag on Iwo Jima during WWII. I find it so inspiring that he never gave up just because he was rejected by the U.S. Army as a photographer because of his poor eye-sight (hey, I wear glasses too). So instead, he joined the Associated Press and was able to take one of the most famous and patriotic American war photos ever! (See… I MUST get out of the car and take photos or attend classes - no fear, no matter what people think, no matter if anyone stares!). Joe Rosenthal's story really inspires me to dig down deep and build some of my own rock-solid determination to be the best I can be.

What are your photography goals?
I'd like to be able to learn all I can and become a real professional in every sense of the word. I want to get my "little home photography business" really off of the ground and running as a full-time business as soon as possible.

How has BetterPhoto helped you attain them?
It was in 2007, when I ran across BetterPhoto on an Internet search for online photography classes. (That in itself is an embarrassing, yet kind of funny story. I can laugh now… but it wasn't funny at all when it was happening! I had signed up several times over the years to take photography or Photoshop classes at different colleges in my area. I paid for the classes, but wound up driving around the parking lot because I couldn't ever get up the nerve to go in…I get too afraid because I have never had any "formal" photography training and people might stare and wonder what I am doing there.. Hence the search for online classes began, where I could learn without going to school.)

BetterPhoto has been the only training or classes that I have ever taken, and I am so thankful for them! The classes I have taken have all taught me invaluable lessons, and I would never be where I am today with photography if it were not for BetterPhoto. I would still be driving around college parking lots!

p.s. A very special thanks to Simon Stafford who finally got me out of Auto Mode!!!