I was hooked on photography as a little girl sitting on my father's knee in front of his enlarger. Sitting in the dark seeing the image shine on the easel, dropping the paper into smelly chemicals and watching the photograph appear was sheer magic to me. Accompanying him on photo shoots from Appalachian mountaintop peaks to gleaming white beaches up and down the east coast are the wonderful memories of my very special childhood.
I have run the gamut in photography for 30 years. News being the bulk of my work in early years, I worked as a news photographer for a New York Times regional newspaper in North Carolina for 16 years shooting nearly every imaginable situation. I photographed wildfires, drownings and all manner of violence. Working in the news industry you learn to think fast, grabbing shots as they come at you. You learn to work in a myriad of circumstances when you're dealing with news issues, most you can't plan for. Photographing people dealing with life's toughest moments or life's greatest joys was always a learning experience emotionally and artistically.Next came commercial and architectural photography. Shooting for magazines has always been a joy, developing illustrations for food and fashion stories, a passion. Working as a photo illustrator I had time on my side to plan and create the image I wanted.
Moving to the coast of Brunswick County in North Carolina in 2007 brought me back to enjoying the art of photography. Watching the tide come and go on the oyster beds or an incredible tie-dyed sunset over Shallotte Point are inspiration to me. The sights, sounds and smells of this wonderful place has sparked a new interest in my work. My father taught me what to look for all those years ago and I haven't stopped looking since....
Gray Laughridge Wells
I have run the gamut in photography for 30 years. News being the bulk of my work in early years, I worked as a news photographer for a New York Times regional newspaper in North Carolina for 16 years shooting nearly every imaginable situation. I photographed wildfires, drownings and all manner of violence. Working in the news industry you learn to think fast, grabbing shots as they come at you. You learn to work in a myriad of circumstances when you're dealing with news issues, most you can't plan for. Photographing people dealing with life's toughest moments or life's greatest joys was always a learning experience emotionally and artistically.Next came commercial and architectural photography. Shooting for magazines has always been a joy, developing illustrations for food and fashion stories, a passion. Working as a photo illustrator I had time on my side to plan and create the image I wanted.
Moving to the coast of Brunswick County in North Carolina in 2007 brought me back to enjoying the art of photography. Watching the tide come and go on the oyster beds or an incredible tie-dyed sunset over Shallotte Point are inspiration to me. The sights, sounds and smells of this wonderful place has sparked a new interest in my work. My father taught me what to look for all those years ago and I haven't stopped looking since....
Gray Laughridge Wells