By Sheila Rich

I am a novice photographer and I enjoy being a member of the Cookeville Camera Club. I have learned a lot from other members who are eager to share their expertise.

Photography can be an expensive undertaking, be it as a hobby or a profession. For me it is a hobby and not an expensive one because I have an entry level DSL camera and no special lens. I feel challenged to take pictures that have unusual lighting, vivid colors, and contrasting textures and I find my camera to be quite adequate.

My husband and I took a trip to California and Idaho and there were so many wonderful things to photograph! On the way home we spent several days in Wyoming. The town of Jackson, WY is the gateway to Jackson Hole, the scenic valley that includes Grand Teton National Park. The Tetons is a range of spectacular mountains that rise up from the valley floor in majestic towers that are covered with snow most of the year. There are several lakes on the valley floor at the base of the mountains. At the far end of the park is Jackson Lake Lodge. I was eager to see it because my first job at age 17 was working there the summer of 1955 when it first opened.

A trip to Wyoming must also include Yellowstone National Park. The geysers, formations, and other geological features are awesome and many are very colorful.

The scenery of these two parks is very diverse: wild life, mountains, lakes, waterfalls, geysers, fumaroles, wild flowers, and more. Needless to say, I took many pictures.

One thing that I especially enjoy about the Cookeville Camera Club is that it provides a platform for sharing my best pictures.  The Club will again have note cards, with many new photographs donated by members, for sale at Fall Fun Fest on September 9^th and 10th. Be sure to stop by the Cookeville Camera Club’s booth to meet some members, purchase note cards with your favorite images and find out more about the club.