Photographer Claudia Howell borrowed a camera for a college trip to Europe and has been hooked on photography every since. She earned her degree in photojournalism and began her photography career at the former Oregon Journal in Portland, OR.
"I was just amazed. They actually paid me to do what I love to do. What a deal."
Howell has photographed all aspects of news, sports and features including some of the region's major stories, such as the Mt. St. Helens eruption, Eastern Oregon's Rajneeshee cult invasion and edited most of the civil war games between Oregon and OSU.
In the late 80s, she moved to The Oregonian, editing and shooting news, sports and feature photographs for 25 years.
"As a news picture editor, I learned to select the best work as quickly as possible. I also learned that most of us overshoot. There's a saying, 'film is cheap'. Well, digits are virtually free and that leads to even more overshooting."
Claudia is also an art photogapher and has ehibited extensively in the Portland metro area including: Newspace Center for Photography, White Sturgeon Art Gallery and Camerawork Gallery. Her subject matter ranges from digital color abstracts to black & white Holga photographs of horses.
"I love photography. It doesn't much matter what I shoot, it's the act of capturing what I see that gives me a buzz. The next biggest treat is to see how I did."
She is eager to share her experiences and expertise to help make photography and even more fun adventure for everyone.
