"I have always been mesmerized by cameras; I love everything about them, from the way they look and work, to the sound the shutter makes when it captures an image.  When I began taking pictures, nothing could escape my lens.  I took pictures of everything.  Until one day when a dragonfly changed my view of photography and, ultimately, turned me in to the artist I am today.   It sounds crazy, but this one little dragonfly made me realize the power of photography.  What I thought was going to be 'just a picture'  [of said dragonfly] turned out to be much more.  When the film was developed I saw something I had never seen before.  For the first time in my life, I saw the wonders of nature -- the colors, the details, the intricacies.  From that moment on I became fascinated with getting closer to nature and learning about the little things in life that are nothing short of miraculous.   Hence, my passion for macro-photography.  This journey, which began with that one small dragonfly, has resulted in the "Dragonflies" portion of my gallery.  I hope you enjoy viewing the images as much as I enjoyed taking them.

     While macro-photography allows me to focus on nature, traveling allows me to experience the wonders of our world.  My travels have taken me to Italy, which is truly a picturesque country.  The images I brought back can been seen in the "Italy" portion of my gallery.  I have also recently journied through some of America's wildlife country, which you can see in the  "South Dakota"  and  "Grand Teton" pages.

     I plan to continue my photographic journey, and I look forward to sharing my adventures with you."  

                                                                      --Dena  Charlton