I have always taken photos. I think I was around 6 years old when I was "elected" as the family photographer. My dad was the only other person really inclined to take pictures, and he had a habit of cutting people accidentally out of the shots... and so...

Over the years, I used a vintage Brownie Hawkeye, a Polaroid Instant camera, a pocket Kodak that took 126 film... and when I graduated from Nursing School; one of the first things I bought was a Ricoh 35mm film camera with a short zoom lens. It was awesome.

That first fall working as a nurse; I took my parents on a vacation to Nova Scotia, Canada. It was a spur of the moment kind of trip... and one I will always remember. Nova Scotia is gorgeous. Simply stunning. There is this feeling of being on the edge of the world there... and it is breathtaking.

Some of the photos from that trip are some of the first photos I ever sold... and it was really the beginning of my freelance career as a photographer. The scenery, and the fabulous results I was getting from the camera spurred me on to study more... and led me to eventually get a diploma from the NYI of Photography.
And so... I thought I would show a couple of the photos from that trip here...((and in the meantime.... BAJ is still working at trying to get my laptop fixed... so... stay tuned...))

**photos by Elaine A. Russell