Last updated Sunday, June 29, 2008 at 7 a.m.
From the time she was a child, Kelly Cioffi would sit for hours watching wildlife. While some young girls are afraid of bugs, she found them fascinating.
There will be an artist reception from 1 to 3 p.m. July 5 in the Juliano Room in the North Port Library, 13800 Tamiami Trail. The event is free and open to the public.
Now, the Venice resident has turned her lifelong interest in insects and wildlife into photographs that are winning prizes and gaining attention.
An exhibition of her work "Natural Encounters" will be shown throughout July in the Juliano Room of the North Port Library, 13800 Tamiami Trail.
"Florida residents tend to enjoy wildlife and Kelly captures native wildlife with a compelling style and fresh eye," said Janis Russell of the North Port Library.
When she saw Cioffi's photography at the Arts Alliance of Lemon Bay in Englewood, Russell said she immediately saw "something different" in the photography and thought it would be a perfect fit for the monthlong exhibit.
"I'm always on the lookout for unusual local artists, authors and musicians," Russell said. "It gives an added bonus to library patrons."
This is not the first time Cioffi's photography has been in the spotlight. For the past two years she has exhibited in the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens annual Juried Photographic Exhibition and has won awards of merit from Selby. She is also a field photographer for "Nature Photographer" magazine.
The surprising thing about Cioffi is that it has only been two years since she picked up a camera, and she has never taken a course in photography.
"But I've been a student of nature all my life," Cioffi said. "I can sit for hours watching a bird or alligator. I take hundreds of images then I come back and do it all over again."
Besides patience, paying attention to light and shadows is the most important attribute for a photographer, Cioffi said, "because photography is nothing but writing with light."
Indeed, what makes her subjects "pop" is her dramatic use of light and the unusual patterns she captures.
"People think I use Photoshop to create interesting patterns, but I don't manipulate photos," Cioffi said. "It's all done with a slow shutter speed and waiting for the light to hit the subject in a certain way."
A macro lens is what she uses to create another special effect, unusual closeups that detail one part of her subject. "If I could only use one lens, it would be a macro," she said.
"You can get all sorts of special effects with one."
Alligators are her favorite subject, followed by insects.
"I creep around at night looking for spiders and insects to photograph," she said.
Cioffi believes beautiful photography is easy to come by in Southwest Florida because of the area in which we live.
Her advice to those who want to do nature photography: "Sit quietly and you'll be amazed at what you see."
From the time she was a child, Kelly Cioffi would sit for hours watching wildlife. While some young girls are afraid of bugs, she found them fascinating.
There will be an artist reception from 1 to 3 p.m. July 5 in the Juliano Room in the North Port Library, 13800 Tamiami Trail. The event is free and open to the public.
Now, the Venice resident has turned her lifelong interest in insects and wildlife into photographs that are winning prizes and gaining attention.
An exhibition of her work "Natural Encounters" will be shown throughout July in the Juliano Room of the North Port Library, 13800 Tamiami Trail.
"Florida residents tend to enjoy wildlife and Kelly captures native wildlife with a compelling style and fresh eye," said Janis Russell of the North Port Library.
When she saw Cioffi's photography at the Arts Alliance of Lemon Bay in Englewood, Russell said she immediately saw "something different" in the photography and thought it would be a perfect fit for the monthlong exhibit.
"I'm always on the lookout for unusual local artists, authors and musicians," Russell said. "It gives an added bonus to library patrons."
This is not the first time Cioffi's photography has been in the spotlight. For the past two years she has exhibited in the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens annual Juried Photographic Exhibition and has won awards of merit from Selby. She is also a field photographer for "Nature Photographer" magazine.
The surprising thing about Cioffi is that it has only been two years since she picked up a camera, and she has never taken a course in photography.
"But I've been a student of nature all my life," Cioffi said. "I can sit for hours watching a bird or alligator. I take hundreds of images then I come back and do it all over again."
Besides patience, paying attention to light and shadows is the most important attribute for a photographer, Cioffi said, "because photography is nothing but writing with light."
Indeed, what makes her subjects "pop" is her dramatic use of light and the unusual patterns she captures.
"People think I use Photoshop to create interesting patterns, but I don't manipulate photos," Cioffi said. "It's all done with a slow shutter speed and waiting for the light to hit the subject in a certain way."
A macro lens is what she uses to create another special effect, unusual closeups that detail one part of her subject. "If I could only use one lens, it would be a macro," she said.
"You can get all sorts of special effects with one."
Alligators are her favorite subject, followed by insects.
"I creep around at night looking for spiders and insects to photograph," she said.
Cioffi believes beautiful photography is easy to come by in Southwest Florida because of the area in which we live.
Her advice to those who want to do nature photography: "Sit quietly and you'll be amazed at what you see."
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