I've always felt a deep connection to nature and the outdoors. When I was a kid, my best friend was the creek that ran along the back of our house. I spent hours there....observing, pretending, dreaming.

I first found the opportunity to incorporate my love of nature with photography when I was in elementary school and took my brand new camera, a cheap-but-immediately-prized Kodak Instamatic, to summer camp. On the long drive there, I used up the only cartridge of film I had excitedly clicking pictures of the Rocky Mountains through the bus window. To this day, that's the only thing I remember about going to camp. The mountains. And that camera.

Over the years, my interests drifted to the fine arts, and I met my husband, also an artist, while getting my BFA in Printmaking. We live in Texas with our son, our three dogs, our two cats, and our well-protected hamster. A few years ago, I picked up a digital camera just to shoot pictures of the art that my husband and I make. But after I got to playing with it, I rediscovered my fascination with the camera and fell head-over-heels in love with photography.

Next, I bought a Polaroid (my favorite being my beloved SX-70), then I learned how to shoot my digital through an old viewfinder camera, and then came the beautiful textures I've learned to incorporate into my photos in my digital darkroom. So, here we are. I never go anywhere without a camera. I'm always thinking of new ways to express my artistic point of view and appreciation of nature, toys, cars, and anything else that catches my fancy through this infinitely fascinating medium.

All in all, I guess I haven't changed much since I was that muddy little girl daydreaming on the banks of that long-ago creek, only now I can show others how I see the world through the illuminating eye of my camera....

You can find more of my work at www.annadykema.etsy.com and on Facebook at www.facebook/annadykemaphotography.com. I also have a blog where I share my love of vintage shopping, Etsy, art, film and, of course, photography at www.daydreamerpress.blogspot.com