Behind The Lens

Thanks for visiting Designs by DonnElle. I appreciate you taking the time to view my photographs. My goal is put images out there that touch the heart. Maybe stir up a few emotions. But most of all, I want to spread some happiness.

I have always been told that I look at the world from a different angle than most people. I am a highly animated free spirit with a very active imagination. I am an observer, a communicator, I don’t always follow rules, and I refuse to be labeled or restricted. I am an eternal optimist. I give a voice to everything I encounter. I see the world in color & I need sunshine! I view everything as alive, even inanimate objects. Some view me rather quizzically for my behavior; I prefer to embrace these traits as quirky. I also tend to over-analyze everything, so I love the challenge of creating one picture that really is worth a thousand words.

The main focus of my art is life. I encourage others to slow down and spend time enjoying the little things. Take the time to notice the small details that are often overlooked yet are what make life worth living. By stopping to enjoy the simple moments, we will find beauty all around us. I aim to put images out there that touch the heart and possibly stir up a few emotions. Above all, I want to spread some happiness. I try to bring the photo alive and create a special tangibility that will draw the viewer into the scene. I approach everything I shoot as a living entity with feelings and I treat it with respect.

I went to school for interior design and have a love of all things creative. I spent a few years working as a designer with suburban clients who were influenced by model homes and pictures in magazines. Consequently, I was putting together rooms that lacked in imagination, and even worse yet, individuality. It was a quest for expression that led me to where I am today, a photographer.

The place I call home champions individualism and fosters reinvention. It allows the creative mind to wander and grow. I live in a land where prehistoric creatures still roam, the sun blazes relentlessly, and there are still vast expanses of open land. I love the idea of living in the elements and not only surviving, but thriving. There is diversity and a spirit in the air that cannot be defined or contained. There is endless inspiration in the form of sunsets, creatures great and small, and history. I am a free spirit in the desert.

Taking time to appreciate the here and now and preserve that joy forever is what my photos are all about. I shoot everything from the smallest creatures in the garden to towering skyscrapers. Looking at the world from a different point of view need not be done through rose colored glasses, but rather with a clarity that comes from seeing things as they really are. The beauty is there, sometimes it just needs to be appreciated for what it is. I shoot based on what triggers emotional responses within me, and hopefully you, the viewer.

My philosophy is: life is an adventure, document the journey.

Thank you for taking the time to slow down and look at the world a little differently. I truly appreciate your visit, and I’d like to extend an open invitation to stay and view my art, and return as many times as you’d like.

See you soon…

Leslie