Debbie Orlando - photos by debbie orlando

Name
Debbie Orlando

Company Name

photos by debbie orlando

Location

Recently relocated from Chicago to Fletcher, NC

Website(s)

www.photosbydebbieorlando.com

facebook.com/photosbydebbieorlando

Camera

Canon 60D

Lens

My main go-to lens is the Canon EFS IS 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6

Filters

I use a clear filter simply for protection of my lens(I can hear the gasps from other photographers on that one but it was recommended to me in discussion with a Canon customer service rep once and I've run with that ever since.)

Tripod

The majority of my shooting is handheld.  I do have a tripod that I use mainly for macro work.
It's an Oben AC-1320 AL Tripod with a BA-1 ball head

Lights / Flash

Most of my work is done with natural lighting. I have a Canon Speedlight Flash 430EXII which I am beginning to use a little more now. As far as lights? You'd laugh at my crude set ups sometimes using various lighting I have around the house, again, mainly used for macro shots.

What software do you edit with

Mostly Lightroom and Photoshop.

Do you consider yourself a pro or amateur

I'm in-between.  Until my skills are more well-rounded, I'll stick to that and consider myself a professional hobbyist.

When did your interest in photography start

When I was little, maybe around 6 or 7 years old, I remember shooting with a Brownie camera.  When I got my first Kodak Instamatic, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven! Cartridge film was so awesome to me then!  And when I graduated from single flashbulbs to the Magic Cube, that was a really big deal (I'm dating myself, I know).  Then I went to the 110 film cartridge and even the disc film camera.  I had many jumps in cameras along the way but never a 35mm.  I was just a picture-shooter then but the interest was definitely there.

My entire immediate family, except for my father but including me, worked for Skrudland Photo Service which was a well-known retailer in the Chicago area for photo equipment and processing.  My very first job after school was a counter girl taking orders, selling film, etc. but I wasn't in the back room where all the developing and processing was going on.  I learned about different types of film and things like cropping and exposure.  I learned a lot just from talking with customers and the situations that came about at work.  My brother was an influence as he enjoyed photography at a higher level than I and I often watched him work and enjoyed seeing his results.  To expand on my "picture-taking" was something I always wanted to do but it was always pushed to the back burner.

Then, in 2010, I got serious and acted on my desire to do and learn more.  I purchased my Canon 60D and it's been a wonderful passion and learning experience ever since. Composing a shot and selecting subjects came pretty naturally.  It's the technical aspects that I'm learning more and more about with each shot.

What was your first camera

Kodak Brownie

What is your favorite subject to shoot

I enjoy street photography and capturing stories and I also enjoy macro work.  I'm still searching for my niche but I really don't want to be stereotyped into any one class of subject.  I can sum up how I feel about my work with my own quote..."Finding beauty around us in the simplest of forms, in more complex wonders of our world, and in captured moments. CLICK...got it!"  I shoot what inspires me and that can be just about anything.  

What are your favorite 3 photos you have shot, what were the camera settings,  lens, filter that you used?

This is probably my most popular and most talked about photo.  It's also a favorite of mine.  I caught this shot as I was driving a rural road and a light snow began to fall.  It was perfectly outlining everything and the red shed just popped out at me.  I pulled over to the side of the road, rolled down the window and snapped.  I call this "Little Red".

Titled "Theatre Alley", this was shot in the Theatre District of downtown Chicago.  Even though there are no people as subjects in the shot, I saw a real story here...a historic story of who would have used this alley and who still does today.  The alley is the subject with the "Stage Door" sign as a sub-subject.

I knew I had accomplished my goal on this one when a friend ordered a print for herself and one for her father because, unbeknownst to me, her mother worked in this area before she met and married my friend's father and then afterward for a while.  She told me the history of her parents and it was a fascinating story with many memories brought to life again for her when she saw the photo.  She saw the story in the shot as I did.

As I was hustling my way down Michigan Ave in Chicago headed toward the train station with a light rain falling, I turned my head and spotted these two gentlemen playing chess in the doorway of a building under rehab.  I went back to chat with them for a minute and to ask permission to snap a few photos.  Their story is a special one.

Whenever possible, the man in the suit meets the less fortunate man during his lunch hour so they can play chess together.  The irony of their stations in life comes through in this photo yet the friendship they built over the game also comes through.  I am thankful I spotted them, went back, and, not only took the photos, but chatted a few minutes with them as well.

What would be your dream shoot

I would love to be a photo-journalist.

What is your dream camera

I don't know enough about the different cameras yet but my next camera is going to be a tic above my Canon 60D when I purchase a Canon 70D.  What I'd really like to do when I purchase the Canon 70D is to purchase a couple better lenses.  I'm still researching those.My husband, who has now realized his interest in photography but doesn't have the time that I do, will inherit the 60D.  (I don't like to share the camera when we are out together!)

Who has influenced you the most in photography

My first love has always been and still is black and white photography. I am attracted to photographers as far back as Matthew Brady to currently, Annie Leibovitz.

Would you consider yourself a technical photographer or more of a go by the feel photographer

Right now, I lean to the "go by feel" category.  I have learned that post-processing isn't "cheating".  I've learned that it's the digital darkroom version of what was once done in a dimly lit back room smelling of different chemicals and papers.  The technical aspect is interesting to learn and I am figuring out more and more about it.  I have always been more of a "hands-on" person so I learn best by experimenting and just getting out there and doing it.

What are your biggest strengths in photography

Composition.  I took a short intro to photography class a while back and realized composition was my strongest attribute.  The "rule of thirds", "framing", etc. were all something I was doing naturally without knowing it was something taught in a class.

What would you like people to know about your photography

My work comes from my heart and from my own instincts. Its the art form that best exposes the creative side of my nature. It's creativity and technology wrapped up into one expression. If I can spark an emotion, a memory, stir controversy, or just entertain the person that sees my work, then I've accomplished my goal of sharing what I see behind the lens.