About

Curiosity and a love of nature have always inspired my photography. The beauty of a hummingbird captured in flight, a raccoon climbing a tree, the delight of seeing a butterfly, an insect, a flower, or a leaf up close, marveling at the vastness of the ocean and its waves, the magnificent dunes, and birds in flight. All animals, both domestic and wild, are of interest. Recently, photographing architecture has come into focus.

A Nikon camera user, from my early film days to my recent acquisition of a mirrorless camera. I’m currently using a Nikon D850, a Nikon D500, and a Nikon Z50 mirrorless camera, which has been converted to a 590nm infrared camera. Nikon lenses, from a wide-angle 10mm to a 500mm telephoto, are used depending on the subject being photographed.

My interest in infrared photography was kindled during a presentation by Mendocino College instructor, Markus Pfitzner. The journey into infrared photography began at the end of December 2023, after a college classmate, Linda Mercurio, did a presentation on Marilyn Maxwell, an infrared photographer who specialized in African wildlife photography. The way infrared photography captures a unique photographic perspective was intriguing. It was a new photographic challenge, and I was finally ready to take the plunge. A year later, I published my first infrared-only photography book entitled “Infrared Photography 2024.” A beginner’s first year getting to know this eccentric art form. After what seemed like a slow, cautious start, the pace quickened. Infrared photography is now an intricate part of my photography. Most are black and white, but there are also colored infrared photos.

There is so much photographic inspiration around us that it is challenging to decide which way to point the camera. I have plunged into photography not to have a narrow, single genre focus, but to see where my interests take me. Capturing a moment in time and saving it to be enjoyed later, viewing things that others may have missed, and letting them see what you have witnessed, make photography a time capsule.

“If I can make someone pause, for just a moment,

and look at my photographs with curiosity and wonder,

I have succeeded in my goal.

They will have seen the world through my eyes …

if only for just a moment.”

Joanne Abramson 2025